Today we’re tackling wedding etiquette regarding whether you need to put a return address on save the dates. Ann writes…

Emmaline, I’m ordering my save the dates and I have a question. Do you need the return address on save the dates? My save the dates are cards (not postcards) and they’ll be mailed inside envelopes. If I am supposed to put the return address on them, does the return address go on the back flap? Or the front? Also, should it be hand-addressed or should I use an address stamp? Help!

Do You Need Return Address on Save the Dates?

Hi, Ann! Fantastic questions posed right there. I wondered the very same things when planning my own wedding.

First, do you need the return address on save the dates? Yes. The same goes for wedding invitations. Some pieces of mail requires a return address; it is recommended by the Post Office to always include a return address just in case it is undelivered and needs to be returned to you. (You would rather know someone didn’t receive the mail than simply disregarded your RSVP altogether, right?)

Secondly, your return address should be placed on the front of the envelope on the upper-left hand corner.

Now, this is where it gets interesting: while the Post Office prefers you to always include a return address on the front in the upper-left hand corner, we’ve seen so many invitation designs now that feature the return on the back flap. It’s not technically the correct way to do it. We’ve heard a few horror stories of mail being returned because it was missing the return address, but that seems far-fetched to us (so we’re not sure how true that really is). But, we will say that if you want full certainty, you need the return address on save the dates and invitations on the front, upper-left hand corner of the envelope.

If you really prefer the back flap, go for it — but know that it could, by some very small chance, be returned to you. But we totally prefer the look of the return address on the back flap, so we get it. Just wanted to give you a heads up. :)

Now, on to how it’s done: should you include a return address on save the dates hand-written or stamped? That’s really up to you. You can hand-write the return address, stamp it, or even use a mailing label.

For save the dates, they are more informal than invitations so any of the above work well. For invitations, I would skip a mailing label (they don’t look as nice) and use hand-writing or calligraphy, get them printed like this, or buy a return address stamp to use instead. There are many beautiful return address stamps you can use for your save the dates and wedding invitations. They’ll come in handy after the wedding, too, for your thank you cards (and any mail you send from here on out!) These return address stamps are by Papermints:

Aren’t they beautiful? I ordered a return address stamp a few years back and I still use it for everything. I tell ya, it saves me a heck of a hand-cramp when I’m writing Christmas cards, thank you notes, birthday party invitations, paying bills, etc. (And I bet my bill payments look so pretty when I send them in. Ha!) If you liked these stamps, check out even more at Papermints. :) They have a beautiful collection of return address stamps!

Anyways, thanks for writing, Ann! I hope we helped you (and anyone else reading this).

Do you have a wedding advice question you need to be answered? We’d love to hear from you: send it in here!

Happy Planning!

xo
Emma