The bride’s parents are divorced and you aren’t quite sure how to word your wedding invite. We agree that this can be a bit tricky, but we are here to help guide you.

Decorum #1 – The Mother’s Name Goes First
The only significant decorum to remember when dealing with divorced parents is that the mother’s name goes first. If the bride’s parents were married, the father’s name would go first.

Here are some examples for divorced parents:
Kathy Smith and John Smith
Ms. Kathy Smith and Mr. John Smith

Are the bride’s parents hosting the wedding?

If the bride’s parents are hosting the wedding, then their names should be listed on the wedding invitation. Check out this article giving a lot more details about this subject.

However, if the bride’s parents are not hosting the wedding, it is not required to include their names on the wedding invitation. Here is more info about wedding invites when the bride and groom are hosting. And another article when the groom’s family is hosting.

Are the bride’s parents remarried?

This is where wording can get a bit tricky and it’s probably best to avoid hurt feelings and lean towards including the bride’s step-parents on the wedding invitation. However, it is completely up to you whether you want to include the bride’s step-parents on the wedding invitation or not. Some things to think about before making this decision:

• How long have your parents’ been remarried?
• Has your step-parent played a significant role in your up-bringing?
• Is the step-parent’s income paying for part of your wedding?
• If you are leaning towards the side of not including your step-parent’s names, have you talked to them or your parents about how they might react or feel?

Examples of Wedding Invitation Wording with Step-Parents Included

In the following examples, Mrs. Smith is the Bride’s mother and Mr. Thomas is the bride’s father. Because Mrs. Smith and Mr. Thomas are divorced, Mrs. Smith would be listed first. However, because Mrs. Smith is remarried, her husband’s name (the bride’s step-father) would be listed before her on the wedding invitation.

“Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Mr. and Mrs. Thomas cordially invite you…” or “John and Kathy Smith and Bob and Leah Thomas invite you to share in the joy…” Anther popular phrase is “Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Mr. and Mrs. Thomas request the honor of your presence…”

If you want to see full examples of wedding invitation wording, check out our Wedding Invitation Wording page. On there we have a chart pointing you to examples of wedding invite wording based upon your family situation.