Invitation wording help

Sparrow515

So, we've officially hit the 6 month mark and it's time to order our invitations!!  I'm not sure how I want to word them though.  My mother and step-father are helping with a good chunk of the wedding, and they obviously have a different last name than me.  I'd love to go traditional, "Mr & Mrs John Smith invite you to the wedding of their daughter Jane Doe", but I a) don't want it to look like I've been married and have a different last name and b) I don't want to offend my biological father, who is not contributing but will be invited.  My step-father is as real of a father to me as I've ever had, while my "real" father...well, I haven't spoken to him in almost a year and would rather not acknowledge him on the invites if at all possible.  I was thinking something to the effect of "the parents of Jane Doe..." but I don't know how to word it.  Any suggestions?  Thanks girls!!

ImMrsFranks

Since my in-laws helped with the wedding as well, I felt it was important to include them as well. I worded it like this... Mr. and Mrs. (my father's first and last name) and Mr. and Mrs. (dh's father's first and last name) request the honour of your companyat the marriage of their children(my first and middle name)and(dh's first and middle name)

Tonysgurl020406

If you really dont want to show that you have a different last name, or have so many names on the invite, you can do what we did... Together with their parents Stephanie Lynn XXXX and Anthony Edward XXXX Request the honor of your presence as they unite in marriage date, time, location (if you want to see the whole card, I have pics in my bio) In my case, I do have the same name as my parents, but Tony does not so like you I didnt want to make it confusing for people... GL!

Ms.BriarRose

I agree with Steph- you can always do what she suggested.  I also think that it does sound find with how you list it in your OP- there are so many today who have remarried parents, it's almost commonplace and people won't bat an eye.  Another thing I would highly suggest is meeting with someplace like Apropos (in Greenville, Bubbly and Sarah and someone else plus my cousin used them and loved them, they were so helpful and have great prices), who specializes in invitations and can help you think of wording for this situation- that's what they do for a living.  If, though, you want to list names (like me), here is what I would suggest:Mr and Mrs Stepfather of the BrideandMr. and Mrs. Father of the Briderequest the honor of your presence at the marriage of their daughter,SparrowtoPhoniexSon ofMr. and Mrs. Father of the BrideMy advice, even if your dad isn't contributing, is to put him on the invite anyway.  I say that for several reasons: one, you are dealing with enough during this planning stage, you don't want to fend off questions, esp from his side of the family, about why his name wasn't on your invite- consider it a compromise at this point.  But Reason two is more important- do it for the future.  You never know what good could happen because you decided to put him on the invite, or something small like that.  My father and I had a terrible relationship before I got engaged, and I was at the point of where he wasn't even invited.  But I swallowed my pride, and invited him to a tasting- we were expecting nothing, just trying to mend and heal the brokenness.  Because of that, and because of wanting to include him without his asking, he offered to help pay- which shocked us both, and also humbled us.  The reason I say do it for the future is because you don't want to regret or question this decision down the line- esp if something happens.  As my pastor put it to us, look, when he is on his deathbed, and you are looking back, do you really want to wonder what could have been if you had been gracious and loving and inviting to him?  Once he's gone, those moments can't be made anymore- so make them while you can.  I took his advice to heart, and look where it got me- imagine where it could get you, too, Laur. I am not saying this to be pushy or mean, I just want you to be happy and not second guess yourself years down the line, and I know how difficult this may be to hear- it was for me.  Just think about it, maybe talk it over with your pastor, before you make a huge decision that can't be changed, that's all I am saying.Anyway, hope that was helpful- I didn't mean to upset or overstep, I just want to see you be happy and content with a decision (however small) that could affect the future.

MrsJax09

Our was simple and it worked so well:Together with their familiesMy Name & His Name------------You can see the final product here: [url]http://sites.google.com/site/2bjcustodio2009/paper[/url]Proud To Plan Designed my invites and we received many compliments on them!

Sparrow515

Thank you!!  I'm going to go through all of the suggestions with FI and see what we come up with.  I really appreciate the input