Ready to throw your own party? Addressing the invitations doesn’t have to give you a headache. Reference this quick and easy chart for perfect etiquette.
Forms of address…
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Situation |
Options/Notes |
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Addressing a Woman |
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Maiden name |
Ms. Jane Johnson |
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Married, keeping maiden name |
Ms. Jane Johnson |
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Married, uses husband’s name socially |
Mrs. John Kelly |
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Widowed |
Mrs. John Kelly* *If you don’t know the widow’s preference, this is the traditional and preferred form |
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Addressing a Couple |
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Married, she uses her husband’s name socially |
Mr. and Mrs. John Kelly |
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NOTE: Traditionally, a man’s name preceded a woman’s on an envelope address, and his first and surname were not separated (Jane and John Kelly). Nowadays, the order of the names—whether his name or hers comes first—does not matter and either way is acceptable. The exception is when one member of the couple ‘outranks’ the other—the one with the higher rank is always listed first. (see below) |
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Married, she prefers Ms. |
Mr. John Kelly and Ms. Jane Kelly |
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Married, informal address |
Jane and John Kelly |
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Married, she uses maiden name |
Mr. John Kelly and Ms. Jane Johnson If you can’t fit the names on one line: |
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