invitation wording help, please!

[Deleted User]

Hello, I'm hoping someone can help me, because I have no clue what I'm doing.

FI and I are trying to figure out the appropriate wording for our invitations.  Everyone is hosting.  His parents are divorced and both are remarried.  FI is close with his stepparents and would like everyone to be included on the invitation.  I suggested the "together with their parents" line to cover all our bases, but FI finds that impersonal.

If we list everyone out, what order do we list his families in?  Sadly, I don't know anything about what etiquette would dictate for this.

mlg78

That's an insane number of names to list.  I'd say list his mother and stepfather and then his father and stepmother after that...but I'm not positive.  I just think it's ridiculous to list that many names.

Jen4948

I'd suggest to your FI that a program would be a better place to list all the names.

The purpose of an invitation is to invite guests to an event, not to map out the family tree or "honor" parents.

[Deleted User]

Thank you for validating what I was thinking...  

He is oddly passionate about it, which surprised me.  He told me that "Together with their parents" is rude since they are helping us pay.  Of course, I don't want to offend anyone.  I love both of his sets of parents but I think it would be very confusing to list three couples in addition to us!

mlg78

I agree with those suggestions.  This goes right along with not listing deceased parents on an invitation...

Kristin789

Your FI wants to list the names, and as CMGr points out, it's just one line longer than the traditional header.  Do it.

[Deleted User]

Thanks for your suggestions! I appreciate it.