Weddings are a blissful time full of love, family and cheerful, lifelong memories. They also involve months of stressful planning and require a heavy dose of etiquette. Your wedding invitations and stationery should be fun and stress-free. It’s not only an important element of your wedding, but it also sets the tone for your affair. Here are a few of the most common etiquette mistakes, and tips on how to avoid them!

1. How do I word my wedding invitations?

Who is hosting your wedding and where you are getting married dictates the formality of your invitation wording. Be sure to write out names in full, including middle names and dates. Note that is there is no “and”: two thousand ten is the proper spelling of the date. 


2. What am I supposed to include in my invitation suite?

• Outer envelope
• Inner envelope
• Wedding Invitation
• Response Card
• Reception Card
• Appropriate inserts (Directions Card, Maps, Hotel Accommodations)

Never, under any circumstances, include gift registry information.
It is in poor taste to suggest that wedding gifts are a requirement of your guests’ attendance.

4. How do I prevent my wedding guests from inviting other guests?
Choosing the incorrect wording for your response cards and outer envelopes is an invitation (no pun intended!) for your guests to invite more guests. Never include “and Family” on your outer envelope as it signals that “and family” is literally invited to your wedding! Instead, address your outer envelopes to Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Smith and specify the exact guests invited on your inner envelope. For example:

In addition, carefully word your response cards.

This way, your guests are asked to check whether or not they will attend your wedding.
Since they are not asked to specify the number of guests attending, you are eliminating the possibility of any unwanted extras being added.

4. Our guest list is finalized. Who exactly gets an invitation?

Anyone over the age of 18 gets their own invitation. This means that cousin Joe, who is 18 years old, is sent a separate invitation even if he still lives at home.

5. How much postage am I supposed to use?
The size and shape of your finished invitation suite will affect the amount of postage required to mail your invitations. Take your finished invitation suite to the post office to have it weighed – a free service! – and purchase the necessary postage. Square envelopes will automatically incur additional postage fees because of their odd size, but even traditionally sized invitations may require extra postage because of their weight. Don’t forget postage for your response envelopes, too!