DEAR MISS MANNERS: I would like to order monogrammed linen napkins for my daughter and her husband, who have hyphenated their last names, and use that in their professional and personal lives.
How does one include a hyphenated last name in a monogram?
GENTLE READER: Ask the engravers if they are willing to create a centered, hyphenated double initial. If not, Miss Manners suggests alternating napkins.
As your daughter has no doubt become aware -- at doctor’s offices and airport ticketing counters -- the alphabetized world is almost exclusively concerned with the first initial of a hyphenated surname. If this has not yet occurred to the couple, and causes last-minute panic when they suddenly realize whose name is taking precedence, Miss Manners suggests that you hold off on your monogramming until they settle it.
(Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)