Inner and Outer Envelope…What’s the Difference?

The Outer Envelope introduces your suite with formality and elegance, addressed with meticulous attention to detail … for example: ‘Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Edward Smith III.’ This traditional salutation, while refined, does not specify which members of the Smith family are invited.

This brings us to the Inner Envelope. The inner envelope is used to be more specific as to who is invited to the wedding.  By including the inner envelope, your guest now knows who exactly is invited (or in some instances, not invited!).  For example purposes, if a full family of 4 is invited to the wedding, this is how you’d address the inner envelope (note the children are left off the outer envelope): 

Mr. and Mrs. Smith

Miss Emily Rebecca Smith

Master Jonathan Edward Smith IV

The inner and outer envelope combination is traditional and considered a formal approach for weddings. Not only does the combination of two envelopes give specifics as to who is invited, the second envelope acts as yet another protective layer between the invitation and the main (outer) envelope. The outer envelope is the piece that is addressed and stamped. It is not always treated with the utmost care as it goes through the postal service. Because of that, an inner envelope is a great way to ensure the invitation is preserved.

For less formal events, many hosts choose a single outer envelope. This envelope serves as the only means of addressing those who are invited to the wedding. With that being said, the outer envelope often takes on the role of the inner envelope and will list all those who are invited to the celebration.