Using Titles (Such As Mr Or Doctor) When Addressing Wedding Invitations

In this article, I will discuss how to use titles on wedding invitations, such as Mr., Doctor and so forth. Some of the titles are fairly straightforward, while others can be more complicated. These titles are when using formal address, and if you know that someone would be offended by a particular form of address, don't use it. However, by and large people appreciate formality, so it's nice to use people's names.

First, a quick note about abbreviations. The only titles that should be abbreviated are "Mr.", "Mrs." "Ms." and "Messrs." All other forms of address should be spelled out in full.

Mr.: "Mister" is the title that should be used for any man, age eighteen or over that does not have another title. If you are a man who has another title, and you wish to use Mr., you may do so, but you should address others according to their other title unless they specifically ask you to do so.

Miss: "Miss" is the title that may be used for a woman or girl who has never been married. Some women dislike it, so if you believe that if might offend someone, you may use "Ms." instead. The plural is "Misses."

Master: "Master" is the title for a boy under thirteen. Its plural is "Messrs.", one of the few abbreviations used in formal address. It would be used if you are inviting two or more boys under the age of thirteen.

Mrs.: This is the tricky one. "Mrs." actually means "wife of." Formally, a woman is not referred to as "Mrs. Jane Smith", but "Mrs. John Smith." This includes widows. Historically, "Mrs. Jane Smith" only referred to a divorcee who had kept her husband's name (though "Ms. Jane Smith" is more common for this today). When inviting a couple, the formal address is "Mr. and Mrs. John Smith." If the husband has another title and the wife does not, the formal address is "Doctor and Mrs. John Smith." On the other hand, if only the wife has another title, she should come first, in the form "Doctor Jane Smith and Mr. John Smith."

Ms.: "Ms." is used for divorced women who do not use their former husband's name or for any other woman who is not comfortable with "Miss" or even "Mrs." In general, you'll need to make a judgment call here. Although many women prefer "Ms.", many dislike it as well.