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Divorced Parents |
Divorced Parents (Parents of the Bride)Mrs. Lisa Linda Earl and Mr. John David Earl request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their daughter Elizabeth Sydney Earl to John Andy Smith on Saturday, October first Two thousand and ten at five o’clock in the evening Greenwich Country Club 100 Derby Road New York, New York |
Divorced Parents (Father of the Bride)Mr. and Mrs. Steven Earl Jones requests the honour of your presence at the marriage of his daughter Jessica Ann Jones to Peter Smith on June the sixth two thousand and ten at two o’clock in the afternoon Greenwich CountryClub 100 Main Drive Boston, MA |
Divorced Parents (Mother of the Bride)Mr. and Mrs. Edward Lachey request the honour of your presence at the marriage of her daughter Jessica Isabelle Simpson to Anthony Edwards Fords on May fifth 2010 at six o’clock in the evening St. Ann’s Church 200 Main Street New York, New York |
I need proper wording on invitations and programs for divorced parents.
Father of Bride Divorced with girlfriend
Mother of Bride Divorced with boyfriend
Father of groom divorced and re-married
Mother of Groom divorced and re-married
Would like all names apart of wedding
Hi Chad,
INVITATION:
With so many people involved, this is a bit more complicated since there is no standard for listing all the names on the invitations. We suggest not including the names but simply leading with:
Together with their families
Alice Smith
&
Chad Maney
invite you to share in their joy
PROGRAM:
The program can be more personal and less formal than the invitation. Depending on the size of the program and how much space you are dedicating to the wedding party, you will need to use your discretion on who to include. We can only suggest including only the names that are actually involved in the ceremony as part of the wedding party.
Perhaps you can add an acknowledgement section where you give special thanks to certain family members. You can include those people that you were not able to fit into the wedding party section.
I really want to include both my parents and his parents name on the invitation as they are all hosting the wedding. My parents are still married, however his parents are divorced and only his father has remarried, so there are three of them with the same last name. How can I do this??
Hi Amber,
This is a tough one because there is no norm for these circumstances. So the best etiquette would be those words that you come up with yourself, providing that it doesn’t lend itself to being offensive. Here is what we suggest:
Mr. and Mrs. ________
& [insert name of your fiance's mother]
& Mr. and Mrs. ________
My family is very complicated with a deceased parent, stepparent, ex-stepparent, etc. I’d like to avoid using family member names in the wording of the invitation while still acknowledging my dad for hosting. Can you do something like this?
You are invited to celebrate the wedding of
Bride and Groom
Wedding Date and Details
Bride’s Father’s Name or Hosted by: Bride’s Father’s Name
Hi SB,
The wording on an invitation can be as personal or standard as an individual would like. When there are extended circumstances surround previously married individuals or deceased parents, etc., the appropriate wording can become a concern. Always remember that this is your wedding and that what is appropriate for someone else does not mandate being appropriate or necessary for all. That being said, you may want to consider words such as:
Please join the Bride’s Father’s Name in honoring the celebration of…
or
Please join the Bride’s Father’s Name along with other family members as they celebrate…
Those are just a couple ideas for thought. We hope this is helpful to you.
Hi, I have a question with differing answers from every website I’ve searched.
Mom and Dad are divorced, but mom has taken back maiden name. Should it read:
Ms. Jane Doe
Mr. John Smith
joyfully request the honor of your presence at the wedding of their daughter, etc.
And can their names be on the same line? With an “and” in between? I can’t figure out which is wrong or right. The invitation design favors their names being on the same line…
Thank you!
Hi Karen,
Although there is never an absolute guide to proper etiquette when it comes to unique scenarios of this nature, we can make suggestions. Putting the names of both parents on one line is still proper and acceptable. It does not in any way indicate that they are together as a couple, only that they both share in the joy of this occasion. Using your mother’s maiden name, if that is the one she goes by formally at this time, is also acceptable.
You may want to suggest your intent ahead of time to both parties so that before receiving the invitation, they are aware as to how it may read.
We hope this information proves helpful to you and we wish you all the best in your special day ahead.
