XP: Inner Envelopes etc.

JCbride2015

Maybe I'm really, really missing something.  Or maybe I haven't gotten far enough through the checkout process that I've been presented with the option.  But are inner envelopes going the way of the dodo?  I'm mocked up invitations on Minted, WPD, and David's, and never once noticed an option for inner envelopes.

I'm considering skipping them, especially if they aren't a standard, inexpensive option with where we're ordering.  Would this substantially downgrade the formality of the invitation in your opinion?  What if the outer envelope had a fancy foil liner?  I would still address the outer envelope with the specific names of those invited.

And on that note, let's play one of my favorite games: what kind of wedding would you expect based on this invitation?  (The gold-looking areas are foil pressed, but the ink is flat.)

WinstonsGirl

We didn't use them, but we had casual boarding pass invites.  I can't actually think of any invites I've received with an inner envelope.  

That invite, I'd say is a typical wedding invite up here, so afternoon wedding in the summer, gold as the main colour, 3 hour gap for photos, dinner, cash/twoonie bar and dance till about midnight.  Dress - nice cocktail type dress.  

JennyColada

I can't say much about inner envelopes. But as for the invite:

I'd say that it seems of average formal-ness. I'd wear cocktail attire (but I'd probably still do a fun chunky accessory), expect an indoor early-evening event. DH would wear a suit (but he always wears suits).

JCbride2015

WinstonsGirl said:

We didn't use them, but we had casual boarding pass invites.  I can't actually think of any invites I've received with an inner envelope.  

That invite, I'd say is a typical wedding invite up here, so afternoon wedding in the summer, gold as the main colour, 3 hour gap for photos, dinner, cash/twoonie bar and dance till about midnight.  Dress - nice cocktail type dress.  

Oh God no.  @WinstonsGirl what in the world about this invite says etiquette problems???

ashley8918

JCbride2015 said:

WinstonsGirl said:

We didn't use them, but we had casual boarding pass invites.  I can't actually think of any invites I've received with an inner envelope.  

That invite, I'd say is a typical wedding invite up here, so afternoon wedding in the summer, gold as the main colour, 3 hour gap for photos, dinner, cash/twoonie bar and dance till about midnight.  Dress - nice cocktail type dress.  

Oh God no.  @WinstonsGirl what in the world about this invite says etiquette problems???

I'm wondering that too. WUT?

sarahufl

I haven't gotten an inner envelope in ages and I didn't use them myself.

The invite is very pretty, but doesn't seem incredibly formal to me.

blabla89

I ordered from vistaprint and there was no option for inner envelopes for my 6x9" invitations, so I went to Staples and got a box of A9 envelopes, and voila. So that may be an option, depending on the size of your invitations.

KatWAG

I would say that over 3/4 of the invites I receive do have an inner envelope. But I think that this is know your crowd kind of thing. 

But if isn't in your budget, skip it. No one will miss it. 

theartistformerlyknownas

Ditto JennyColada on the formality. I definitely think an inner envelope would add to it. I notice because it amps up the anticipation having to open another envelope!

Try Carlson Craft! Otherwise, make sure the size differences between outer and card are enough to allow an inner envelope.

JennyColada

lolo883 said:

Ditto JennyColada on the formality.

thisismynickname2

I thought Winston was just being sarcastic about typical weddings in her area. No weddings I attend have inner envelopes, and most of them are average formalness with cocktail attire.
I think that invite is elegant without being stuffy. Very pretty.

paperpusher

We had pocketfolds.  The outer envelope had the Mr. & Mrs. Blah Blah, the pocketfolds had what we called them "Uncle Jake & Aunt Sally".

I like the image you posted.  It says to me cocktail dress with fun jewelry.

paperpusher

Tried adding picture to my response, but it didn't work.
We sealed the pocketfolds with wax and used a double heart image to press.

JCbride2015

I will take another look at the options-- it would really bother me if the inner envelope was a different paper from the outer envelope.  Maybe it's an option and I'm missing it.

This is our #2 choice.  I'm thinking the lace is maybe OTT but does this read more formal?

I'm just a little concerned about what we're projecting because our venue is actually very formal (jackets dress code for men kind of formal).  I don't expect guests to wear BT but I would like to convey that it will be a formal wedding.  Start time is 6:30pm.

But... if the general vibe is that you'd show up for this in a cocktail dress or a suit, and be ready to dance and party, I'm cool with that.  

