Traditional Wedding Invitation Wording

Traditional wedding invitation wording follows a set pattern, you can use this style of wording if the bride's parents are hosting the wedding.

Mr. and Mrs. Joe Acme

request the honor of your presence

at the marriage of their daughter

Jane Elizabeth Acme

and

John Robert Smith

at the Missouri Botanical Gardens

Saturday, the Thirtieth of June

Five o'clock in the evening

If it is the groom's parents that are hosting then it would like this.

Mr. and Mrs. Sam Smith

request the honor of your presence

at the marriage of

Jane Elizabeth Acme

and

Their son

John Robert Smith

at the Missouri Botanical Gardens

Saturday, the Thirtieth of June

Five o'clock in the evening

Having your parents names on your weddng invitations can mean that you are faced with divorce and/or remarriage. To be fair to your parents, you want to make their relationship as clear as possible in the traditional wedding invitation wording. You may also want to include the stepparents in the invitation, especially if they are helping to pay for the expenses. Below are some examples to illustrate how to handle these situations tactfully.

Divorced Parents/No Step-parents

In this case, the parents' names are separated. If only one parent is paying for the wedding, the other parent's name can be omitted.

Mr. Joe Acme

and

Ms. Josephine Acme

request your presence at the wedding of

their daughter,

Jane Elizabeth Acme

and

John Robert Smith

Divorce with Remarriage

If the remarried couple is covering the expenses, the first sample wedding invitation phrases would be appropriate. If both parents are sharing the costs, they should be treated as hosts as shown in the second example below.

Mr. and Mrs. Joe Acme

invite you to the wedding of

Jane Elizabeth Acme,

the daughter of

Mr. Joe Acme and Ms. Josephine Acme,

to

John Robert Smith

-------

Mr. and Mrs. Joe Acme

and

Ms. Josephine Acme

request your presence at the wedding of

their daughter

Jane Elizabeth Acme

to

John Robert Smith

Deceased Parent

Unfortunately, both parents are not always going to have the honor of sharing this special day with their children. However, they can still be remembered on the invitation. The sample below provides an example of the wedding invitation phrases that would work in this case.

Mr. Joe Acme and the late Josephine Acme

invite you to the wedding of

Jane Elizabeth Acme

and

John Robert Smith