Wedding Invitations Etiquette

You have determined the perfect style of wedding invitations, now what do you say?  For most modern couples, steering clear of the traditional wedding ceremony and language is more common than not.  Today couples are more creative in their wedding planning and less likely to follow the “ye olde” traditions passed down from ancestors. 

Modern couples are adding their own flavor to the announcements and including items such as favorite song lyrics, meaningful quotes, biblical scriptures and other phrases that are important to the bride and groom.  The wording and phrases included on the wedding invitation provides the guests with a sense of style of the ceremony. 

In today’s modern times, families come in all shapes and sizes.  Some families are divorced, while others include step-parents.  The wording on your wedding invitation can include the flavorful menagerie that is your own personal family. 

The goal of the wedding invitation is to include your loved ones to be a part of the special day while keeping family members feeling comfortable and welcomed.  Keeping the peace is a crucial element in the wording of the invitation and feelings should always be spared with the expense of sacrificing tradition.

Below are some helpful hints that may help save your day from any unwanted drama:

1.    Divorced parents hosting the ceremony together

Divorced parents may still host a wedding ceremony together and can be recognized on the wedding invitation appropriately.  A simple omission of the word “and” makes the invitation read nicely and recognizes the fact that the parents are not married.  The parent’s names should be listed on separate lines.

2.    Divorced parents that have both remarried

It is up to the bride and groom on how they would like the stepparents listed on the invitation.  Traditionally, it has been only the parent’s names noted on the wedding invitation, but it is acceptable to include a stepparent.  If the mother of the bride has remarried, her name can be listed along with her husband’s.  A wedding consultant and invitation specialist, such as those at Inviting Concepts, are on hand to help you assign the careful wording on your wedding invitations. 

3.    One or both of your parents are deceased

If both parents are deceased, the invitation may honor grandparents or other close relatives.  Even the bride and groom may be honored in such a circumstance.  If one parent is living, the invitation should include this parent’s name as the issuer.  In the event that the bride’s mother is still living and has not remarried, her name should be placed at the top with “Mrs.” listed before her name. 

4.    You and the groom are paying for your own wedding

More and more common is it that couples are waiting until they are financially secure to get married and because of this factor, they are paying for their own wedding.  For informal weddings, it is appropriate to list the bride and groom as the hosts of the wedding, but for a more formal affair it is a nice touch to honor the parents of the bride by placing their names at the top of the wedding invitation.