Inner Envelopes or Belly Bands

This is really all personal preference. We didn’t do either because we only had the invite and rsvp card. I think I’ve seen an inner envelope once in the last five years (roughly attended 15 weddings in that time).

I like inner envelopes. They keep it all together neatly. I think belly bands add bulk to the envelope which doesn't allow it to lie smoothly.

I like belly bands. I think they add a cute touch compared to the inner envelope and, depending on where you get them, they can even match your suite. I’m not doing either because I only have the invitation and reply card but if I had a larger suite I would have done a belly band.

Agree that this is a personal preference. Having an inner envelope would definitely make it look more formal, but I've never seen an invitation with the inner envelope. We are just going with a belly band to keep everything together since we have an extra enclosure card.

Its totally up to you!

i like the look of either or both, ive seen people do it all four ways - with both, with just belly band, with just inner envelope, or with neither. we're doing inner envelopes.

just be aware that with the size of your invite, the extra weight can add up in postage with the post office and cause you additional postage fees, especially with rates going up on the 21st!

It really comes down to cost vs, aesthetics. There’s no need for anything to keep everything together when it’s all together in an outer envelope. The goal for the recipient is to read the inserts so whatever is keeping inserts together, needs to be removed. All your doing is creating more work for the recipient and adding to your postage costs. In the age of smart phones, weddingwebdites and GPS, the need for directional and other inserts is virtually gone. For most, the only thing inside is the invitation and RSVP card and return envelope.

If you want to add an inner envelope or belly band because you like how it looks and you don’t care about an extra costs, that’s another thing and it’s up to you. Personally, I think both are a waste of paper and money and have no impact on guest experience.

I did belly bands but since we are also doing a wax seal, I did both belly bands and inner envelopes for the international mailings.

We actually did pockets with a wax seal. Then we addressed the pockets like an inner envelope. It felt like the best of both worlds to me.

I believe the inner envelope is a more formal approach to the invitation. It would depend on how formal your wedding will be.

This is personal preference, I think. I didn't even know inner envelopes were "more formal."

I prefer belly bands because you can make them absoluetely beautiful and consistent with whatever aesthetic you've got going on. We had mountain/forest wedding invites and I made our belly bands with a mountain die cut.

Belly Band

The Invite

I personally like the inner envelope, I think it keeps everything so organized and for me personally, that organization is visually pleasing. I received an invitation to a friends wedding with 6 different pieces of paper all just stuffed in with nothing holding them together aside from the mailing envelope. Then the mailing enevelopes came undone in the mail and random inserts such as the RSVP cards and envelopes had fallen out of a good chunk of her guests invites before they received them. So after seeing that, I’ll definitely make sure my inserts are all fastened together whether with a belly band or inner envelope and to make sure the envelope adhesive is sticky enough, or add a sticker to hold it together.

Thank you everyone for your input!! I think we're leaning more towards belly bands right now because we are going to have a reception card with info included too and would like to keep everything neat and tidy.

We are doing belly bands! Got mine from Zazzle

Belly Band

I think it's all personal preference. I really liked the idea of having a back pocket. Inner envelopes were important to my mom. I worked with my stationer to find a back pocket to attach to my invitation that would fit inside an inner envelope.