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How are you being introduced?

posted 1 year ago in Reception
  • 1 Members Subscribed To Topic
  • poll: How are you being/how were you introduced?
    Mr. and Mrs. Smith : (9 votes)
    17 %
    Mr. and Mrs. John Smith : (30 votes)
    56 %
    John and Jane Smith : (15 votes)
    28 %
  •  
    1.
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    Helper bee
    lilybay    October 2, 2010  

    We'll be introduced two times (that I can think of) on our wedding day: at the very end of the ceremony and when we come into dinner.  FI and I can't deicde how we should be introduced:

    Mr. and Mrs. Smith

    Mr. and Mrs. John Smith

    John and Jane Smith

    What are you all doing for your introduction?

    (FI sent me here to ask!  We were talking about it and he said, "Doesn't your message board know about these things?  Can't you ask them?"  !!Laughing)

     
    2.
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    daydreamwanderer       DC

    Mr and Mrs John and Jane Smith

    :)

    ETA: Here's why we decided against all 3 of your options: the first one is his parents, haha; the second isn't gender equality friendly, and we're pretty big on that; we do like the sound of Mr and Mrs, since it'll be our wedding day, and the third leaves that out. 

     
    3.
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    Helper bee
    ILuvDance17    September 22, 2012   St. Louis

    I'm all for "Mr. and Mrs. John Smith"  I am big on tradition and I think it sounds classy. :)

     
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    Buzzing bee
    sapphirebride    December 31, 2010   Seattle, WA

    @daydreamwanderer: I prefer this version too, so I didn't vote in the poll.

     
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    Helper bee
    lilybay    October 2, 2010  

    @daydreamwanderer:  We talked about that version, too.  But it isn't grammatically correct so I ruled that one out because I'm sort of a grammar nerd.  Smile 

     
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    Sugar bee
    hilsy85    September 2010  

    We're doing Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

     
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    daydreamwanderer       DC

    I also briefly entertained Mr John and Mrs Jane Smith, but only briefly. :)

    Call me a grammar rebel I guess.

     
    8.
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    Honey bee
    Ember78    December 15, 2012  

    We're not because we'll be introduced at the end of the ceremony which is in the same venue as the reception and we are not having additional people at the reception, which seems to be the current trend. Plus neither of us have seen reception introductions in real life as they are redundant. To each their own.

    Go with whichever you like best.

     
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    Helper bee
    Rocketdog    October 22, 2011  

    I like my name there.... :(

     
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    gabrielleelise1981    August 28, 2010   Portland, Maine

    At the end of the ceremony, the officiant said something like "and now, the newly married [His first name] and [my first name]" - I kept my last name. 

    We didn't get introduced into the reception, it didn't seem necessary, and everyone was mingling and being seated when we entered. 

     
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    Worker bee
    Beelieve    June 16, 2012   Pittsburgh

    I'm old-fashioned, I like the idea of "becoming one" and taking his name. Everyone already knows your names as separate entities, but after you're married it's a new introduction under a new, shared, name. Just my 2 cents :)

     
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    chicagobride092010    January 2010   Canada

    I love how there are no options for a woman who kept her name.

    We did "For the first time as husband and wife, hisfirst and myfirst."

     
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    LittlestBirds    July 24, 2010   Seattle, WA

    @Beelieve: I agree with what you said, but that doesn't alter the fact that I'm not taking his first name. I'm not becoming Mrs. John Smith, I'm becoming Mrs. Jane Smith.

    We were introduced as Mr. and Mrs. John and Jane Smith. And I'm also a grammar nerd.

     
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    sapphirebride    December 31, 2010   Seattle, WA

    @chicagobride092010: Even if you keep your last name, such that you *legally* don't share your husband's last name, socially, you still can be Mrs. Jane/John Smith. Thus, being introduced as Mr. and Mrs. John and Jane Smith is still an okay thing to do--but it may not be your preference.

     
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    Sugar bee
    mishelleez    November 5, 2010   DW- Bahamas

    Shellee & Nick Last Name

    I hope no one ever calls Mrs Nick last name I HATE that!

