The Myth of the Double Envelope

Have you ever wondered why wedding invitations come in two envelopes?  Or are you trying to decide if you want to use one or two envelopes?  Well, we are here to help.


Photo Credit: Flick Account Slackorama

Earlier this week I gave you a little history lesson on wedding invitations and now I’m going to give you another little lesson.  The use of double envelopes dates back to the time when invitations were delivered by hand and the envelopes were left unsealed.  When the mail service came along it was rough and unreliable.  The unsealed envelopes were placed inside a larger sealed envelope.  The outer envelope would get dirty and ruined.  So when the letter was delivered to the recipients’ home it was delivered to the household butler who would remove the outer envelope and he would deliver the clean inner envelope to the head of the household.

With today's more reliable postal service the use of a double envelope is not necessary.  However, if can be said that the dirt and wear of the past has been replaced by today's stamps and barcodes.

Today when deciding whether or not use two envelopes many brides look at the style of their invitations.  If the invitations are traditional and classic they use double envelopes.  If the invitations are more modern in style then they use one envelope.   In the end whether or not you use a double envelope is completely up to you.  I hope knowing the history behind the tradition will help you with your decision.