CMGragain

When inner envelopes are included with the invitation order, there is no reason to specify anything, since they are not printed with anything.  The outer envelopes have the return address printed on the envelope flap, so it is necessary to take that information on the order form..
Check your invitation description carefully.  They might be included.

theartistformerlyknownas

JCbride2015 said:

I will take another look at the options-- it would really bother me if the inner envelope was a different paper from the outer envelope.  Maybe it's an option and I'm missing it.

This is our #2 choice.  I'm thinking the lace is maybe OTT but does this read more formal?

I'm just a little concerned about what we're projecting because our venue is actually very formal (jackets dress code for men kind of formal).  I don't expect guests to wear BT but I would like to convey that it will be a formal wedding.  Start time is 6:30pm.

But... if the general vibe is that you'd show up for this in a cocktail dress or a suit, and be ready to dance and party, I'm cool with that.  

Well, I show up for most weddings like that, so yes. The only invitation I've received that struck me as "holy shit formal" came in a box, so there's that.

wrigleyville

They seem the same level of formal to me. The second one has script, which is formal, but the lace pattern is kind of "fun" (and a bit OTT, as you mentioned).

The first one doesn't have script, but it's really pretty, and the stamped-but-flat gold is nice and crisp.

So, the formal/informal elements balance each other out. I think both invitations convey "cocktail attire". Neither of those look even remotely close to a casual wedding invitation.

crackktheskyy

I agree with most PPs -- I definitely would not have the impression that this is a "casual wedding" from those invitations, and depending on other factors like start time and venue, I would likely wear a cocktail dress.

Things that ramp up the formality, IMO: engraved or letterpressing, black script lettering with very minimalistic design elements (if any at all), heavy duty cardstock paper, double envelopes, and hand calligraphy on the envelopes. 

I like and prefer double envelopes especially for a formal wedding, and I think I have received more double envelopes than not, but they aren't necessary by any means.

But honestly, if you're having a wedding at 6:30pm at a swanky venue, I'm still going to get dolled up in a nice very cocktail dress no matter what. The invitations you're looking at are lovely. I might take the time to have my hair done professionally because I'm a hot mess with trying to style my hair in under 4 hours as it is.

crackktheskyy

Ugh, double post.

JCbride2015

Just played around with the pricing and we can do the lace ones with double envelopes (WPD) for significantly less than the first option (Minted).  Minted definitely has no option for inner envelopes, which is a bummer.  If we go with WPD, we can use the saved money on the invitations to add menu cards, which I think is a nice touch.

I'm going to sleep on it.  It looks like we actually could afford the letterpress at WPD, which I know is more formal, but I'm not really feeling any of the letterpress designs over there.  

I just love paper too much.  Can I send out three different invitations?

JoanE2012

lolo883 said:

Ditto JennyColada on the formality. I definitely think an inner envelope would add to it. I notice because it amps up the anticipation having to open another envelope! Try Carlson Craft! Otherwise, make sure the size differences between outer and card are enough to allow an inner envelope.

Agree.  We used Birchcraft.  You can see their invitations in Party City or Hallmark.....they have them in binders (along with Carlson Craft and some other brands).  We then googled and found a local place in north Jersey who had a cheaper price than Party City's 30% off.  We went with a pretty traditional invitation, but I know most of them had the inner lined envelopes available.  We even had a piece of tissue paper for each set!

We did have the inner envelopes.  I think it just gives it something extra.  But I don't recall any recent weddings that I've been to having them.  So there's that.  Of course, that's all the more reason I would want them.  ha!

Of the two you posted, I like the first one better.  I would almost liken it to contemporary or modern elegance.  I'm not a fan of design on invitations (so not a fan of the 2nd one), but I just lean towards more traditional styles.   But either invitation I would take as a formal event where I'd wear a cocktail dress and DH would wear a suit.  

Cookie Pusher

I got our invitations from Invitations by Dawn and they definitely came with inner envelopes. You could opt to not get them, but they were free with the order so we used them. Our wedding and invitation suite definitely wasn't formal but because the back of the invitations had a brightly colored design, it would have been clearly visible without the inner envelope. Almost all the wedding invitations I've ever received had inner and outer envelopes, but my crowd tends to have more formal events.

wrigleyville

JCbride2015 said:

Just played around with the pricing and we can do the lace ones with double envelopes (WPD) for significantly less than the first option (Minted).  Minted definitely has no option for inner envelopes, which is a bummer.  If we go with WPD, we can use the saved money on the invitations to add menu cards, which I think is a nice touch.

