Are double envelopes necessary?
Historically, when invitations were delivered by horse and buggy, the inner envelope served to protect the stationery from the dirt and mud bound to land on the outer envelope. It was then opened by the doorman and the clean, inner envelope taken directly to its recipient. These days, people use double envelopes when hosting a traditional or formal wedding, as etiquette dictates, or if it is of great importance that particular guests are specifically invited (or not, as the case may be). For example, if a single friend is allowed to bring a date, the inner envelope would read: “Mildred Levine and Guest”. If Millie is not permitted to bring a guest, the inner envelope would simply read “Mildred Levine”. The same idea applies when it comes to inviting, or not inviting, children. Perhaps you’d like to invite the Zuriers to your formal, adult wedding but not their youngsters, only the Zurier couple and their teens. The outer envelope would be addressed to The Zurier Family, with the mailin
