Addressing Wedding Invites: Honoring Military Guests With Proper Etiquette

When addressing wedding invitations to military personnel, it's important to follow the correct etiquette to ensure your guests feel respected. Here are some guidelines to help you address wedding invitations to military guests or couples:

Addressing a Military Couple:

- For formal or traditional invitations, address a military couple separately, with the woman's name and rank first, followed by the man's name and rank:

- Major Natalia Correa, U.S. Military and Colonel Andrew Garcia, U.S. Military

- If the couple has the same rank, they can be addressed together:

- Captains Thomas and Maria Marquette

- When addressing a married couple with different last names, use their individual ranks and last names:

- Major Maria Green, Captain Thomas Marquette

Addressing a Single Military Guest:

- For an unmarried, divorced, or widowed military guest, use their rank, full name, and service branch:

- Lieutenant Jamie Garcia, U.S. Air Force

Addressing Retired Military Personnel:

- When addressing retired military officers, they can choose to include their rank and branch, or simply use their civilian title:

- Colonel and Mrs. Andrew Garcia or Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Garcia

- If you choose to include their military rank, indicate their retired status:

- Colonel Andrew Garcia, U.S. Military (Ret.)

Addressing Envelopes:

- When writing the addresses on the envelopes, use the full rank and name, without abbreviating:

- Lieutenant Colonel and Mrs. John Smith

- For inner envelopes, you can use abbreviations:

- Lt. Col. and Mrs. Smith

Remember, these are general guidelines, and you can always adapt them to fit your wedding's tone and style. The most important thing is to make your military guests feel welcomed and respected with your invitation wording.

Addressing a retired military officer

When addressing a retired military officer on a wedding invitation, it is important to follow the correct etiquette to ensure your guests feel respected. Here are some guidelines to help you address invitations to retired military officers:

• Titles: It is common to include the titles of retired military officers in wedding invitations, especially for those who held ranks such as Commander or Lieutenant Colonel. The title is usually included before the name, followed by the branch of service and a "Retired" notation. For example: "Lieutenant Colonel Smith Jhonson, United States Army, Retired".
• Full Names: Ensure that you write the full name of the retired military officer, including any middle names or initials. This information can typically be found on the invitation envelope.
• Format: The traditional format for addressing a retired military officer is to include their title, full name, and branch of service on the first line, followed by the "Retired" notation on the second line. However, some sources suggest combining the title, full name, branch of service, and "Retired" notation in a single line to save space.
• Abbreviations: While it is generally recommended to spell out titles and branch of service in full, some sources suggest that abbreviations can be used when necessary due to space constraints. For example, "Lt. Col." can be used instead of "Lieutenant Colonel".
• Spouse's Name: When inviting a retired military officer and their spouse, the officer's title, full name, and branch of service are included, followed by "and Mrs." or "Mr." and the spouse's name. For example: "Lieutenant Colonel and Mrs. Smith Jhonson".
• Multiple Retired Officers: If you are addressing an invitation to multiple retired military officers, such as a couple, each person's title, full name, and branch of service are listed separately. For example: "Captain John Smith, United States Coast Guard (Ret.) and Captain Jane Smith, United States Coast Guard (Ret.)".

Remember, these are general guidelines, and you can always ask the invitees for their preferred form of address to ensure they feel respected and honoured by your invitation.

Addressing a married military couple

When addressing a wedding invitation to a married military couple, it's important to follow the correct etiquette to ensure your guests feel respected. Here are some detailed guidelines to help you address invitations to married military couples:

Military Couple with the Same Rank and Service:

If the married couple holds the same rank and serves in the same military branch, you can address them as:

"Captains Thomas and Maria Marquette" or "The Captains Marquette".

Military Couple with Different Ranks and Services:

If the couple has different ranks and serves in different military branches, adjust the address as follows:

• If the wife has retained her maiden name: "Major Maria Green, Captain Thomas Marquette" or "Major Green and Captain Marquette".
• If the couple shares the same last name: "Captain Thomas and Major Maria Marquette" or "Captain and Major Marquette".

Abbreviations and Titles:

• Avoid abbreviating military titles on the outer envelope. Use the full title followed by the full name, such as "Captain" instead of "Capt.".
• For the inner envelope, abbreviations are acceptable: "Major and Mrs. Davis" or "Captain Taylor".
• When addressing a married couple, use "Mr." and "Mrs." for heterosexual couples, with the husband's name first. For same-sex couples, use "Mesdames" for female couples and "The Messrs." for male couples.

Social Correspondence Guidelines:

• In social correspondence, do not include the branch of service (e.g., USAF, USN). This information is only included in official letters to the service member.
• Retired status is also typically omitted from social invitations.
• Ensure you spell out ranks instead of abbreviating them, as this is considered more formal.

