Post # 1

Member
1 posts
Wannabee
I could use some advice with wording invitations: my parents(mom and stepdad) are paying for the wedding. My father has been estranged for years, but I reached out to him and have managed to regain very limited contact with him in the last year. My fiance’s parents are awesome but they aren’t paying for the wedding. So — how to word the invitation and honor the people who should be honored. I did see some sample wording that I liked:
Dr & Mrs Brides Parents
request the pleasure of your company at the wedding of their daughter,
Bride
and
Groom
son of Mr and Mrs Grooms Parents
But then… what to do about my dad? He hasn’t been in my life for years, and hasn’t offered to help contribute funds to the wedding. Its actually unclear to me if he would even attend. Any thoughts/advice? I am stressing about this!
Post # 3

Member
6124 posts
Bee Keeper
Just leave him off.
Or you could just say the honor of your presence is request at the marriage of
YOU
(daughter Step dad/Mom and Dad)
to Fiance
(son of his parents)
There is no rule that you have to call out those that pay for the wedding with your invitation.
Or the generic: “The families of X and Y ask for your precense to witness the marriage of”
YOu
and
Fiance
Post # 4

Member
1615 posts
Bumble bee
It is tradition to have the bride’s mother on the invitiation, especially for a first wedding, To leave off her name becuase DAD is somewhat estranged I think is just dead wrong. To put “family” instead of names, I do not like.
Post # 5

Member
1093 posts
Bumble bee
We went the “together with their families” route. We figured, we were paying for the majority of the wedding, my mom and stepdad contributed bupkiss and most of their friends weren’t invited, my grandmom helped a lot, so did my dad and my in-law’s, and they’d know more people there, so it was a big ol’ mess. We didn’t want to leave off our families entirely, because DH’s parents would’ve been upset (and they weren’t happy about their actual names not being on there), but the reality is with split families it’s very awkward to name the hosts on wedding invitations anymore, especially given that the bride and groom often pay for a lot of the event themselves. “Together with their families, Jane Doe and Joh Roe request the honor of your presence at…” seemed the least clunky and most inclusive option for us.