When it comes to wedding invitation wording, ensuring all the aspects of a relationship are covered is important. Knowing how, or whom to include can sometimes be difficult. However, since weddings are such special occasions, it is important to use the opportunity to honor important people in your life.
Even in difficult situations, following etiquette can not only help family to feel honored, it can also mend bridges and help set a new tone for the future of the relationship.
Wording invitations for complex relationships also gives guest valuable information about the current situation for the hosts and help them avoid uncomfortable situations. 
For example, perhaps a bride or groom’s parent is recently deceased and only a few people are aware. The wording of an invitation can guide a guest into understanding the situation and avoid asking or stirring up something painful. Or perhaps a parent has a new spouse that should be included. How you word the invitation is an important part of ensuring that respect is shown to all parties involved.
Here are some sample formats for trickier situations:
One parent deceased and remaining parent not remarried:
God has led two lives
to take one path
Mr. John J. Jones
requests the honor of your presence
at the marriage of his daughter
Jean Marie
to
Mr. Steven James Smith
Saturday, the sixteenth of March
Two Thousand Ten
at three o’clock in the afternoon
Mountain View Community Church
1234 Main Street
Denver, Colorado
From the bride’s parents:
(divorced)
Mrs. Anne M. Jones
Mr. John J. Jones
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Jean Marie Jones
and
Steven James Smith
Saturday, the sixteenth of March
Two Thousand Ten
at three o’clock in the afternoon
Mountain View Community Church
1234 Main Street
Denver, Colorado
Dinner and dancing to follow
From the bride and groom and their parents:
Before they met, their strength was of one
Through marriage, they will experience
the strength of much more than two
Jane Marie Jones
and
Steven James Smith
together with their parents
request the favor of your presence
at their marriage
Saturday, the sixteenth of March
Two Thousand Ten
at three o’clock in the afternoon
Mountain View Community Church
1234 Main Street
Denver, Colorado
From the bride’s mother:
(remarried)
Mrs. Anne Marie Hughes
requests the honor of your presence
at the marriage of her daughter
Jane Marie Jones
to
Mr. Steven James Smith
Saturday, the sixteenth of March
Two Thousand Ten
at three o’clock in the afternoon
Mountain View Community Church
1234 Main Street
Denver, Colorado
From the bride’s mother and stepfather
Love isn’t love ’til you give it away . . .
Mr. and Mrs. Gary Scott Hughes
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of Mrs. Hughes’ daughter
Jane Marie Jones
to
Mr. Steven James Smith
Saturday, the sixteenth of March
Two Thousand Ten
at three o’clock in the afternoon
Mountain View Community Church
1234 Main Street
Denver, Colorado
From the bride’s relative:
(both parents deceased)
Mr. Jonathan H. Jones
requests the honor of your presence
at the marriage his sister
Jane Marie
to
Mr. Steven James Smith
Saturday, the sixteenth of March
Two Thousand Ten
at three o’clock in the afternoon
Mountain View Community Church
1234 Main Street
Denver, Colorado
When it comes to wedding invitation wording, ensuring all the aspects of a relationship are covered is important. That’s where all the rules of etiquette apply, and that’s the detail that makes a wedding invitation special. Paying attention to those details may be one small part of the overall wedding plan, but it is still an essential part.
