All About Wedding Invitations - Part Two
There is nothing more frustrating
than having a beautifully addressed invitation be returned to
sender with postage markings all over it because of an incorrect
address. These are guidelines to help you put your address list
together properly. Although these are the traditional formal
guidelines in addressing wedding invitations, they are just
that ~ guidelines. Feel free to add your own style.
Nicknames or abbreviations
should be avoided when possible except for Mr., Mrs., Jr., etc..
You may use an initial if you do not know the full name, or
if the person never uses his given name. Cities, states and
numbered streets are written out in full (with the exception
of D.C.). In regards to addresses, the only optional abbreviations
are for Saint (St.) or Mount (Mt.), which can be written either
way.
Making sure you have the
correct address is paramount. There is nothing more frustrating
than having a beautifully addressed invitation returned to sender
with postage markings all over it because of an incorrect address
or insufficient postage. To check zip codes go on the Internet
to http://www.usps.com/zip4 .
Assembling
your invitations
The best way to assemble
your invitation is to set everything up on a cleared table,
in an assembly line fashion - placing them in the order in which
they go. No more than two people should be assembling the invitations
at the same time (one on each side of the table), because it
creates too much confusion. It also makes it easier if you place
stamps on all of your response envelopes before you start assembling.
If your invitations are single
fold and the wording is on the outside only, insertions are
placed on top. If your invitations are multi-fold and/or the
wording is inside the fold then insertions are placed inside
the first fold.
The insertions go in the
following order (from bottom to top):
This is all placed inside the
inner envelope, printed side facing the flap. The inner envelope
is then placed inside the outer envelope, flap side facing the
front of the outer envelope.
Make sure before you begin
that every stack has the exact same count. For instance, if you
are starting with a stack of 100 invitations, make sure you have
a stack of 100 of everything else (tissue paper, reception card,
maps, respond envelopes, and respond cards). Start assembling
your invitations one at a time, but do not seal the outer envelope.
When you are finished, make sure your counts are still even. If
you have 4 invitations left, make sure you have 4 of everything
else left. This is why you don't seal the envelopes - if your
counts aren't the same, then you can check the invitations to
see which one is either missing an insertion, or has an extra
insertion, and still correct it. Once everything is correct, then
you can seal your envelopes!
Here's another great tip -
number your guest list, and then number the response cards somewhere
inconspicuously (on the back or inside if they are folded) in
pencil with numbers that correspond to your guest list. If you
receive a response in the mail that is blank (believe it or not,
people forget to write their name in all the time), you will know
exactly who it is from by cross referencing the number to your
guest list!
When
should I send out my Invitations?
Invitations should be sent
out six to eight weeks before your wedding date. If you have a
large number of out of town guests, we suggest eight weeks to
give your guests the courtesy of making reservations and securing
travel arrangements more economically.
Mailing
Your Invitations
When you first receive your
invitations, assemble one complete invitation (including the tissue
paper, any maps or additional insertions, and the stamp on the
return response envelope) and take it to your local Post Office
for weight and measurement. Sometimes it's the size and not the
weight which may require more postage than one first class stamp,
so we encourage you to take it to the window and have a postal
worker weigh and measure it for you. This step can save a lot
of aggravation later. Ask to see their selection of wedding stamps
and see if they are available as self-stick stamps.
When it is time to mail your
invitations, if you hand deliver them to your local post office
window, you can request that they be hand canceled with a rubber
stamp, instead of by a machine. It makes the front of the envelope
look a lot more attractive without the large ugly black postal
markings all over it. At our local post office they use a nice
maroon colored ink for hand canceling.
