Is not Addressing by Hand a Sin?

ravenray

Hi ladies!

I am getting ready to order my invitations and my invitation lady has offered to print out all the addresses for me onto the envelope.  Is this a sin?  Do I need to addresses every one of the 100 invites by hand?  Is both ways acceptable?
Thanks!

NicoleSahara

Not a sin. It's fine.

AllAboutTheBenjamin

Printed on the envelope is totally fine.  Labels are definitely not okay, lol.

lyndausvi

I don't think it's a sin, especially if it's printed directly on the envelope.  My hand writing sucks so while more personable, it would have been illegible if I did them so what's the point.  (my sister and BM did them by hand  instead).

Stickers tacky to me though.

While the proper way may be handwriting, it's not like there were printers back in the day to compare it with.

aleighk1

I printed mine in a light gray and then wrote over it in black pen. Huge PITA. Go ahead and print it on the envelope.

AllAboutTheBenjamin

In hindsight, I would have had the addresses printed.  We did have the return address printed on the envelopes, which were a dark pewter color.  You know the only thing to really show up on a pewter envelope?  Black sharpie.  Yuck.  And I addressed 250ish envelopes.  Eff my life.

MyUserName1

Unless you're having a black tie affair, I doubt anyone will judge you for printing directly on the envelope.

ravenray

It's not a black tie affair and my hand writing does suck lol.  I am just trying to decide if it is worth it to re-organize my address spread sheet so that they can be printed nicely.  I do have friends who have offered but it might be a huge stress reliever to just have them printed onto the envelope.

achiduck

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_is-not-addressing-by-hand-a-sin?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:d5e90d77-b180-4032-a1e6-9631d282af6ePost:da25dc1b-d4a7-49a4-9017-65c78ecaec09">Re: Is not Addressing by Hand a Sin?</a>:
[QUOTE]I printed mine in a light gray and then wrote over it in black pen. Huge PITA. Go ahead and print it on the envelope.
Posted by aleighk1[/QUOTE]
I'm glad to hear you say this, I thought about doing DIY calligraphy that I saw on Pinterest and it seemed like an interesting idea, but at the same time definitely PITA-worthy.

Lizzieyounce

Test

goobersinlove

Can someone really explain to me why printed envelopes or printed labels on envelopes are "bad etiquette?"  I'm usually pretty etiquette savvy, but this seems more like tradition and less like etiquette to me.

Tradition - Usual and customary practices (e.g., wedding invitations are usually handwritten)
Etiquette - Being polite; Consideration of things that directly affect the comfort level or convenience of your wedding guests.

It's sort of like when people on here ask, "Isn't it proper etiquette that the groom's family pay for the rehearsal dinner?" and we respond, "No, that may be a tradition, but etiquette speaking you should not expect anyone to XYZ..."  Another example is where cash bars are the norm in someone's social circle, but just because they are the norm doesn't mean it's proper etiquette for them to expect their guest to pay for themselves, and then the poster won't understand the difference.

Back to addressing invitations, I don't see how non-handwritten envelopes affect the comfort/convenience of the guests, or how it's otherwise rude in a sense that it would be an etiquette violation. While I understand the "personal touch" factor, that's a separate item from etiquette.

Can someone light my way here?

mrsrichard33

I will be printing my addresses on labels and sticking them on the envelopes. As well as the reply envelopes, I have used address labels with our names and address on them... Im sure what the issue is..

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_is-not-addressing-by-hand-a-sin?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:d5e90d77-b180-4032-a1e6-9631d282af6ePost:13961e86-6094-4231-9ef8-1c8d1022f86e">Re: Is not Addressing by Hand a Sin?</a>:
[QUOTE]I don't think it's a sin, especially if it's printed directly on the envelope.  My hand writing sucks so while more personable, it would have been illegible if I did them so what's the point.  (my sister and BM did them by hand  instead). Stickers tacky to me though. <strong>While the proper way may be handwriting, it's not like there were printers back in the day to compare it with.</strong>
Posted by lyndausvi[/QUOTE]

I actually heard that this tradition comes from the time when business correspondance was typed, and personal correspondance handwritten. So a good 100 years or so.