Order of Names:

• When addressing a couple with the same rank, the person with higher seniority goes first. Contact the couple to confirm who has the earlier date of rank.
• If the wife has a higher rank, some sources suggest listing her name first to recognize her position, especially if the couple is sensitive to this.

Inner Envelope Addressing:

The inner envelope can be more casual:

• Same rank and last name: "Captains Smith" or "The Captains Smith" (if they have different last names: "Captain Smith and Captain Wilson").
• Different ranks, same last name: "Captain and Major Marquette".
• Different ranks, different last names: "Captain Thomas and Major Maria".

Remember, these guidelines can be adapted to fit the couple's preferences and your relationship with them. If in doubt, don't hesitate to ask the couple how they would like to be addressed.

Addressing a single military person

When addressing a wedding invitation to a single military person, the guest's rank and full name are included, followed by their specific military branch:

> Lieutenant Jamie Garcia, U.S. Air Force

It is important to note that military titles should never be abbreviated. For example, "Lieutenant" instead of "Lt."

If the single military person is retired, this can be noted on the invitation:

> Lieutenant Colonel Richard James Dixon, United States Air Force, Retired

If the single military person is a senior officer, their title is placed before their name, followed by the branch or service on the line below:

> Colonel Timothy Andrew Smith

> United States Air Force

If the single military person is a junior or company-grade officer, their title is placed under their name, followed by the branch of service on the same line:

> Andrea Rebecca Barnett

> Second Lieutenant, United States Air Force

Note that for junior officers in the Army, the title "Lieutenant" is used, while in the Air Force and Marines, "First" and "Second" are used before "Lieutenant".

Abbreviating ranks

When addressing wedding invitations to military personnel, it is important to follow the correct format to ensure that guests feel respected.

Military titles should never be abbreviated on the outer envelope of a wedding invitation. For example, the correct format would be:

> Major and Mrs. Anthony Douglas Davis or Captain James Rice Taylor

However, on the inner envelope, abbreviations can be used:

> Major and Mrs. Davis or Captain Taylor

If the bride, groom, or their parents are retired officers, they can choose to keep their titles and include "retired" on the invitation if it is issued in their name alone:

> Lieutenant Colonel Richard James Dixon, United States Air Force, Retired requests the honour of your presence...

If the retired officer's name is used with their spouse's name, the branch of service is not mentioned on the line underneath:

> Lieutenant Colonel and Mrs. Richard James Dixon request the honour of your presence...

If both members of a couple have the same rank and service, they can be addressed as:

> Captains Thomas and Maria Marquette or The Captains Marquette

If the couple has different ranks and services, the full rank and service are included for each person. If the wife has retained her maiden name, the invitation can be addressed as follows:

> Major Maria Green, Captain Thomas Marquette

If the couple has the same last name, the invitation can be simplified:

> Captain Thomas and Major Maria Marquette or Captain and Major Marquette

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It is worth noting that the use of titles for brides who are members of the military is optional. Traditionally, brides have chosen not to use their titles on wedding invitations. However, this is a personal preference, and brides can choose to include their rank and service if they wish.

Addressing military personnel with academic degrees

When addressing military personnel with academic degrees, there are a few things to consider. Firstly, it is important to note that the context and capacity in which you are interacting with this person matter. If you are addressing them in their military capacity, it is generally recommended to use their military rank. On the other hand, if you are interacting with them in an academic setting or capacity, using their academic title may be more appropriate.

In the United States, military rank typically takes precedence over academic achievements. This means that when addressing someone with a military rank and an academic degree, you would generally use their military rank only. For example, you would address a person as "General John Doe" instead of "Dr. General John Doe" or "General Dr. John Doe." This is because using both titles together can sound clunky and is not standard practice in the US military. However, it is worth noting that there are some exceptions to this rule.

One exception is medical doctors in the Military Medical Corps, who are often addressed as "Doctor." This is because the title "Doctor" reflects their professional and client relationship, which is different from the subordinate-superior relationship implied by military rank. Another exception is JAG officers, who are sometimes addressed as "Counselor" instead of their military rank. Additionally, chaplains are formally addressed as "Chaplain (Rank) (Name)" and informally as "Chaplain (Name)."

When addressing military personnel in writing, it is generally recommended to include their academic degree after their name and rank, such as "CPT John Smith, Ph.D." or "LTC John Doe, J.D." This is because academic degrees are typically noted in an individual's biography, resume, or CV, rather than as part of their name in everyday conversation or correspondence.

If you are unsure how to address a military member with an academic degree, it is always best to ask them directly. They may have a preference for how they would like to be addressed, and it is respectful to honour that preference.

Frequently asked questions