How would you address an envelope to a man and his doctor wife? I was told that etiquette says that you would write Dr. and Mr. Joe Smith. It just looks funny to me, but so does Mr. and Dr. Joe Smith. Would it be easier to say Mr. Joe Smith and Dr. Jane Smith? What would you do? This party is for my sister's birthday and she is inviting her bosses that happen to be Doctors. It's not a formal event, but I don't want to offend the people she works with either. I spoke to her and she thinks that no one would be offended, but since she has to work with these people, I don't want to cause problems if someone happens to be offended.
Thanks for all your great advice. I think I'm going to go with Dr. Jane Smith and Mr. Joe Smith. I agree that she earned her title as a Doctor and deserves to be recognized. The only reason I'm not addressing it to "The Smiths" is because children are not invited to the party and I don't want the guest to assume that they are by addressing it to the family.
This is what I found:
Dr. Andrea Jones and Mr. William Jones; Dr. Andrea and Mr. William Jones. If both names do not fit on O. line of the address, indent the second line and begin with "and". The person with a professional title is always listed first.
I honestly don't know the ettiquet for this, but couldn't you address it to 'The Smiths' ?
Women who have careers or social relationships in their own name are addressed separately. So "Mr. & Dr. Joe Smith" leaves out her first name. If you know them well as friends, you can just address it as "Joe and Jane Smith" since it's a casual birthday invitation, or write "Mr Joe Smith and Dr. Jane Smith" or reverse it and put her first. The names can be on one line or two depending on the size of the envelope - you may not be able to put them on one line.
Just tell her your concerns as ask 'how would you address an invite to Mr. & Mrs. Smith when Mrs. Smith is a Dr.?'
God bless!
I'd just do "Mr. and Mrs. Joe Smith, or Joe and Jane Smith" I mean, her tenure as a wife should be every bit as important as her tenure as a doctor
http://www.emilypost.com/forms-of-address/titles/96-guide...
It's Dr. Jane and Mr. Joe Smith or Dr. Jane Smith and Mr. Joe Smith
You definitely do not address her as Mrs., just as you wouldn't address a male doctor as Mr.
Highest rank goes first:
Dr. & Mr. Smith
Cdr. & Lt. Jones
Dr & Dr Doe
Upshot... we don't have all of the british titles to contend with... Just Dr. & Military rank.
You can do Mr. Joe and Jane Smith.
I think Mr & Mrs Smith would be fine.
I would be offended if I were a dr. and did not get the same respect in terms of title as a man would. Mr. and Mrs. Smith is incorrect and degrading. I would think that Dr. and Mr. Smith (without first names, because writing only Joe ignores the Dr. again) or "The Smiths" would be fair. It does look weird because our society is still not used to the woman having the more powerful job or higher degree of education!
Where I work, we would do Mr. and Dr. We have a lot of clients who are pastors or Drs and that's how it mostly works out, although it does feel weird addressing something as Mr. and Pr. Smith.
You can google it to be 100% certain. Are they both doctors? The it's the Doctors Smith.
