Invitations; handing them out?

Wedding is a more formal event. Please mail them out.

Don't give them to your mom to pass out. That's your responsibility.

I see most of my friends weekly, but I'll still mail their invites.

ETA: words

So do not hand deliver at all? Not even close family?

I hand delivered invites to family and friends I see often, who I knew wouldn't be offended by getting handed an invite vs. getting it in the mail (which I think is seriously stupid, because you're going to throw the f*cking thing away anyways)

I don't think it would be a good idea to do the 2 birds 1 stone thing, pick a different weekend or mail them all.

ETA: my wedding is extremely informal and i agree with PP that being more formal would require everything being mailed.

I'd just mail them. I think it's nice to get something like that in the mail, I don't know why. Lol

You should mail all wedding invitations.

I live with my dad, see my mom all the time, as well as my closest friends. I will still mail them out. Our wedding is more formal, so we've decided to mail all out, even to my parents and those I see all the time.

I would not hand deliver any of them. @HisBeauty is right, this is a formal event so the invitations should be mailed. Also your friends and family may feel like they've been put on the spot to RSVP to you right then and there.

DHs cousin and her husband handed out thier invites at a family comunion. Everyone thought they were dead right to save money on postage. It personally wouldn't bother me, but in saying that we posted all of ours even my mums who lives up the road, I like the idea of getting them in the post.

Just mail them out, is postage really going to break the bank?

If it's about saving money, I'm guessing driving around will cost more.

No, its not about postage/finances. We purchased all stamps, 400 as a matter of fact, just to be safe. We just wanted to hand deliver to our grandparents and older aunts and uncles and it sort of just went from there.

Hmm. I still vote for mail! It seems more exciting in the mail!

I'm in favor with mailing them out.

In my experience with people who have hand delivered some of their wedding invitations, they have not been careful in doing so. It's incredibly awkward when you are at a group dinner with friends and an engaged couple in your group starts handing out wedding invitations to several of the people present, but not you. It emphasizes who is and isn't invited. Especially when some of the recipients start opening their invites and making a big deal about what it is. A month later, I received a Facebook invite to their wedding. It was so strange. Another couple I know chose to bring both shower and wedding invitations to a weekly group event and while this time I was on the receiving end of both, each time they did this, it was unclear whether everyone in the room had also received invites and that also made it incredibly awkward. I definitely felt like I needed to hide the envelope and not draw any attention to it.

At your shower, you should be able to be certain that the only people present will be people on your wedding guest list, but what happens if you get there and someone is there who isn't a WP member or one of the family members whose invitations you brought with you? It would be very rude if you went ahead and handed out the invitations you had with you if there are other wedding guests there who won't be receiving theirs at the same time. It would be safer, if you insist on hand delivering, to hand them out privately.

What I like about mailing invitations is that it ensures your invite is delivered privately and not in front of someone who isn't invited or who is invited but isn't receiving their invitation that very moment. It's also a good way to ensure all of your guests receive their invitations at roughly the same time.

BlueHenBride, seems as tho OP was going to drive out to each guests home and privately deliver. FH wanted to give out work invites at work, not everyone from work was invited so I am so with you on that.

Magnoliamarie - OP specifically asked about whether it would look bad if she handed them out at her shower to just relatives and WP members.

I am assuming that anyone at the shower would be invited to the wedding... because that is proper etiquette. Therefore no one awkwardly left out!

We are hand delivering to those who live in our little town, and I mean super small. Most of them are family. I think it makes it more personal to take the time to hand deliver them and chat for a minute.

@Melissa C.- that was why we wanted to deliver to.. our families and their children, which are part of our WP all live very close to us. And with our grandparents and elderly aunts and uncles, with how we both were brought up and how close the families are, we knew they would rather see us and receive the invites in person. My only thing was when my mother suggested that we pass them out at the shower, hmmm, to say it politely, it sound a bit lazy and not considerate.. I dont want it to come off extremely informal. Our wedding has a very laid back appeal, being that is just how FH and I are, but I dont want it to come off like we didnt care enough to make/take the time to deliver them properly.

I would mail them. Very strange to hand them out

I probably wouldn't do it at the shower, but we are hand delivering most of invitations so we can spend a little time and discuss some details with our guests just if they have questions and of course to spend time with them!