Do my parent’s names need to be on
the wedding invitations? How do you write it? Do the groom’s parents’ names go
on the invitation?
Today we’re demystifying the great debate – when and how to include parent’s names on invitations. It can seem a bit daunting at first to decide if you should include your parents’ names on the invites, but it’s actually a pretty easy decision when you break it down. We’ll look at traditional etiquette and then what we’re calling modern etiquette.
Traditional Weddings
In traditional weddings, the bride’s
parents pay for the wedding. They are considered to be the hosts of the wedding,
so their names go on the invitation as the hosts inviting the guests. In this
case the names are written out formally at the beginning of the invitation with
titles and everything, i.e. Dr. and Mrs. David Wallace. Here’s how their names
are written for different family situations:
Married: “Mr. and Mrs. Charles Schwab”
Divorced: “Mrs. Mary Johnson and Mr. Charles Schwab”
Remarried: “Mrs. Mary Johnson and
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Schwab”
Widowed: “Mrs. Mary Schwab and the
late Mr. Charles Schwab”
The groom’s parents should be
included after his name if they are also paying for the wedding or if they have
prominent names in society or the town you live in.
Semi-Formal and Non-Traditional
Weddings
More and more brides these days are
bucking tradition in favor of a day that celebrates who they are and what
matters to them – and we love it! So naturally, your invitations should reflect
the day that you’re having. If you’re not having a traditional wedding, it’s up
to you if you want to include your parent’s as a form of honor or keep things
simple.
Many brides are using “Together with
their families” as a way of acknowledging and respecting both sides. This is a
great option if the bride and groom are paying for the wedding but your parents
are still involved, or if there’s a mix of people paying for the wedding. I see
a lot of brides use this option just to avoid hurt feelings of family members if
there is a difficult family situation, too.
Or, you can just completely leave
parents off of the invitation if you are hosting. That’s totally fine too!
Here’s the Important Part:
In the end, it doesn’t matter much to your guests who does
the inviting, but it matters to you and your family. If your family is footing
part of the bill, they may have expectations about how the invitation is
worded. It’s best to have a conversation up front so nobody is hurt when receiving
their invitation. (Yes I’ve seen parents demand a re-print to include their
names, so it’s better safe than sorry).
For more help with the tricky topic of wording your
invitations, we’ve written an entire guide that walks you through step-by-step.
Better yet, it’s totally free! Simply enter your email below to have it
delivered to your inbox.
Get the entire
wording guide here:
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