ETIQUETTE QUESTIONS

Other than friends and the bride and groom's family, who should receive a wedding invitation?

Send invitations to the members of the wedding party and their parents. It is also appropriate to include the officiant and his/her spouse. All children over the age of sixteen should receive their own invitation. Plan to order an additional twenty-five invitations to allow for the unexpected. It is less expensive to buy extras now.

Should I have a return address printed on the back flap of the invitation's outer envelope?

Yes. The U.S. Postal Service suggests that all first-class mail have a return address. It gives the wedding guests the address to send their replies (if you don't include reply cards) and/or gifts. It also ensures that you know the invitation reached its destination.

Is it acceptable to send gift registry cards with the invitation?

It is not proper to include with your wedding invitation any card that mentions gifts. Let friends and family spread the word on where you are registered.

My fiancé and I have had several showers and other parties given in our honor. Some friends have given us more than one gift. Can we write one thank you note to cover both gifts, or does each gift require a separate note?

Gifts given at separate parties require separate thank you notes. If you use preprinted thank you notes to immediately acknowledge that you received gift, always follow up with a handwritten note to the gift giver. Write notes no later than two months after the wedding.

How do you address the outer envelope of an invitation to a married couple if the woman has kept her maiden name?

Address the envelope with both names on the same line, if space permits:

Mr. William Greenberg and Ms. Laura Vargas
28 Brookview Avenue

For an invitation to an unmarried couple living together, list their names alphabetically on separate lines without "and":

Mr. William Greenberg
Ms. Laura Vargas
28 Brookview Avenue