The M is the start of the guest's title
The “M” on an RSVP card is shorthand. It’s the first letter of every common English honorific — Mr., Mrs., Ms., Miss, Mx. — and the line invites the guest to fill in their preferred title and full name.
It's an old wedding-stationery convention. Couples needed a clean, formal way to ask for the guest's name without printing “Mr./Mrs./Ms.” before every blank line, so they put a single “M” with a long underscore and let guests choose for themselves.
How to fill out the M line
Just complete the title and add your name. The line on the card looks like this:
M ____________________________________
Examples
If you don't use a title — many people don't — write your full name without one. There’s no rule that says you have to fill in the M with a traditional honorific.
Mr. and Mrs. John Smith
Ms. Sarah Patel
Mx. Alex Chen
Dr. Maria Rodriguez
Miss Olivia Park
Modern, gender-neutral alternatives to the M line
More couples today are skipping the M line entirely. The traditional version assumes a binary choice of titles, which doesn’t fit every guest or every couple's preferences.
Common modern replacements:
- Name: ____________________________ (open, no title required)
- Your full name: ____________________________
- Guest(s): ____________________________ (covers plus-ones in one line)
Any of these work for digital RSVP forms too. ScanRSVP uses “Your Name” by default and lets you change it to whatever phrasing you prefer.