I got a wedding invitation this morning and thought filling out the RSVP card would take about ten seconds. There were the usual choices for accepting or declining, but then I noticed something I had never paid attention to before: a large “M” followed by a blank line. I stared at it wondering whether it meant “meal,” “married,” or something else entirely.
After asking a few people, I was even more confused because nobody seemed certain. Some thought I was supposed to write the number of guests attending, while another person suggested it might be asking for my middle initial. As it turns out, the explanation is much simpler—and it comes from traditional wedding etiquette.
The “M” is the beginning of the courtesy title that goes before your name: Mr., Mrs., Ms., or Miss. The guest completes the appropriate title and then writes their name on the remaining line. For