OP, if you go with printing on the envelopes, at least have her use a nice, sort of cursive or calligraphy-style font, rather than Times New Roman, KWIM?

aleighk1

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_is-not-addressing-by-hand-a-sin?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:d5e90d77-b180-4032-a1e6-9631d282af6ePost:b38537db-3d5a-43fe-be84-2c127738f940">Re: Is not Addressing by Hand a Sin?</a>:
[QUOTE]Test
Posted by Lizzieyounce[/QUOTE]

<div>What are you testing?</div>

Matty143

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_is-not-addressing-by-hand-a-sin?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:d5e90d77-b180-4032-a1e6-9631d282af6ePost:44adcfe3-d8ca-487d-9ea6-4778f0c283b0">Re: Is not Addressing by Hand a Sin?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Is not Addressing by Hand a Sin? : Labels are extremely tacky on wedding invitations.  You can see the edge of the label.  Sometimes the edge comes up a bit and then dirt gets stuck on the sticky part.  Sometimes they go on super crooked. I would side-eyed someone that used labels on a wedding invitation.  Labels on STDs - no big deal.  Printing direct - not too big of a deal. Labels feels like I am so not important to you.  I also really hate the look of labels on a formal invitation.  And I feel no matter how informal one's wedding, a wedding is still a formal event in a sense.
Posted by crfb87[/QUOTE]

I agree.
I hand addressed all of mine. Do 25-30 a night and its really not that much of a pain.

lyndausvi

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_is-not-addressing-by-hand-a-sin?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:d5e90d77-b180-4032-a1e6-9631d282af6ePost:43184718-3f1a-426d-bc89-74d3fbbc5fce">Re: Is not Addressing by Hand a Sin?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Is not Addressing by Hand a Sin? : I actually heard that this tradition comes from the time when business correspondance was typed, and personal correspondance handwritten.<strong> So a good 100 years or so</strong>. OP, if you go with printing on the envelopes, at least have her use a nice, sort of cursive or calligraphy-style font, rather than Times New Roman, KWIM?
Posted by msmerymac[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>but still pre-everyone-and-their-brother-owning-a-printer-that-can-print-just-about-any font time.</div><div>
</div><div>And I agree, a simple type-written envelope is too informal.  It would have been a PITA to do also.   </div><div>
</div><div> (** I'm old enough to have taken typing class as an elective in high school, using real typewriters with ribbon and correction tape.  *if* you had a printer at home were it was just line printers.  You know the ones with the huge box of continous paper.   Oh how far we have come since then.  Yep, I'm old)

</div>

annettem922

I did my own invitations and used the same font from the invitation to address the envelopes.  They turned out great.  I agree with not using labels.  Me and my fiance have awful handwriting, (doctors handwriting).   You could print them on the envelopes

whitsy

We used wraparound labels from etsy. A little bit nicer than just slap on business labels, and we had chocolate brown envelopes so the pink wraparound labels looked cute. I don't have any pictures, but here's an example of wraparound labels:

http://imbueyou.com/wedding/stationery/scallop-wrap-around-label.php

I think it's a pretty alternative that falls in between hand-writing every envelope and gross white business labels.

LeiselEB

I understand why handwritten is the correct way, but I honestly think that typed envelopes in a nice font (not a label) looks better. We're having ours addressed in the same font styles as our invites, and printed using thermography. I think that (or printed on a home printer) looks better than most people's handwriting. Just try not to make it look cheap/junk mail-ish. 

ootmother2

I'm anti labels for any social correspondence including wedding announcements but then, I'm old.

My daughter would say no labels on wedding announcements but doesn't see anything wrong with her friends using labels on Christmas cards.  She handwrites everything though so maybe she just doesn't want to agree with me

HockeyFan4

I have nice handwriting so maybe I am biased....but labels piss me off....like you couldn't take the minute to actually write my name and address?

as far as colored envelopes, ours were wine colored....i used a gold gel pen on mine and they looked awesome!

at anyrate, I wouldn't mind printed on as much as labels.  I just got a wedding invite with a label and I side eyed it

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_is-not-addressing-by-hand-a-sin?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:d5e90d77-b180-4032-a1e6-9631d282af6ePost:209d5095-8564-419d-9064-def10eea77ba">Re: Is not Addressing by Hand a Sin?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Is not Addressing by Hand a Sin? : but still pre-everyone-and-their-brother-owning-a-printer-that-can-print-just-about-any font time. And I agree, a simple type-written envelope is too informal.  It would have been a PITA to do also.     (** I'm old enough to have taken typing class as an elective in high school, using real typewriters with ribbon and correction tape.  *if* you had a printer at home were it was just line printers.  You know the ones with the huge box of continous paper.   Oh how far we have come since then.  Yep, I'm old)
Posted by lyndausvi[/QUOTE]

