New Name - How to Address the new Mrs?

[Team J and B 2]

Hi everyone, long time no see again!

I have a burning question about how to address someone who has changed her surname.

Courtney Cox married David Arquette and she changed her name legally to Courtney Cox Arquette (with Cox Arquette being her new surname).

Is it correct to address them as Mr and Mrs Arquette? <<<This should be wrong because her surname has two words now, right?

Or should it be Mr Arquette and Mrs Cox Arquette? <<<Is this the correct one?

Or even Mr and Mrs Cox Arquette? <<<This one I doubt as only the woman changed her surname.

Can anyone shed some light?

By the way, there is no hyphen so the new surname is actually two separate words.

[Dan J 277]

B)-->

QUOTE(Team J and B @ May 22 2008, 12:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi everyone, long time no see again!

I have a burning question about how to address someone who has changed her surname.

Courtney Cox married David Arquette and she changed her name legally to Courtney Cox Arquette (with Cox Arquette being her new surname).

Is it correct to address them as Mr and Mrs Arquette? <<<This should be wrong because her surname has two words now, right?

Or should it be Mr Arquette and Mrs Cox Arquette? <<<Is this the correct one?

Or even Mr and Mrs Cox Arquette? <<<This one I doubt as only the woman changed her surname.

Can anyone shed some light?

By the way, there is no hyphen so the new surname is actually two separate words.

I think the first two are correct, its likely the first one is going to be more common. Its not because the wife surname is different, it is that when addressing someone as Mr and Mrs, the husband's surname is tradtionally used.

But really I think you will be fine with the first two, the third one seems a little odd to me.

[Nessa 23]

Mr and Mrs Arquette

[reeses16 8]

Mr and Mrs Arquette.

[Mononoke28 135]

Mr. & Mrs. Arquette

Diana

[rae_and_scott 1]

Here's a related question:

What happens when the woman doesn't change her name? Does she become Mrs. Originalfirstname Originallastname?

[Team J and B 2]

http://www.businesswritingblog.com/busines...ss-a-marri.html

According to this link, almost any combination is ok...some seem odd to me as in Mrs OriginalFirstName OriginalSurname, but according to the writer, that is "correct," too.

[Cassie 8]

B)-->

QUOTE(Team J and B @ May 22 2008, 12:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi everyone, long time no see again!

I have a burning question about how to address someone who has changed her surname.

Courtney Cox married David Arquette and she changed her name legally to Courtney Cox Arquette (with Cox Arquette being her new surname).

Is it correct to address them as Mr and Mrs Arquette? <<<This should be wrong because her surname has two words now, right?

Or should it be Mr Arquette and Mrs Cox Arquette? <<<Is this the correct one?

Or even Mr and Mrs Cox Arquette? <<<This one I doubt as only the woman changed her surname.

Can anyone shed some light?

By the way, there is no hyphen so the new surname is actually two separate words.

My boss back home remarried, and this how I handled it.

On their Christmas card, I address it Dr. and Mrs. D----- W-----------.

When I refer to her alone, I call her Wilma (previous last name) - (current last name).

Seems to work for her.

[Bassi and Zainab 1]

When I'm confused, I usually address it to the person I know best and then add "and family".

So, if Courtney and I were good friends, I'd send a card to Mrs. Courtney Cox Arquette and family.

Then I usually feel comfortable that I haven't offended anyone.

[VisaJourneyLady 33]

I know it's a bit OT, but when people put Mr & Mrs David Arquette it annoys the hell out of me. Even when the wife goes only by Arquette that doesn't mean she also goes by her husbands first name.

I am not changing my name, and I would be pretty irritated if someone addressed something to us as Mr and Mrs Arquette. We are two separate people!!!

Sorry for the OT rant!!

[Bassi and Zainab 1]

I know it's a bit OT, but when people put Mr & Mrs David Arquette it annoys the hell out of me. Even when the wife goes only by Arquette that doesn't mean she also goes by her husbands first name.

I am not changing my name, and I would be pretty irritated if someone addressed something to us as Mr and Mrs Arquette. We are two separate people!!!

Sorry for the OT rant!!

That's why I do "and family". Because some people take it personally.

I worked my way through my undergraduate degree as a bank teller and there were little old ladies who came into the bank with checks labeled Mrs. James Smith. James Smith had been dead for 10 years and they still ordered checks and used checks labeled Mrs. James Smith. Their union was a matter of pride for them and that is how they expressed it. But everyone is different.

Edited May 23, 2008 by Bassi and Zainab

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

It has caused some embarrassment for me -- my last name is double-barrelled: Maven Smith-Jones (for example). My husband is Mr. Jones; my EX-husband is Mr. Smith. I cringe when we are introduced as Mr. and Mrs. Smith-Jones because Mr. Jones has nothing to do with Mr. Smith and doesn't even want to think about him. Then I feel like a ####### having to correct the situation. Also, I don't refer to myself as Mrs. Smith-Jones because there is no Mr. Smith-Jones -- I'm a Ms., thank you very much.

Sheesh, modern ettiquette!

[Kazan' Tiger 1]

Mr and Mrs Arquette

[ExSaffer 0]

If you are sending a letter to a couple who are married, but have different last names, the envelope should be addressed to each of them on separate lines - alphabetically.

Mr David Arquette

Mrs Courtney Cox-Arquette

[ginger1981 0]

I know it's a bit OT, but when people put Mr & Mrs David Arquette it annoys the hell out of me. Even when the wife goes only by Arquette that doesn't mean she also goes by her husbands first name.

I am not changing my name, and I would be pretty irritated if someone addressed something to us as Mr and Mrs Arquette. We are two separate people!!!

Sorry for the OT rant!!

I'm totally with you on that! I would be deeply insulted if someone referred to me as Mrs. Nicholas McMillan...it's like HELLO, I HAVE MY OWN NAME TOO YOU KNOW.

That is why I'm just going to be Ms. Lindsay O'Brien...

So no need to apologize for the OTP rant!