6 Things you Didn’t Know About Addressing Invitations

As if creating your guest list isn’t tough enough, addressing your invitations can be tricky business! As always, with questions of etiquette, we have turned to our favorite guide Emily Post’s Etiquette  to navigate some addressing issues! Below are some little known facts about addressing invitations.

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1) Boys use the title “Master” until the age of 6. Between the ages of 7-16 no title is necessary and when they reach the age of 17, “Mr.” is the acceptable title.

2) Girls are to be addressed as “Miss” until age 18, and then they are to be addressed as “Ms.”

3) When addressing a widow, if you are not familiar with her preference, you should address her as “Mrs. (Deceased Husband’s Name)”.

4) Traditionally, the man’s name has preceded the woman’s, but it is now acceptable to address either name first. The only exception is if one half of the couple “outranks” the other, meaning one person is an elected official, military personnel, doctor, lawyer, etc. In this case, the “ranking” person is addressed first.

5) If the couples’ names can not fit on the same line, the address should be spaced as follows;

Mr. John Franklin

                      and Ms. Jane Morton

6) If you are addressing an unmarried couple who is living together, you should write the names on one line using “and”.

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