Oh, I had one of those printers. With the little perforated part on the side with the holes so it could attach to the printer. ;-)

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_is-not-addressing-by-hand-a-sin?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:d5e90d77-b180-4032-a1e6-9631d282af6ePost:1d018855-d7eb-451e-aa93-4826af3824f7">Re: Is not Addressing by Hand a Sin?</a>:
[QUOTE]I have nice handwriting so maybe I am biased....but labels piss me off....like you couldn't take the minute to actually write my name and address? as far as colored envelopes, ours were wine colored....i used a gold gel pen on mine and they looked awesome! at anyrate, I wouldn't mind printed on as much as labels.<strong>  I just got a wedding invite with a label and I side eyed it</strong>
Posted by HockeyFan4[/QUOTE]

Me too. There was a lot wrong with the invitation (the wording, the capitalization at the beginning of every line...), but I told myself to stop being so judgy about it. I'm probably the only one who noticed!

mica178

I notice how invitations are addressed too.  It's just so much nicer when the address is hand-written.

ravenray

Well we aren't doing labels so I am safe   Thanks for the input ladies!

goobersinlove

People really side-eye printed labels. Really? It honestly offends you that they didn't handwrite your name and address?

Yes, I agree that handwritten is nicer. I will most likely be handwriting ours anyway. But if a couple couldn't afford a calligrapher or doesn't have fancy handwriting, I don't see why a label should be side-eyed. That's really judgy and nit-picky.

aloisk57

I can not, for the life of me, remember how ANY invitation came to me...whether it is hand written or printed.  No one cares except people who are oddly obsessed with "etiquette" or "tradition" or whatever (and there are a few on this board who fit that bill).  If you want to print your envelopes, go ahead!  No one is going to remember anyways.

Habs2Hart

I printed ours directly onto the envelope.  I have extremely clean architectural hand writing because of my trade, but I still prefer the clean look of the printer.  We didn't put any fancy font on our invitations anyway, just clean, simple and architectural because that's us. 

ngkr

We used labels (clear, matte labels on cream colored envelopes). We used them for the guest's address, our return address, and RSVP envelopes.

I agree with PP that this is something that falls into tradition, not etiquette. I had several close friends and a few family members look over the invitation & label format before we printed, and no one said anything negative about labels. They were critical of some aspects of the invitation, so it wasn't like they were just trying to be nice and blow sunshine. Several also remarked that they liked the clarity of our serif, non-cursive font (aka TNRoman).

Bottom line: I think labels vs printed vs handwriting is personal preference; using one or the other may strike some people as a little odd or not their style, but I don't think any of them cross the line of "rude".

Last year, I received a wedding invitation with a beautiful, caligraphed address - and an insert card with a list of stores at which the couple was registered (including the store logos and websites). Guess someone read the wrong chapters of the etiquette book.

lopezalonso

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_is-not-addressing-by-hand-a-sin?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:d5e90d77-b180-4032-a1e6-9631d282af6ePost:513c8180-a722-4724-a9df-b0e027cc34ac">Re: Is not Addressing by Hand a Sin?</a>:
[QUOTE]People really side-eye printed labels. Really? It honestly offends you that they didn't handwrite your name and address? Yes, I agree that handwritten is nicer . I will most likely be handwriting ours anyway. But if a couple couldn't afford a calligrapher or doesn't have fancy handwriting, I don't see why a label should be side-eyed. That's really judgy and nit-picky.
Posted by goobersinlove[/QUOTE]

<div>If using labels and printing directly onto the envelope are both inexpensive, why not print directly onto the envelope? Labels look lazy when another option of equal expense is available. And a wedding is suppossed to be a time where you gather to celebrate with the people you and your family feel closest to. If you have aleady spent the money on your invitations, why would you want them to look like a bill or junk mail?</div>

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

No, it IS etiquette, not tradition. Again, handwriting is more personalized. It conveys that you took the time to write to this person, personally. We criticize people all the time who don't take the time to handwrite thank you notes and instead send out a mass-produced printed note. This is similar etiquette.

Not, it's not the worst breech of etiquette and if you have terrible handwriting and can't pay for calligraphy, then printing on the envelope is a valid option. Labels are not, since it's not much harder to just print on the envelope.