Rhiannon Hendricks
Wedding invitations are a chance to make your guests feel welcome and respected. The traditional format includes an outer envelope with a formal address and an inner envelope with a more casual tone. When addressing a married couple with the same last name, the husband's name is usually listed first, followed by the wife's name and their shared surname. For instance, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Warren. If the couple has different last names, their names are written on the same line, with the wife's name first. For example, Ms. Maria Stevens and Mr. David Estevez. When one spouse is a doctor, their title is included and their name is listed first, such as Dr. Tami Takata and Mr. John Smith. If both spouses are doctors, the outer envelope can be addressed to The Doctors Smith.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Married Couple, Same Last Name | "Mr. and Mrs. [Husband's First Name] [Shared Last Name] or "Mr. [Husband's First Name] and Mrs. [Wife's First Name] [Shared Last Name] |
| Married Couple, Different Last Names | "[Wife's First Name] [Wife's Last Name] and [Husband's First Name] [Husband's Last Name]" or "[Husband's First Name] [Husband's Last Name] and [Wife's First Name] [Wife's Last Name]" |
| Married Couple, One Hyphenated Last Name | "Mr. [Husband's First Name] [Husband's Last Name] and Mr. [Wife's First Name] [Wife's First Name]- [Hyphenated Last Name]" |
| Married Couple, One Doctor | "Dr. [Doctor's First Name] [Doctor's Last Name] and Mr./Mrs. [Husband/Wife's First Name] [Husband/Wife's Last Name]" or "Dr. [Doctor's First Name] and Mr./Mrs. [Husband/Wife's First Name] [Shared Last Name]" |
| Married Couple, Both Doctors | "The Doctors [Shared Last Name]" or "Drs. [Doctor 1's First Name] and [Doctor 2's First Name] [Shared Last Name]" |
| Married Couple, One Doctor with Hyphenated Last Name | "Dr. [Doctor's First Name] [Doctor's Last Name] and Dr. [Other Doctor's First Name] [Other Doctor's Last Name]" or "Dr. [Doctor's First Name] and Dr. [Other Doctor's First Name] [Shared Last Name]" |
| Unmarried Couple | "Mr. [First Person's First Name] [First Person's Last Name] and Ms. [Second Person's First Name] [Second Person's Last Name]" or "Ms. [First Person's First Name] [First Person's Last Name] and Mr. [Second Person's First Name] [Second Person's Last Name]" |
What You'll Learn
How to address a married couple when the wife is a doctor
When addressing a married couple where the wife is a doctor, there are a few different ways to do so, depending on their names and their preferences. Here are some examples:
Wife is a Doctor, Husband is Not
If the couple shares the same last name, the outer envelope can be addressed as "Dr. [Wife's first name] and Mr. [Shared last name]". For example, "Dr. Tami and Mr. Takata". The inner envelope can then be more informal, such as "Dr. Takata and Mr. Takata" or " [Wife's first name] and [Husband's first name]".
If the couple has different last names, the outer envelope can be addressed as "Dr. [Wife's first name and last name] and Mr. [Husband's first name and last name]". For instance, "Dr. Kate Takata and Mr. Brian Randolph". The inner envelope can simply be their first names or a combination of their names and titles, such as "Tami and Brian" or "Dr. Takata and Mr. Randolph".
Both Spouses are Doctors
If the couple has the same last name and you want to emphasise their titles, the outer envelope can be addressed as "The Doctors [Shared last name]". For example, "The Doctors Smith". The inner envelope can then be more casual, such as " [Their first names]" or "The Doctors [Their last name]".
If they have different last names, the outer envelope can list both their names, with the wife's name first: "Dr. [Wife's first name and last name] and Dr. [Husband's first name and last name]". For instance, "Dr. Tami Takata and Dr. Brian Randolph". The inner envelope can be more informal, such as " [Their first names]" or "Dr. [Wife's last name] and Dr. [Husband's last name]".
Wife is a PhD
It is worth noting that the etiquette surrounding the "Dr." title can vary depending on the wife's field of study. If the wife has a PhD, socially, she may be addressed as "Ms." or "Mrs.", depending on her preference. However, some sources argue that this is antiquated and elitist, and it is more respectful to address individuals as they wish to be addressed.
