What is the proper salutation for a gay couple with the same last name?

Answer 1

For addressing a letter, it should be:

Mr. John Smith & Mr. Jim Jones

Susan & Diane Black-Stein

-or-

The Smith-Jones Family

An older tradition allows for:

Messrs. Smith and Jones;

Messrs. Smith (if they both have the same last name);

Mesdames Black and Stein; and,

Mesdames Black-Stein (if they share a hyphenated last name).

Answer 2

The polite way to introduce a married couple having different last names would be to introduce them both by their full name, while indicating their relationship. EX: "I'd like to introduce Mr. Bill Green and his wife, Mrs. Laura Blue" In writing, the old fashioned way of addressing the couple could suffice EX: "Dear Mr. and Mrs. Bill Green"

Answer 3

For informal purposes I would say: Dear Dave & Gary. For a business letter I would say Dear Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones. A business letter to a male couple that has adopted one family name I would NOT say Dear Mr. Smith and Mr. Smith (which just looks silly), I would revert to the good old fashioned Dear Messrs. Smith.

Same for the ladies: Dear Mary and Jane -- or Dear Ms. Smith and Ms. Jones. For a business letter if Mary and Jane have adopted one family name, I would also use Dear Ms. Smith and Ms. Jones, since to my knowledge there is no equivalent of "Messrs" in this case.

Answer 4

If you are askign how to address a same-sex couple, there are several options. the most common are:

Mr. John smith & Mr. Jack Jones.

Messrs. John and Jack Smith (if they use the same name)

Or, it might be best to just leave off the titles.