I would like to include my parents’ names (since they are financing the entire wedding) and my fiancés parents’ names, since we are very close. His parents are divorced and neither remarried. The mother still goes by her married name, not her maiden name. My question is, what format would you address this as? His parent’s are not involved with each other at all, not even in a friendly way. The divorce caused a lot of hurt between them and the family. I’m wondering how I would write this on the invitations without offending anyone, since it is a sensitive subject. What would your advice be?
Hi Amy,
Our first thought is because it is your day, go with the wording you are contemplating. As a courtesy, you may wish to share it with your families before deciding. We think this is a sensitive approach to the matter and shows caring for all parties. Regardless of the parents’ personal situations, we trust they will remember that this is a day for the bride and groom and they will be supportive no matter what their circumstances are. Although there is no absolute way of wording this, you may wish to try something on the lines of:
Mr. and Mrs. XYZ invite you to share in their joy (or in celebration)
at the marriage of their daughter
XYZ
to
XYZ
son of the full name of the mother and the full name of the father (including last names for each of them)
I have a very awkward situation. My mother is hosting the wedding. However, my father is still in my life and will be walking me down the aisle, just not contributing financially.
A couple months ago, my mother and I had a huge falling out, I have cut her out of my life and she is no longer invited to my wedding, but she is still paying for the event.
Do you have any suggestions for wording?
Do I still include her name in the invitation?
Thanks!
Hi CS,
Since it is your wedding, both your mother and father should understand that you will word the invitation with as much sensitivity as possible, but ultimately the wording will be your decision. You may wish to show them in advance what you intend for the wording so that they’re not surprised. There is no set rule for this type of situation. As both parents are involved in different ways, you may wish to collectively acknowledge them (and your fiance’s parents) by keeping it simple not including their names. For example:
Together with their parents
[Bride] and [Groom]
Invite you to join…
What is the proper wedding invitation wording for this situation: wedding couple want their full names, the bride’s parents are divorced but have the same last names, grooms parents are married with same last names but object to Mr. and Mrs.? Do the parents need to include middle names because the wedding couple are including theirs? FYI they prefer a casual format. Thanks!
Hi Diane,
In situations such as these, many choose to use wording as simple as:
Together with their parents (families)
[Bride] and [Groom}
Invite you to join. . .
However, if you would like to include names, here is a more detailed suggestion:
Jane Doe and Michael Doe
and
Susan and James Smith (groom's parents)
Invite you to join as their children
[Bride] and [Groom]
Unite in marriage . . .
Or more casually:
Jane Doe and Michael Doe
and
Susan and James Smith (one last name alludes to marriage)
Invite you to the marriage of their children
[Bride] and [Groom]
To answer your other question, it is certainly acceptable to not use parents’ middle names, especially since you are using a casual format.
Bride’s parents are divorced and remarried; Groom’s parents are still married. Father and step-mother of bride are paying for wedding. Looking for wording on invitation which includes all parents but also makes clear Bride’s father and stepmother are hosting. Any suggestions?
Hi JD,
As a courtesy, you may want to show all four parents the wording that you decide on. In this case, something like the following might make sense:
[bride's mother's first & last name] & [bride's father's first & last name] invite you to share
in the marriage of their daughter
[bride's name]
to
[son's name]
son of [groom's parents names, for example Trudy & David Esquire]
Hi-I am getting invites for a friend as a gift. He has been living with his mother and step father. His biological father has remarried. The brides Father is deceased. The bride insists on having her deceased father’s name on it and then he decided he wanted his parents on there too. Herein lies the problem with the two set of parents from the groom’s side. I’ve read your replies to other people and I am still unsure how to handle this situation. Do I say….
Mr. and Mrs. Deceased Dad invite you to the marriage of their daughter (The Bride was happy with this part. So, I am guessing this is OK.),
Jane Bride
to
Jon Groom
Son of Biological Dad and Biological Mom
Step-son of Step Dad and Step Mom (Is it rude to write step-son? I mean this is what he is to his biological parent’s spouses, but it sounds sort of….umm..I’m not really sure how to describe it. What do you think?)
