What are Double Envelopes and do I need them?

If you have been researching wedding invitations you have probably come across the option to add on a double (or outer) envelope. If you are like me when I started working in the wedding industry you are probably wondering what the heck is that and do I really need to spend the extra money on it!? The simple answer is no you do not have to but there are a few reasons you should consider it.

Protection

The main reason I recommend adding on a double envelope is to help protect your invitation. Let’s be honest, we have spent a ton of time and money on your invitations so do we really want them to get ruined when going through the mail system? USPS gets our invitations from point A to B in an efficient way but the fact is your invitation will get run though tons of machines and be passed from person to person before it gets to its destination, which will leave a lot of room for damage to happen. Think about it, when you order a package from amazon your product will come in its marketing box and then be placed in another amazon shipping box. Why? It protects it! Haven’t you ever gotten a completely damaged shipping box but once opening it the inner box was like new? I know I have!

Design

Personally I LOVE combining a vellum and color envelope especially for weddings by the water. It allows you to play around with how you stack your suite and is also a great way to protect your wax seal by placing it on the inner envelope. You can also use the vellum for the outer envelope and use a colored inner envelope to contrast your guest addressing. The options are truly endless!

FORMAL WEDDINGS & GUEST SPECIFICATION

The last reason to consider using double envelopes is to match your wedding style and avoid unwanted guests. You will typically see double envelopes used for more formal weddings (think black tie) and also as a way to specifically address each guest invited on the inner envelope which can help avoid awkward conversations later on.

Stay tuned for another post which will teach you how to properly set up your addressing for your inner & outer envelopes but until then, what are your thoughts on the double envelope!?