Calligraphy by Joy Calligraphy Services Hand Written Invitations

Planning for an event can be stressful no doubt, but this is not the time to cut corners on proper etiquette when addressing announcements and invitations.

In many cases, the people you invite as guests are people you may not know personally (your fiancee's co-workers and family) and your invitation is your first impression.

Calligraphy by Joy makes every effort to follow the proper form and format of acceptable addressing. Joy consults publications for the leading authorities in the industry including Leticia Baldridge's " The New Manners for the 90's" and Crane's "Blue Book of Stationery" for the guidance.

Please use the following guidelines when preparing your guest list for us to use to address your invitations.

	Do not use any abbreviations except for Mr., Mrs., Ms., Jr., Sr., and c/o ( sometimes we abbreviate long military titles if it won't fit on the envelope.)
	Do not use initials in people's names. Either spell the name out or drop it.
	Do not use any symbols such as #, or &.
	Do not use zip+4, it looks very commercial.
	Spell out all the names of the states.
	Numbered streets should appear as Twenty-third Street, not 23rd Street.
	Spell out all parts of the street name. Examples: North - not N., Boulevard - not Blvd., Apartment - not Apt.
	"and Guest" is always optional, if you do not have the budget for a large wedding do not feel obligated to add this to your single guests' envelopes.
	"and Family" is not appropriate and every attempt should be made to find out the names of children to be invited.
	Do not use professional designations such as Esq., M.D., PhD. with social stationery. These are only appropriate for business correspondence.
	Technically, there is no Ms. but most older unmarried women are uncomfortable with Miss
	Feel free to be informal on the inner envelopes of close friends and family members. Examples: Mom and Dad, Aunt Maggie and Uncle Joe, etc.
	Limit the lines on the outer envelope to 5, and the inner to 3. If you have a large family who is invited and the envelope starts to look crowded, break it up into 2 or more invitations. Remember the goal is not only to extend an invitation to them, but to do so in a way with elegant presentation.
	When addressing the envelopes, think of the outer envelope as just delivery information. In other words, list only the owners or the main residents. The inner envelope then conveys the message of who exactly is invited.
	Do not include unnecessary information in the address. Examples: the name of the subdivision, the name of the apartment complex, or the name of the building.
	Unless it is absolutely necessary, do not mail your wedding invitations to a person's work address. Weddings are social events and should be sent to home addresses.

	Outer Envelope	Inner Envelope
Single Guests
Unmarried female	Miss Alexis Jones	Miss Jones (and Guest)
(See list above)	Ms. Alexis Jones	Ms. Jones (and Guest)
Divorced female, kept married name	Mrs. Alexis Smith	Mrs. Smith (and Guest)
Divorced female, back to maiden name	Miss Alexis Jones or Ms. Alexis Jones	Miss Jones (and Guest) or Ms. Jones (and Guest)
Widowed female	Mrs. Alexis Smith or Mrs. Tyler Smith	Mrs. Smith (and Guest)
Children
Child under age 18	Do not put on outer envelope. Only list the parents.	1 girl and Alexis or 1 boy and Tyler or 2 or more kids Tyler and Alexis list by age, oldest first
Child age 18 +, should have own invitation	Miss Alexis Jones or Mr. Tyler Jones	Miss Jones (and Guest) or Mr. Jones (and Guest)
Couples
Unmarried couples who do not live together	Miss Alexis Jones the only name on outer should be the person who lives at the address	Miss Jones Mr. White
Unmarried couples who live together	Miss Alexis Jones Mr. Tyler White	Miss Jones Mr. White
Married Couples - notice the use of "and" to signify marriage in the following	Mr. and Mrs. Tyler White	Mr. and Mrs. White or Alexis and Tyler if you want to be informal
Married Couple - she kept maiden name	Mrs. Jane Jones and Mr. Ed White	Mrs. Jones and Mr. White
Married Couple - she has hyphenated last name	Mrs. Alexis Jones-White and Mr. Tyler White	Mrs. Jones-White and Mr. White
Married Couple - she has a professional title, he doesn't	Doctor Alexis White and Mr. Tyler White	Doctor White and Mr. White
Married Couple - both are doctors	The Doctors White	The Doctors White
Married Couple - both are doctors, different last names	Doctor Alexis Jones and Doctor Tyler White	Doctor Jones and Doctor White
Same sex couples - list in alphabetical order by last name	Mr. Tyler Smith Mr. Michael White	Mr. Smith Mr. White
Miscellaneous
	The Honorable and Mrs. Ed White	Judge and Mrs. Ed White
	Reverend and Mrs. Ed White	Reverend and Mrs. White