OR do I
Son of Mr. & Mrs. Biological Dad-Name-Only
And
Son of Mr. & Mrs. Step-Dad Name-Only (but then I am excluding the biological mother’s name, which I am not too keen on doing)
OR
Son of Mr. Biological Dad and Mrs. Wife’s Name
And
Son of Mr. Step Dad and Mrs. Biological Mom
I sort of like the last option for the Groom’s parents. Who would go first Biological Mom or Biological Dad? I was thinking since he lives with his biological mother their name should go first. Am I right in thinking that? The groom is concerned about offending either set of parents. In my opinion (which doesn’t really matter), it should be what they- the Bride and Groom want- but they just want to make everyone happy and avoid problems. I want to make them happy; so, I am going to word it the way they want it worded. I will be talking to his mother later this week to see what she wants. I am asking you to let her know I talked to a professional about this and got an opinion on it. I do appreciate your help. Thank you.
That is certainly a complicated wording situation, and a tremendous amount of wording to put on an invitation card.
In many cases like these, couples choose to use the simply, all-encompassing wording:
Together with their parents (or families)
Bride
and
Groom
invite you to join. . .
The reason this option is so often used is because when you start entering all of the biological and step parent names so not to offend anyone, it can start to take over the invitation. Typically when this simple “together with their parents” option is used, all of the parents are mentioned by name in a wedding announcement and/or in the wedding ceremony program.
Although you mentioned that the bride and groom wanted specific names on the card, it is important to remember that first and foremost, the day is about the bride and groom, not their parents.
Have similar situation to JD Esquire and CS. Bride’s parents are divorced and remarried; Groom’s parents are still married. Step-mother of bride and mother of the groom are paying for wedding. Mother and current husband have not been a part of the wedding planning not paid for anything but are expected to come to the wedding. It will be a formal wedding with formal invitations. Ideas to keep the peace?
How can I word my invitations if my father is paying for the hall, we are paying for everything else and my mom is help with what she can. I don’t want to insult anyone by not including them and I don’t want my dad to be upset that it seems like both parents are paying. I have read that the names you see are the ones contributing to the wedding so I want to make sure I am able to show them and not have anyone upset. Thanks!!
Hi Danielle,
A simple, and increasingly common solution in situations like these is to use the wording:
Together with their parents (or families)
Jane Doe
and
John Smith
invite you to join. . .
This way, you are not specifically mentioning anyone, yet it is implied that you, your fiancee, and your parents are all involved in hosting the wedding. Another advantage to this wording is that you do not have a bunch of names cluttering the invitation card.
What is the proper way to word invitations in this situation? Bride’s parents are divorced mother is not remarried but does have a significant other, well common law, and still has her ex’s last name and father is remarried. All parents, bride and groom, are contributing to the wedding as well as other family members. Groom’s parents are married.
A simple, and increasingly common solution in situations such as these is to use the wording:
Together with their parents (or families)
Sarah Smith
and
William Jones
invite you to join
as they unite in marriage
This way, everyone is indirectly included, and the only names that appear on the invitation card are the names that are most important for the event – the bride’s and the groom’s.
HI my mom would like her name written out on the invitation she is still married. She doesn’t like Mr. & Mrs. James Smith, She would rather it say Mrs. Mary & Mrs. Paul Smith. How should that be written correctly.
Sharence
Hi Sharence,
Mrs. Mary and Mr. Paul Smith is a good way to phrase this. You might also use Mary Smith and Paul Smith.
Hello,
My situation is that I have a stepmother, who is paying for the wedding, a mother, who is not paying for the wedding but is still my mom, and the grooms parents who are still married, who are also helping to pay for the wedding and we have NO idea how to do the wording on the invitation. Also, we want to be careful as to how we list my stepmom and mom so it does not appear that they are married or dating. Please help!
Thank you,
Nicole
Hi Nicole,
In situations like these, a common, and increasingly popular wording solution is:
Together with their parents/families,
Bride
and
Groom
invite you to join
This wording indirectly includes everyone, and keeps the invitation uncluttered, containing the most important names of the day only – the bride’s and the groom’s.
Hello,
I’d like to begin my invitation with a sweet phrase stemming from “all of my love, all of my life” which we are using in our vows. So we may have to use “our or their” Instead of my. I’d like to figure out how to have that as my beginning and then not use my parents name (who are divorced and it is fairly recent) however my parents are both paying for the wedding. So, I want the poem and to say “the parents of”? I’m not sure.
