Dear Ms. Cards Etiquette
My fiancé and I are getting ready to send out our wedding invitations. A lot of our friends are in relationships, but not married. What is the proper way to address an invitation to an unmarried couple?
The (Future) Robinsons
First off, congratulations on your (Future) wedding! Secondly, there are two ways to address a wedding
invitation to an unmarried couple, depending on whether or not they are living together:
Living Together
Outer Envelope
Write their names on separate lines, in alphabetical order:
Ms. Mary Ann Mr. Tom Thumb 123 Address Street City, ST 10000
Inner Envelope
Use the same convention, but using only their last names:
Ms. Ann Mr. Thumb
Not living together
Outer Envelope
Send the invitation to the person you are closest friends with. For the outer envelope, address it to that person only:
Mr. Bob Knots 123 Address Street City, ST 10000
Inner Envelope
Write both names, with your closest friend’s name first:
Mr. Knots Ms. Black
Other Situations
The conventions for addressing the outer envelope in the examples above also apply to any other correspondence with an unmarried couple, in any situation where a formal address is appropriate.