Envelope Etiquette

These rules of etiquette apply to both Straight, Gay or Lesbian couples.

Outer Envelope	Inner Envelope
Married Couple
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Martin	Mr. and Mrs. Martin
Married Couple - Husband has Title
Dr. and Mrs. Richard Martin	Dr. and Mrs. Martin
Colonel and Mrs. Richard Martin	Colonel and Mrs. Martin
The Honorable and Mrs. Richard Martin	The Honorable and Mrs. Martin
The Reverend and Mrs. Richard Martin	Reverend and Mrs. Martin
Married Couple - Wife has Title
Dr. Mary Brown and Mr. Stephen Brown	Dr. Brown and Mr. Brown
Married Couple - Both are Doctors
The Doctors Allison and Kevin Harrison	The Doctors Harrison
Married Couple - Wife Uses her Maiden Name
Ms. Sharon Lewis and Mr. David Parker (the "and" connotes marriage)	Ms. Lewis and Mr. Parker
Two People with the Same Address - Not a Couple This could be two adult sisters, a parent with an adult child, or two adult friends. Either alphabetize the names or go by age and put the oldest first.
Mrs. Sally Scott	Mrs. Scott
Ms. Tracey Scott	Ms. Scott
Two People Living Together but not Married
Ms. Jennifer Bowman	Ms. Bowman
Mr. Charles Russell	Mr. Russell
Widow A widowed woman is always addressed using her husband's first and last name.
Mrs. Henry Clermont	Mrs. Clermont
Divorced Woman A divorced woman is usually addressed by her first name and her married name. When in doubt, an adult woman can be addressed as "Ms."
Mrs. Janet Richards	Mrs. Richards

Exceptions

It is acceptable to use first names, terms of endearment, or nicknames on the inner envelope.
Anita and Fred
Aunt Susie and Uncle Jack
Toots and Junior
Single Envelopes or Fold-over Invitations
It is acceptable to use “and Family”
It is acceptable to use “and Guest”