Envelope 01
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Calloway 47 Beacon Hill Road Portland, Maine 04101
Distant relativesPersonalize
Addressing wedding envelopes
How to address wedding announcements after the big day.
Fourteen copyable envelopes for the people who weren't at the wedding — distant relatives, colleagues, your whole circle after an elopement — plus the two decisions announcements add: whose names send it, and how the return address quietly broadcasts your new name and address.
The short answer
Address a wedding announcement like a formal invitation's outer envelope — the recipient's full name and title — but send it only to people who were not invited, and mail it the day of the wedding or just after (address them in advance). There is no inner envelope. The return address does double duty: it carries the couple's married names and current address, making the announcement the first piece of mail to use your new name.
Start here
Who gets one, and whose names send it?
Announcements have their own three questions — and the first one removes more names from the list than it adds.
Was this person invited to the wedding?
Yes → No announcement — invited guests already know you're married. An announcement to someone who received an invitation (whether or not they attended) reads as a nudge for a gift.
No → They're exactly who announcements are for: distant relatives, colleagues, old friends, neighbors — anyone who'd want the news but didn't make the guest list.
Was it an elopement or a very small wedding?
Yes → Announce widely — this is the announcement's main job. Nearly everyone you'd have invited to a bigger wedding belongs on the list.
No → Keep the list to people genuinely outside the invite circle. After a full-size wedding, a short announcement list is normal.
Are you sending it yourselves?
Yes → The return address debuts your married names — “Mr. and Mrs. Tomas Reyes,” or both names in full if nobody changed theirs.
No → Traditionally parents announce the marriage, so their names go on the return address — the card wording changes, but the recipient's envelope is addressed the same way.
Set one
📣 Outer envelopes for the not-invited list
Recipients are addressed exactly like a formal invitation's outer envelope — full names and titles. The difference is entirely who's on the list: people you didn't invite. (What the card inside says is its own decision — this page stops at the envelope; the wording guide is linked below.)
Envelope 02
Ms. Roberta Finch 1200 Meridian Plaza, Suite 900 Columbus, Ohio 43215
A colleague, at the officePersonalize
Envelope 03
Dr. Alice Zheng and Mr. Peter Zheng 310 Hawthorne Terrace Evanston, Illinois 60201
Family friends with a titlePersonalize
Envelope 04
Mrs. Rosemary Aldana 6 Chestnut Hollow Lane Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17601
An elderly relativePersonalize
Fourteen examples, or your whole announcement list?
Switch the free tool to announcement mode and it formats every recipient's envelope plus your married-name return address — no inner envelope, no second-guessing, and the names and addresses you type never leave your browser.
Set two
🏔️ Announcing an elopement or micro-wedding
When almost nobody was invited, almost everybody gets an announcement — and the tone can relax to match the wedding. These informal outers work for friends, cousins, and whole households.
Envelope 05
Sam and Jordan Whitfield 2215 Cypress Avenue Austin, Texas 78704
Friends, relaxedPersonalize
Envelope 06
The Nakamura Family 930 Orchard Park Drive Bellevue, Washington 98004
A whole householdPersonalize
Envelope 07
Marcus Bell Apartment 3F 415 Halsey Street Brooklyn, New York 11216
One friend, city apartmentPersonalize
Set three
↩️ The return address: your married names' debut
The announcement is traditionally the first mailing to use the couple's married names — and its return address is how everyone learns your new name and where you live now. Use whatever form you'll actually go by.
Envelope 08
Mr. and Mrs. Tomas Reyes 512 Alder Court Boise, Idaho 83702
Shared married namePersonalize
Envelope 09
Alina Petrov and Tomas Reyes 512 Alder Court Boise, Idaho 83702
Names kept, both listedPersonalize
Envelope 10
Julian and Wren Ashford-Kane 72 Meadowbrook Lane Burlington, Vermont 05401
Hyphenated new namePersonalize
Envelope 11
Mr. and Mrs. Tomas Reyes 1900 Lakeview Drive, Apartment 4 Chicago, Illinois 60614
New city, new addressPersonalize
Set four
👪 When parents send the announcement
Traditionally the couple's parents announce the marriage; today the couple usually announces it themselves. Both are correct — on the envelope, the only difference is whose names and address go on the back flap.
Envelope 12
Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Tran 76 Willow Bend Lane Sacramento, California 95816
One set of parents, traditionalPersonalize
Envelope 13
The Tran and Marchetti Families 76 Willow Bend Lane Sacramento, California 95816
Both families, one addressPersonalize
Envelope 14
Ms. Gloria Tran 14 Ridgeline Circle Reno, Nevada 89509
A divorced parent, own namePersonalize
Which envelope?
Where each name goes on an announcement
An announcement is a single-envelope mailing — two surfaces do all the work, and one you're used to simply doesn't exist.
| Envelope | What goes on it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Outer envelope | The recipient's full name and title, formatted exactly like an invitation's outer envelope. | Mr. and Mrs. Henry Calloway |
| Inner envelope | None. Announcements never use one — anything that makes the mailing look like an invitation confuses recipients. The tool's announcement mode disables it entirely. | — |
| Return address | The sender's names — the couple's married names (their first outing) or the announcing parents' — over the address where you live now. This is the new-address broadcast. | Mr. and Mrs. Tomas Reyes 512 Alder Court Boise, Idaho 83702 |
| Guest-list label | One entry per announcement household, kept separate from the wedding guest list so nobody accidentally receives both an invitation and an announcement. | The Calloway Family |
The etiquette
The five rules for announcement envelopes
Announcements carry more unwritten rules per square inch than any other wedding mailing — these are the widely accepted defaults, not laws.
