Proper Addressing for Wedding Invitations

Through out the whole wedding planning session, I firmly believe that the most cumbersome and annoying part is to address the invitations!! It seems to be the most common question I get as a wedding planner... what is the proper way to address wedding invitations!!!

So here goes:

Married couples with the same last name:

Outer envelope: Mr. and Mrs. William Smith
Inner envelope, formal: Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Innerer envelope, contemporary: Michelle and Bill

Married couple, different last names:

Outer envelope: Ms. Michelle Franks and Mr. William Smith (Both names on same line)
Inner envelope, formal: Ms. Franks and Mr. Smith
Inner envelope, contemporary: Michelle and Bill

Married couple with children under 18

Outer envelope: Mr. and Mrs. William Smith
Inner envelope, formal: Mr. and Mrsl Smith Joanne
Inner envelope, contemporary: Adam, Mary and Joanne

Unmarried couple at same address
Outer envelope: Miss (or Ms.) Michelle Franks
Inner envelope, formal: Miss Franks
Inner envelope, contemporary: Mr. Smith Michelle and Bill

Single woman

Outer envelope: Miss Cynthia Green
Inner envelope, formal: Miss Green and Charles (it's better to find out the name of a single's date rather than saying "and guest")
Inner envelope, contemporary: Cynthia

Single Man

Outer envelope: Mr. Michael Ross
Inner envelope, formal: Mr. Ross
Inner envelope, contemporary: Michael

Married couple with children under 18

Outer envelope: Mr. and Mrs. Adam Fossini
Inner envelope, formal: Mr. and Mrs Fossini
Inner envelope, contemporary: Joanne Adam, Mary and Joanne

Unmarried couple at same address

Outer envelope: Miss (or Ms.) Sarah Raymond
Inner envelope, formal: Miss Sarah Raymond
Inner envelope, contemporary: Mr. Jeremy Kuhn Sarah and Jeremy

Check out the site www.mygatsby.com ... Not only does it have great invitations, but it also included everything you need to know about invitations!!!

Etiquette Questions???

Many of my brides and grooms tend to get stuck when it's time for etiquette decisions. I highly recommend Emily Post's Wedding Etiquette, Fifth Edition book to all my bride. Specially couples that don't have wedding planners to help guide them.

Today’s weddings have more possibilities than ever, with new traditions replacing old, and new relationships to consider as family life grows more complex. In this book, Peggy Post provides solutions to all wedding questions, showing how to manage the big decisions and the little details with consideration and confidence—leaving you free to enjoy all the happy times along the way!

There is even a couple of chapters dedicated to grooms. Incorporating today's technology into your wedding plans, plus updates on destination weddings, working out wedding finances, same-sex unions, and more, Peggy answers every couple's contemporary concerns.

Peggy Post is a nationally trusted wedding expert, she also provides tried-and-true guidelines you can count on for a memorable wedding, from announcing the engagement to budgeting for the ceremony and reception to dealing with sticky situations -- uninvited guests, last-minute slipups, avoiding tacky gift gaffes, smoothing conflicts, and more -- and bringing it all off with minimum stress and maximum style.

With this book, you can feel confident that your wedding will be a wondrous time you'll remember with pride as a day that was joyful for everyone.

For more info visit: www.emilypost.com

Destination Weddings - So many choices???

I get a lot of couples knowing that they want to have a destination wedding, but have no clue where to start looking!!! It does get overwhelming once you start surfing the net and realize there are tons and tons of destinations to chose from!! This is what I suggest you do:

1. Limit your choices to three or even two destinations!! So before you even start looking at hotels, your objective is to find the destination that fits your needs!! Ask yourself questions like - Do I want to make my guests take long flights or not!

2. Once you do decide on a location, then you have to make sure that getting a marriage license in that destination is hassle free... Some destination require you to be there a week prior to the wedding day...so make sure you read all requirements prior to deciding on your location!

3. Now that you have a location in mind, you could start shopping for resorts... you decide do you want an all inclusive one, or would you want a more exlusive one. Some hotels might not be all inclusive, but could cater to groups and give you a group rate and meal plans...so make sure you keep all your options open!

Once you decide on the hotel, then you could get into the details of the actual wedding day. Most hotels have in house wedding planners that could help you, however if you are limited with time, then it is highly recommended you hire a wedding planner from your home town... there will be many hours of planning going back and forth to put the details of the day together! Not to mention everything else that needs to be done, prior to flying to your dream destination :)

One of my favourite places is Ocean Club (One & Only) in Paradise Island, Bahamas!! It's absolutely beautiful and a perfect location for your dream wedding!!! :)

For more info on the hotel visit: www.oneandonlyresorts.com