When you send out a wedding invitation, you may be sending it to a single person, to a couple, or to a family. In many cases, it can be confusing for you to figure out a polite but firm way to express exactly who the invitation covers. However, doing so will help make your guests more comfortable, keep you within your guest limit, and avoid uncomfortable situations when a guest shows up with an unexpected plus one. Below are three ways that you can include the exact number of guests on your invitation. 

Use an Inner Envelope 

The inner envelope for a wedding invitation originally served several purposes. One of its purposes was to list exactly who the invitation included. For example, you may address the outer envelop to your friend, but on the inner envelop you would state your friend's name plus guest or your friends' names and the names of their children if their children are invited. This makes the outer envelop easy to read and short for mailing purposes. 

Include an Option to Circle the Number of Guests on the RSVP 

On your RSVP card, you can include a list of the guests and allow your guests to put a check mark next to each guest that will attend. However, that can involve a lot more handwriting, depending on the size of your guest list. An alternative will simply be to write a number that the guest can circle. For example, if you are sending an invitation that includes up to four people, you would write the numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 under the question, "How many guests will attend?" and allow the guest to circle the number. For guests with only one spot, you would only write 0 and 1 as their options. 

Include Whether the Wedding Will Be Adult-Only

Most often, the problem of whether extra people are invited arises when a guest has children. Although etiquette states that if the children are not included on the invitation the guest should assume they are not invited, many people still assume invitations include their entire family. You may want to find a creative way to state that your wedding is adult-only on your invitation or your RSVP. Avoid saying, "No Children," as this can feel exclusionary and some parents may take offense. Instead, focus on the adult-only aspect. 

To create the perfectly worded invitation and get the right number of guests at your wedding, talk to printing experts at companies like Print Source.