1
Never send one to an invitee
Anyone who received an invitation — whether they attended, declined, or couldn't come — already knows. An announcement on top of an invitation reads as a request for a gift.
2
Address in advance, mail on the day
Announcements are traditionally mailed the day of the wedding or just after, so address and stamp them beforehand. Running a few weeks late is fine; announcing something months old starts to feel odd.
3
Your married names debut here
The announcement is customarily the first mailing under the couple's new names — on the return address, not the recipient's envelope. Use the form you'll actually go by, and list both names in full if nobody changed theirs.
4
The sender can be the couple or the parents
Traditional announcements come from the couple's parents; modern ones usually come from the couple. Both are correct — the choice only changes the return address and the card's opening line.
5
No gift is owed
An announcement carries no gift obligation — a congratulatory note is the customary response. That's exactly why it goes only to people who weren't invited.
Easy to get wrong
Announcement addressing mistakes to avoid
Most announcement missteps come from treating it like an invitation — it isn't one, and the envelope should make that obvious.
✕
Mailing before the wedding
An announcement announces something that has happened. Sent early, it reads as an invitation to an event the recipient isn't invited to — address them ahead of time, but hold them until the day.
✕
Dressing it like an invitation
Inner envelope, tissue, RSVP card — any of these make recipients wonder if they were invited after all. One envelope, one card, done.
✕
The old name on the return address
If you've taken a new name, the announcement is its debut — a maiden name on the flap muddies the one job the return address has. Keeping your name? List both names in full instead of defaulting to “Mr. and Mrs.”
✕
Skipping the return address entirely
The return address is the announcement's second message: here's our name now, and here's where we live. Leave it off and half the point of the mailing goes with it.
Try it with your list
Format your announcement envelopes in seconds
Announcement mode is preset below — the inner envelope is switched off, and the tool formats each recipient's outer envelope plus your married-name return address to match the rules on this page.
✉️
Envelope addressing toolFree forever · rules-based, not AI · the names you type are never uploaded
Mailing address (optional)
Outer envelope
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and
Your address list
Format a household, then “Add to list” to build your whole addressing list — it saves in this browser as you go.
Two exports, from the same list: the addressing sheet is one row per household with every envelope line and address column, for a calligrapher or print shop; the guest list CSV is one row per person and matches the Text My Wedding guest import (First Name, Last Name, Household) exactly.
The tool is a rules engine rather than AI, it runs in your browser, and your running list is saved to your own device's local storage — the print sheet and both CSVs are built there too, so the names and addresses you type are never uploaded. We do record anonymous, bucketed usage of the tool itself: which scenario and formality you picked, whether an address was filled in, and a rough size band for your list — never a name, an address, or an exact count.
Still collecting addresses? Text your guests a link and the list fills itself in — no chasing.
Collect addresses free →✓
Keep exploring
More on wedding envelopes
How to address wedding invitationsEvery situation in one place, with the free tool→Printed or handwritten?Labels, printing, and calligraphy — what actually reads well→Envelope addressing templateThe spreadsheet format calligraphers and printers want→Stamps for wedding invitationsHow many, which ones, and the surcharges to expect→Addressing invitations to a familyParents, children, and the whole-household envelope→Doctors, military & other titlesDr., Drs., ranks, judges, and clergy — line by line→The return addressBack flap or corner, and whose address goes where→Wedding announcement wordingWhat the card inside should say — the words, not the envelope→
Good to know
Wedding announcement addressing questions
Who should receive a wedding announcement?
People who would want the news but weren't invited: distant relatives, colleagues, old friends, neighbors, your parents' wider circles — and after an elopement or tiny wedding, nearly everyone you know. Never send one to someone who received an invitation; they already know, and the announcement reads as a hint for a gift.
Is it rude to send an announcement to someone who wasn't invited?
No — that's exactly who announcements are for. An announcement carries no gift obligation and no implied slight; the customary response is simply a note of congratulations. Most recipients are glad to hear the news directly rather than through the grapevine.
When should wedding announcements be mailed?
Tradition says the day of the wedding or immediately after — which means addressing and stamping them in advance. In practice, anytime in the first few weeks is fine, and after an elopement many couples take a month or two. The later they go, the less like news they read.
Do we use our married names on wedding announcements?
Yes — the announcement is traditionally the first mailing under your married names, and they go on the return address. Use the form you'll actually use going forward: “Mr. and Mrs. Tomas Reyes,” a hyphenated name, or both names in full if nobody changed theirs. The recipient's envelope is addressed with their name as usual.
Who sends the announcement — the couple or their parents?
Either. Traditionally the couple's parents announced the marriage, and that format is still correct — their names go on the return address and the card's opening line. Today most couples announce themselves. The recipient's envelope is addressed identically either way.
What should the announcement card itself say?
That's a wording question rather than an envelope one — see our wedding announcement wording guide (linked above) for the card text, from traditional third-person forms to the text-message version. This page covers everything on the outside of the envelope.
Does the addressing tool on this page send our names anywhere?
No. The tool is a rules engine rather than AI, it runs in your browser, and your running list is saved to your own device's local storage — the print sheet and both CSVs are built there too, so the names and addresses you type are never uploaded. We do record anonymous, bucketed usage of the tool itself: which scenario and formality you picked, whether an address was filled in, and a rough size band for your list — never a name, an address, or an exact count. The CSV it exports matches the Text My Wedding guest import, so your announcement list flows straight into the app when you need it.
You know what to write.
Now get the addresses.
Text My Wedding sends your guests a link and the address list fills itself in — no group-text chasing, no illegible replies. Then export it straight to your envelopes.