Any advice?
Hi Brooke,
You might just place that phrase on its own right at the top of the invitation card as is, perhaps in a decorative font, almost as it is part of the design. As far as wording suggestions, you may like one of the following:
All of their love, all of their lives
Together with their families
Bride
and
Groom
invite you to join
- – - –
All of our love, all of our lives
Bride
daughter of ….
and
Groom
son of …
invite you to join
- – - –
Finally,
All of their love, all of their lives
Bride’s Mom [last name] and Bride’s Dad [last name]
invite you to join as their daughter
Bride
marries
Groom
I hope one of these helps!
OK So heres the deal, both my parents and his are hosting the wedding. My parents are still happily married however his father died when my fiance was 3. his mother has a live in boyfriend who is going to share her half of the exspences but they do not share the same last name and my fiance does not consider him a father figure. How do i include everyone into the invitation properly??
Hi Samantha,
In situations like these, many couples choose the all encompassing wording, “together with their parents (or families).” This way, everyone is indirectly included, but the invitation card is not overcrowded with names.
If you would like to include names, however, you might try the following:
Mr. & Mrs. [Bride's Parents]
and
[Groom's Mom] and [Significant Other]
invite you to celebrate the marriage of their children
Bride
and
Groom
I’m not sure how to handle my situation. My parents just got divorced last month after 46 years of marriage. We no longer have contact with my father and he is not invited to the wedding. My mother took back her maiden name. My fiance and I are paying for most of the wedding. I just found out my fiance parents are give us money for the wedding… not sure how much yet. My mother is is helping with DIY projects but not financially. I think I should include my mother and his parents or “Together with their families Bride and Groom
invite you to join…” I wondering how my mother’s name should be worded…. even if she is referred to in any other items. I plan to use her name and address for the return address. My mom thinks we should still use Mrs. with her maiden name instead of Ms.. It’s such a new and strange situation for me for my mother to have a different last name than me, which makes it seem like my parents were never married. From what I have read if she took back her maiden name she should be addressed as Ms..
She just changed her name so I wonder if I should just include her married name. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Hi Amanda,
In situations like these, “Together with their families/parents” is often the best. It leaves the invitation card uncomplicated and uncrowded, yet indirectly, all parties paying for the wedding are involved.
Pertaining to your mother’s name on the envelopes, Ms. [Maiden Name] would be correct according to etiquette, as Mrs. refers to a married woman. However, etiquette is merely a suggestion, not a rule set in stone. If you or your mother are not comfortable with the “Ms.” title, you can simply write [First Name][Maiden Name]. What matters most is that the envelope arrives at the right address and everyone is comfortable with the situation.
My parents are divorced, mother took back her maiden name, neither are helping fund the wedding. Grooms parents are still married, and they are helping fund the wedding. We currently have this:
mr. and mrs. first last
and
ms. last and mr. last
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their children
groom’s name
&
bride’s name
~~~~~
We were thinking because his parents are helping fund the wedding, their names (and respectively his name) should go first. Is this correct?
As with many of these other comments, the wording of invitations is a difficult thing to figure out. My situation is that my fiance and I are funding the majority of the wedding but our parents are also contributing and we would like our parents names to be listed as well. My parents are divorced and my father has remarried. My fiances parents will be divorced at the time of the wedding. What is the best way to word this?
I was thinking something like but wasn’t sure if I am doing the brides parents part correctly:
Mr. and Mrs. brides dad and Ms. brides mom
Mr. grooms dad and Ms. Grooms mom
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their children
Brides name
and
Grooms name
Hi Christina,
Your wording seems perfectly fine. My only suggestion would be to make sure the groom’s mother’s last name is correct before printing; for example, make sure you use her maiden name is she decides to go back.
I’m not sure how to word my invite my mother is deceased my dad who is not remarried is financing a good part of the wedding. My Fiance’s parents are divorced and his mom is not remarried but his dad is. His dad and stepmom are contributing to the wedding so I feel they may be hurt if there not on the invite. How to I properly word this in a way that is traditional yet not to wordy. Thanks!
Hi Lindsey,
“Together with their families (or parents)” is a popular way to phrase wedding invitations with a lot of names. It indirectly includes everyone without cluttering the invite.