We've Already Read The Etiquette Books
Most people want the names and addresses on their invitation envelopes to use proper etiquette, but who can figure it out? A lot of the rules are based on ancient traditions, without much logic - and a fair number are just plain strange. For example, if two sisters are living together they can receive a single invitation - but if one of the sisters has a child who will also be invited, then one invitation goes to one sister, and another invitation goes to the other sister and the child. Sure, you could sit down with a book and figure it out, but who has the time?
The Organized Wedding knows the rules of wedding invitation etiquette, so that you don't need to. Just tell the program your guests' titles and check off how they're related to one another, and we can do the rest. We can create all of your envelope text for you - as well as place cards, table cards, and anything else than involves the proper use of names and titles - without your having to know the rules they're based on.
(Besides "Who has the time?" you might also be asking "Why bother?" Well, if a guest has a title like captain, judge, or doctor, then that title probably represents a lot of work. They might not be offended if you use it incorrectly - but they'll almost certainly be pleased if you show them respect by using it properly. Besides, if you're sending out formal invitations, it completes that formal look when they're properly addressed.) Speaking of titles that can take a lot of work to acquire (as you'll discover over the next few months), did you know that "Mrs." traditionally means "wife of", and it's properly used only with the husband's first name (Mrs. Norman Maine, not Mrs. Esther Maine)? Fortunately, the makers of etiquette rules have finally noticed the use of "Ms." to refer to any woman by her own name, whether she's married or not. So you can address an envelope to Ms. Esther Maine instead of Mrs. Norman Maine if you know she prefers the more modern title. Just let us know her preference, and we'll handle the rest automatically. Here's another example: a couple in which the wife is a doctor and the husband is not. The correct way to address the envelope is to put the names on separate lines, with the wife's name first (ladies first, you know): Doctor Esther Maine |
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(The "and" indicates that they're married. We're not making this up.) The last time we checked, no other wedding software could handle even this simple case correctly! Worse yet, they won't warn you that the way they do it automatically is completely wrong.
It's worth pointing out that although the wedding invitation etiquette rules are complicated, using The Organized Wedding isn't. Setting the title of a military officer, for example, takes about three clicks - and then we handle the rest for you. This makes inviting all of those officers to a military wedding a snap. Or if you need to invite the mayor, and his wife the judge, and their son who just made Captain? With The Organized Wedding, it's not a problem!
If you disagree with the text we've created? You're the boss, of course, and you can change the envelope text to anything you'd like. Better yet, just tell us to use different rules of wedding invitation etiquette - either more or less formal - and we'll create the text to suit you, based on your tastes.
Our built-in etiquette rules for wedding invitations are based on Crane's Wedding Blue Book by Steven L. Feinberg, a marvelous and detailed book produced by Crane & Company stationers. It explains the rules of etiquette for invitations, announcements, thank-you notes, and other correspondence. It even demystifies the process of inserting all the parts of an invitation into an envelope, and explains all the possible types of extra inserts (transportation cards? Within-the-ribbon cards??) that can be added to a wedding invitation. If you want to check the rules yourself and see all the other information they provide, you can order a copy online through their website.
In case you're wondering who Mr. and Mrs. Norman Maine are, they are the central characters in the 1937 movie "A Star Is Born", played by Frederic March and Janet Gaynor. The movie was remade in 1954 (with James Mason and Judy Garland) and 1976 (with Kris Kristofferson and Barbra Streisand).