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How to Address Envelopes with Polish and Professionalism When Sending Out Your Business Greeting Cards
By Lydia Ramsey
If you are about to address your holiday greeting cards or the invitations to the company party and you are confused about the correct way to do it, you are not alone. There are situations that we have not had to consider before. There are more women with professional titles, increased numbers of women who retain their maiden name after marriage, and couples choosing alternative living arrangements. The simple act of addressing an envelope has become quite complicated. Here are a few tips to cover the majority of those dilemmas.
- Always write titles on the envelope. The card or invitation goes to "Mr. John Smith," not "John Smith." It is addressed to "Mr. and Mrs. John Smith," instead of "John and Mary Smith."
- When you address a couple, use titles, rather than professional initials.
It's "Dr. and Mrs. John Smith," not "John Smith, M.D. and Mrs. Smith."
- If both the husband and the wife are doctors, you write, "The Doctors Smith."
However, if they use different last names, you address the envelope to "Dr. John Smith and Dr. Mary Brown." The husband's name is placed first.
- If the wife is a doctor and the husband is not, you send your invitation to "Mr. John Smith and Dr. Mary Smith."
- Try to get it all on one line. When the husband has an unusually long name, the wife's title and name are indented and written on the second line as in:
The Honorable Jonathon Richardson Staniskowsky
and Mrs. Staniskowsky
- When a couple is not married and share a mutual address, their names are written on separate lines alphabetically and not connected by the word "and."
Ms. Mary Brown
Mr. John Smith
- When the woman outranks her husband, her name is written first. It's "Major Mary Smith and Lieutenant John Smith."
Note: The man's name is always written first unless the wife outranks him or if the couple is unmarried and her last name precedes his alphabetically. So much for "ladies first."
About Lydia Ramsey
Lydia Ramsey, business etiquette expert, professional speaker, corporate trainer and nationally-recognized author of Manners That Sell - Adding The Polish That Builds Profits, knows workplace manners inside and out. Discover the details that will help you outclass and outlast others in your field. Visit Lydia?s website at www.mannersthatsell.com
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