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How to address a married couple when the husband is a doctor
When addressing a married couple where the husband is a doctor, there are a few different ways to go about it depending on the couple's last names and whether the wife has a title or not. Here are some examples:
Husband is a Doctor, Wife Has No Title
On the outer envelope, you can write:
> Dr. Bill Giovani and Mrs. Bill Giovani
On the inner envelope, you can write:
> Dr. Giovani and Mrs. Giovani
> Bill and [Wife's first name]
Husband is a Doctor, Wife Has Different Last Name
On the outer envelope, you can write:
> Dr. Bill Giovani and Mrs. Tanya Giovanni
> Dr. Bill Giovani and Ms. Tanya Rossi
On the inner envelope, you can write:
> Dr. Giovani and Mrs. Giovanni
> Dr. Giovani and Ms. Rossi
> Bill and Tanya
Husband and Wife Are Both Doctors With Same Last Name
On the outer envelope, you can write:
> The Drs. Giovanni
> Drs. Bill and Tanya Giovanni
On the inner envelope, you can write:
> The Drs. Giovanni
> Drs. Bill and Tanya
> Bill and Tanya
Husband and Wife Are Both Doctors With Different Last Names
On the outer envelope, you can write:
> Dr. Bill Giovani and Dr. Tanya Rossi
On the inner envelope, you can write:
> Dr. Giovani and Dr. Rossi
> Bill and Tanya
Remember, these are just some examples, and you can adjust the wording based on your preference and the couple's preferences. The key points to remember are to include the husband's "Dr." title and to list his name first, followed by his wife's name and title (if she has one).
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How to address a married couple when both are doctors
When addressing a married couple where both partners are doctors, there are a few options for how to format their names, depending on how formal you want to be.
For a formal invitation, the outer envelope could be addressed to "The Doctors [Last Name]", "Drs. [Wife First Name] and [Husband First Name] [Last Name]", or "Dr. [Wife First Name] and Dr. [Husband First Name] [Last Name]". For the inner envelope, you could use "The Doctors [Last Name]", or the first names of the couple, e.g. " [Wife First Name] and [Husband First Name]".
If the couple has different last names, you can list both names in alphabetical order on separate lines on the outer envelope, e.g. "Dr. [Wife Last Name]" followed by "Dr. [Husband Last Name]".
For a more casual invitation, you could simply use their first names on the outer envelope, e.g. " [Wife First Name] and [Husband First Name]", or their titles and first names, e.g. "Dr. [Wife First Name] and Dr. [Husband First Name]". The inner envelope could then just include their first names.
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How to address an unmarried couple when the wife is a doctor
When addressing a wedding invitation to an unmarried couple where the woman is a doctor, there are a few etiquette rules to follow.
Formal Addressing
For a formal invitation, each person's name should be written on a separate line. The woman's name, with her title, should be written first, followed by her partner's name. For example:
> Dr. Jill Lucento
> Mr. James Hersch
Informal Addressing
If you are opting for a more casual approach, you can write both names on the same line, leaving out their last names. In this case, the woman's name, with her title, should still come first. For example:
> Dr. Jill and James
Outer and Inner Envelopes
It's also important to note the difference between how to address the outer and inner envelopes. The outer envelope is the one that will be seen by the post office, while the inner envelope is more informal. For the outer envelope, you should use the full title "Doctor" and spell out their name in full. For the inner envelope, you can abbreviate "Doctor" to "Dr." and use their first name only.
Other Considerations
If the couple has children, and you would like to invite them to the wedding as well, their names should be included on the inner envelope. If you do not include the children's names, it is implied that they are not invited.
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How to address an unmarried couple when the husband is a doctor
When addressing a wedding invitation to an unmarried couple where the husband is a doctor, there are a few things to keep in mind. Firstly, both names should be included on the envelope, with each name on its own line for a formal invitation. For a more casual invitation, the names can be written on the same line, leaving out the last names.
> Dr. Bill Giovani
> Ms. Melanie Marx
For a more informal invitation, you could write:
> Dr. Bill and Melanie
It is important to note that the title "Dr." offers a less formal feel, while "Doctor" is more formal. Also, if the couple has different last names, the person you are closest with should be listed first. If you are equally close to both, list the names in alphabetical order.
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Frequently asked questions
For a formal invitation, you can list them together using the husband's full name: "Mr. and Mrs. Robert Belcher". For a more casual tone, you can simply use "Mr. & Mrs. Belcher" or their first names: "Robert and Linda".
You can list either name first based on your preference, who you're closest to, or alphabetically. For a formal invitation, you can use "Mrs. Leslie Knope and Mr. Ben Wyatt". For a more casual tone, you can use "Leslie and Ben".
If one partner is a doctor, list them first, regardless of gender. You can choose to spell out "Doctor" instead of abbreviating it to "Dr." to be more formal. For a formal invitation, you can use "Doctor Michaela Quinn and Mr. Byron Sully". For a casual tone, you can use their first names: "Michaela and Byron".
If both partners are doctors with the same last name, you can address them as "The Doctors" followed by their last name to be more formal. Traditionally, the woman's name comes first: "Doctors Monica and Alan Quartermaine". For a casual tone, you can use their first names: "Monica and Alan".
If both partners are doctors with different last names, traditionally, the woman's name comes first, or you could list their names alphabetically. For a formal invitation, you can use "Dr. Meredith Grey and Dr. Derek Shepherd". For a casual tone, you can use their first names: "Meredith and Derek".
