Preparing Your Materials
Use an ink pen or a felt tip marker. A shower is a personal and intimate event, and the invitations should reflect that. So write out the names and addresses on the envelopes rather than printing them from the computer. Use black or dark blue ink since other colors may be difficult for postal workers to read.
Choose someone who has attractive and clear handwriting. Discuss and compare writing among the hostesses (if there are others besides you) to determine who has the nicest handwriting. Pick someone who can write in even, neat print or cursive. If you don’t trust your own handwriting, or that of the other hostesses, hire a calligrapher. You can provide them with the names and addresses of your guests, and they will inscribe them on the envelopes. Cost will depend on your area, and how many invitations you are mailing.
Use one envelope per recipient. Anyone over the age of 13 should receive their own invitation. Address a separate invitation in a separate envelope to each person you are inviting, even if two or more of them live in the same household.
Buy extra envelopes. Mistakes happen, whether you misspell a name, or smudge the ink as you’re writing. Rather than crossing something out, you should start over with a fresh envelope, so make sure to have a few extras on hand.
Clean your work surface. The last thing you want is to get a stain on the envelopes you spent so long addressing. Wipe down your desk or table with a damp cloth and then wipe it again with a dry cloth. Be sure there’s no remaining moisture on the surface before you set down your envelopes.
Formatting the Names
Include any social or professional titles. For example, write “Mrs. Jane Smith” or “Dr. Jane Smith.” Use “Mrs.” for married or widowed women and “Miss” for ladies under 18 years of age. “Ms.” can be used for single and divorced women as well as women who are married but kept their maiden names. Traditionally, only women are invited to bridal showers. However, if you invite a man, write "Mr." before his name. Some examples of other professional titles are “Lieutenant,” “Reverend,” or “The Honorable” (for judges).
Address married women by their given names. It used to be common to address a married woman using her husband’s name (“Mrs. John Smith”). However, it has become more common now to simply address a married woman using her given first name and married last name (“Mrs. Jane Smith”). If you prefer the traditional method, you may still use this, but your guests may view this as too old-fashioned.
Use full formal names. Write both the first and last name of the addressee, but omit the middle name. Don’t put any nicknames or shortened versions of names on the envelope. For example, even if everyone calls the bride’s aunt “Pat,” the invitation should still be addressed to “Mrs. Patricia Jones.”
Address couples on the same envelope. If you’re inviting any couples, this is the only exception to the “one person per invitation” rule. Both people may receive the same invitation. Nowadays, it doesn’t matter which name comes first - the man’s or the woman’s. Address married couples as “Mr. John Smith and Mrs. Jane Smith” or “Ms. Jane Smith and Mr. John Smith” if you know she prefers to go by “Ms.” You can also use “Mr. and Mrs. John Smith” if you prefer to be more traditional. The only time when name order matters is when one person “outranks” the other, such as if one is a doctor. For example, “Doctor Jane Smith and Mr. John Smith.”
Formatting the Address
Write the street address in a straight line under the name. It doesn’t have to align perfectly with the guest’s name above it. You can play around with the design and have the name and address align to the same left indent, align to the same right indent, or have each line be centered on the envelope. Just plan ahead for this since different addresses will be different lengths and require different amounts of space.
Write house and apartment numbers in numeric form. For ease of delivery, avoid spelling out the numbers in the address. For example, write "5 Oak Lane" rather than "Five Oak Lane"
Write out the street names in full. Do not abbreviate any words in the street name, including directions like “North” and “South” and words such as Street, Avenue, Boulevard, Road, etc.
Spell out the full city and state name. Do not abbreviate the state. For example, you would write "15 East Main Street, Buffalo, New York."
Place the zip code under or after the state. Use the numeric form for the zip code (i.e. 40001) and determine where you’d like to put it. In the U.S. it can be placed immediately after the state or just below it.
Print the return address on the back flap of the envelope. It should be centered and written in the same ink that is used on the front of the envelope. The return address should be the same on every envelope so that you can more easily keep track of all the responses.
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