Mailing Invitations
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. Here are guidelines to
help you put your address list together properly.
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 essential.
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.