     
    16.
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    Helper bee
    LemonLavender    May 25, 2013   Missouri

    We're lucky because we will have the same title.  So, we're doing Drs. John and Jane Smith.  Personally, I like both first names, no matter the titles.

     
    17.
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    Busy bee
    Violachap    November 13, 2010   California, MD (Wedding in Norfolk, VA)

    We'll be doing Mr. and Mrs. John Smith!

     
    18.
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    Helper bee
    suttonista    November 13, 2010   New York City

    We are not doing introductions.  

     
    19.
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    ChaiAnkh99    August 12, 2011   Boston

    I would prefer not to have introductions, but my mother is pushing for them.  If we have one, I really just want to be introduced as John and Jane Smith.  I have no desire to be called "Mrs." by anyone until I have children (whose friends and teachers are likely to refer to me that way).

     
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    Busy bee
    Nati-Lyte    May 29, 2011   Wedding in Bristol/Newport RI

    We're doing Mr. & Mrs John Smith....I can't wait!!!

     
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    Blushing bee
    michigosling    June 26, 2010   married in Michigan, live in South Carolina

    We did Mr. and Mrs. John and Jane Smith

     
    22.
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    Honey bee
    OttawaBride2011    May 21, 2011   Ottawa, Ontario

    This has really made me think! I am fairly traditional, but also do not really like "Mr. and Mrs. John Smith"... I like the option of just John and Jane Smith, we might go that way!

     
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    Bumble bee
    stillme    October 2010  

    We're going to be Mr. John Smith and Ms. Jane Jones, which isn't very exciting to announce (same as we were before!)...so we're skipping the introduction!

     
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    Mrs.KMM    July 17, 2010   Atlanta, GA (wedding in Indianapolis, IN)

    We did "Mr and Mrs John Smith" after the ceremony and "John and Jane Smith" entering the reception.

    Mr and Mrs John and Jane Smith is not grammatically correct.

    @LittlestBirds: You are NOT actually becoming Mrs. Jane Smith.  Mrs. Jane Smith is how you would describe a divorced woman.  I wouldn't want to be referred to like a divorcee on my wedding day (another reason, besides simply grammer, that I'd never use Mr and Mrs John and Jane Smith).

    As a married woman (who takes her husband's last name) you are either Mrs. John Smith OR simply Jane Smith.  Nothing else is technically a proper way to address someone.

     
    25.
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    stillme    October 2010  

    @FutureKMM: I think you're correct about the name technicalities, but I also think today those rules are being bent a bit. Many people understand why a woman might not want to be called "Mrs. John Smith" and don't consider "Mrs. Jane Smith" a grammatical error, just a choice by the woman to convey both her marital status and her own name.

     
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    Busy bee
    Twista    October 2, 2010   Roanoke, VA

    Mr. and Mrs. John and Jane Smith here.

     
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    Busy bee
    gill84    August 28, 2010   Montreal/Halifax, Canada

    @chicagobride092010: we did the same, since I also kept my own name.

     
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    Busy bee
    Ms. Purple    May 22, 2010   Toronto, Ontario

    I kept my own name, but socially we were introduced as Mr. and Mrs. John Smith.  it only happens once, so i totally didn't mind!

     
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    Sugar bee
    LittlestBirds    July 24, 2010   Seattle, WA

    @Mrs.KMM:The rules you are citing have been obsolete for nearly a century. They were offensive then, and are offensive now. My name is Mrs. Jane Smith. If what you stated were currently accepted etiquette/grammar, then it would be impossible for a woman to be addressed with an honorific while using her first name while she is married. How insulting.

    One of many available sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrs.

    ------------------------

    Note the use of past tense in the following:

    ------------------

    Traditional usage

    “Mrs.” was most often used by women when married, in conjunction with her husband’s first and last names, e.g. “Mrs. John Smith”. A widow was and still is addressed with the same title as when she was married. "Mrs." was rarely used before a woman's first name, maiden name, or before a hyphenated surname her husband was not using. For example, “Mrs. Jane Miller” (wife of John Smith), "Mrs. Jane Smith" or “Mrs. Jane Miller-Smith” were considered incorrect by many etiquette writers, especially of the early 20th century.

