Do We Have to Include the First and Last Name of a Guests’ Guest on the Wedding Invitation Envelope?

You should get the first and last name of every guest.  It’s not appropriate to put Mr. John Smith and Guest or as we recently received on an invitation, “& Spouse”. In the situation where it’s a married couple, Mr. & Mrs. Smith is fine -- unless of course the wife has a different last name or she has a professional title such as Dr., Hon. Or is in the armed services and then she would be listed first.

There’s nothing wrong with sending an email or calling a guest and asking for the correct spelling of everyone’s names or asking a guest brining a date you’e never met for his or her name.

My Husband Just Received a Wedding Invitation for His Brother’s Wedding and My Name Wasn’t Included. Should We Say Something?

Definitely!  I would make a joke about it and they will probably say that it was a typo error by the calligrapher, which I’m sure it was.  If you don’t say anything and you think it was done on purpose then it’ll probably fester and become a larger issue and rift in the family.

If you just separated it’s possible that his family assumed you wouldn’t go to the wedding, and in that case it’s your soon to be ex-husband’s call.

We Want to Be as Eco-Friendly As Possible, Are Emailed Wedding Invitations Okay?

Since a wedding is a traditional event, no matter how untraditional your wedding may be, I would suggest you send your wedding invitations via the post office, but choose an invitation that is eco-friendly.

There are many stationery companies that create invites that are 100% green. A quick Goggle search will bring up hundreds of results. Some companies will offer invites printed on paper sourced from cotton (Crane & Co), while others will use recycled paper. They use inks made from vegetable dyes as well as embellishments, like ribbons and bands, made from recycled materials.

An e-vite may seem like both an eco and budget-friendly option, and while I think that evites are fine for save-the-date cards and the rehearsal dinner invitation, a wedding invitation should arrive in a real mailbox not a virtual one.

When Addressing Wedding Invitations Can We Write “and Guest” and “and Family” on the Outer Envelope?

If you can, find out the name of the guest and address the invitation to both your friend/relative and the name of their guest. But if you don’t know and can’t find out the name -- and email asking should suffice -- “and Guest” is fine.

I remember learning that “and Family” was a no-no but I think times have changed, especially if space on the outer envelope is limited. Whether you’re having your envelopes calligraphed by hand or machine ask the vendor if it would be possible to fit parents and children on the outer envelope, and if you can then do so. If you can’t “and Family” won’t get you in trouble with the etiquette police.