I'm going to sleep on it.  It looks like we actually could afford the letterpress at WPD, which I know is more formal, but I'm not really feeling any of the letterpress designs over there.  

I just love paper too much.  Can I send out three different invitations?

Oh, I feel you on this one. 

I spent more time trying to decide on STDs and invitations than I did choosing any other element of the wedding, including my dress. I spent MONTHS bookmarking random designs from multiple sites, and I checked back every few weeks to see if they had new designs.

I still like cruising stationery sites. Now I do it with our Christmas cards. I kind of want to throw big parties, too, just so I can pick out invitations.

WinstonsGirl

JCbride2015 said:

WinstonsGirl said:

We didn't use them, but we had casual boarding pass invites.  I can't actually think of any invites I've received with an inner envelope.  

That invite, I'd say is a typical wedding invite up here, so afternoon wedding in the summer, gold as the main colour, 3 hour gap for photos, dinner, cash/twoonie bar and dance till about midnight.  Dress - nice cocktail type dress.  

Oh God no.  @WinstonsGirl what in the world about this invite says etiquette problems???

Sorry @JCBride2015 I had to run off to practice.  Nothing about the invite says that at all.  That's just how 99% of weddings in my area run.  I actually think they're quite pretty.  I love gold and I really like the simple elegance of them.  

lovesclimbing

I ordered our invitations from wedding paper divas, and inner envelopes were not standard. They were extra. We just went with the standard included main envelope, but then, we didn't have a formal wedding.

loro929

@JCBride2015 I just ordered a sample of that exact style from Minted! It should be coming in any day now. I can give you a review when it comes in if you are interested and did not order a sample.

larrygaga

Waste of money and paper if you ask me. I think we need to be in the mindSet that efficiency shouldn't Equal low class and I'm on mobile so my letters capitalize crazily

I would have loved to do email invites but they aren't too accepted yet. Save paper and resources anywhere you can and do a postcard!

FutureMrsN3312

We had pocket fold invites and skipped the inner envelope.  To add an inner envelope would have made the invite heavier and the outside envelope would have to go up a size making the postage go up again.  Not to mention at the invite place (Santos) it was hard to get the invite out of the inner envelope.  I didn't think opening an invite should be a struggle.

I think both invites are very pretty but I like the first one better.  H always wears a suit and tie and I always wear a cocktail dress to a wedding.  Being that it starts at 6:30 I'd make sure I had nice accessories to match.

novella1186

I had actually never even heard of outer and inner envelopes before these boards, and I've never gotten an invitation like that (including from my parents' snobby friends who host formal balls). I just googled it because I didn't get what it was about, and Emily Post's great-great-granddaughter (Anna Post) said this about it: 

Inner envelopes were used for wedding invitations many years ago because mail quite often got dirty and marked en route. The outer envelope could be discarded and the clean, inner envelope remained pristine for this most special kind of invitation.

If you want to read the whole thing, it's here

Anyway, I'm with Larry on this. It seems like a huge waste of paper and too much extra postage to me, but I definitely think it ups the level of formality a little bit. 

ElcaB

I do think inner envelopes are becoming obsolete. 

I don't think skipping them will downgrade the formality of your wedding, though. Generally the paper quality, font, wording, etc. will imply the formality to your guests. 

pinkcow13

We just orders our invitations from WPD on Tuesday! So, I had the same question in regards to the inner envelopes. And this is what I thought of the whole thing. I really do not remember if any of the invitations we received in the past had them. I remember they had the RSVP cards (which I thought at first is what inner envelope meant), but I cannot for the life of me remember inner envelopes. I looked for FI's cousins invitation which we received last month as a reference, and could not find the damn thing. I happened to have part of the invitation from a wedding last summer, but just the invitation and direction card. So I thought - No one will miss the damn thing, AND it's a huge waste of paper, not to mention money. I'm doing this whole "Going Green" campaign at work to prompt clients to go paperless, and I'm going ahead and mailing a useless envelope. Go figure.

I like both invitations you posted, although we thought the one with the gold foil flowers were a bit OTT like you said (we looked into those too!). In terms of the formality of the event, ours is also at 6:30, and our venue is pretty well known, so I think people will know that it is on the more formal side, but we're not too hung up on that. 

So FI and I could not decide between 2 colors of the invitations, so we ordered to sets of them in 2 different colors lol. That was our way of having invitations we loved.