    ------------------------

    Note the use of present tense in the following (emphasis mine):

    ------------------------

    Modern usage

    It is now uncommon for women to be addressed using their husband's first name, except when the couple is being addressed jointly, such as in “Mr. and Mrs. Rhett Butler”.

    Many married women still use the title with their husband's last name, but retaining their first name, "Mrs. Jane Smith," while many have eschewed the title completely in professional life, utilizing "Ms." Any choice of title, first, and last name is considered acceptable both socially and professionally today, and should be honored once it is made known.

    Modern etiquette has no absolute rules as how to address married couples in which the wife uses her own last name, or uses a title such as “Dr.” or "Mayor". Etiquette writer Judith Martin (“Miss Manners”) generally advises that in non-standard situations, the individuals be addressed in separate lines on invitations (Dr. Sue Martin / Mr. John Martin).

    ------------------------- 

    [ETA] We've received several pieces of mail since we got married that were addressed, not surprisingly, to "Mr. and Mrs. John Smith." I always turn to my husband and remark, "Baby, did you know that my name is John now? Just thought I'd let you know."

     
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    Mrs.KMM    July 17, 2010   Atlanta, GA (wedding in Indianapolis, IN)

    @LittlestBirds: I do not find what I posted to be offensive in the least (nor does a single person I know in real life).  While I respect your choice to go by whatever you'd like, just because people commonly refer to themselves as Mrs. Jane Smith doesn't make it correct.  There is often a big difference between what people do and the correct way to do things.

     
    31.
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    Helper bee
    lilybay    October 2, 2010  

    @chicagobride092010:  The options on the poll were the options we were discussing.  I shoud have made my wording more clear.  I was certainly not trying to offend anyone.

     
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    Busy bee
    SuperShopper    June 25, 2011   Midwest

    I think we'll keep it simple with the Mr. & Mrs. Smith option (I don't think the Mr. & Mrs. John Smith because it leaves me out).... but my FI has such a HUGE family (and a ton of them live around the wedding town) that we will probably do a little twist when we enter the reception as the "the NEWEST Mr. & Mrs. Smith" -- haha. :)

     
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    Sugar bee
    LittlestBirds    July 24, 2010   Seattle, WA

    @Mrs.KMM: I can understand being unwilling to accept Wikipedia as a source of authority in proving that this etiquette rule has been updated. Emily Post, however, joins Wikipedia in disagreeing with you.

    http://www.emilypost.com/forms-of-address/titles/96-guide-to-addressing-correspondence

    Emily Post, emphasis mine:

    Addressing a Woman

    Maiden name

    Ms. Jane Johnson

    Miss Jane Johnson*

    *usually 'Miss' is for girls under 18

    Married, keeping maiden name

    Ms. Jane Johnson

    Married, uses husband's name socially

    Mrs. John Kelly

    Mrs. Jane Kelly*

    *Nowadays this is acceptable

    Ms. Jane Kelly

    --------------------------

    Much like the U.S. Constitution is a living document, subject to revised interpretation through the centuries as judges reflect upon changes in social understanding of morality, etiquette evolves. The rules you cite were correct many decades ago, but current etiquette recognizes the importance of a woman's right to identify herself using an honorific and her first name if she so chooses. I agree that simply because everyone is doing something doesn't make it correct, but every so often, the rules themselves change in order to better reflect a massive turn of the tide of society. 

    [ETA] @lilybay:Apologies for hijacking your thread! I think that you should be introduced in whatever way sounds best to you and your FI. Unfortunately, as you can see, this is a bit of a controversial topic, so this is one case in which the boards can't give you a straight answer one way or the other.

     
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    Busy bee
    ritsi_bitsi    May 2011   Canada

    We'll be introduced as Jane Smythe and John Smith (our last names sound similar and I will be keeping my last name).

     
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    Sugar bee
    clarebee    August 21, 2010   Vienna, VA (wedding in Greensboro, GA)

    Mr. and Mrs. John and Jane Smith is how we were introduced!

     
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    Bumble bee
    LadyGoodman    September 25, 2010   Baltimore, MD

    Mr. and Mrs. John & Jane Smith for us!

     

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