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Etiquette on listing stepmom as parent on wedding program???


I'm drafting the text for our wedding program, and don't know exactly how to present my mom, my stepmom, and my FI's parents.  (My father is deceased).  

None of the parents are playing any particular role in the wedding ceremony, and we are not having a receiving line.  I included a section in the program below the wedding party names, which is called "Parents" and it lists their names accompanied by "Mother of the Bride" "Stepmother of the Bride" and "Mother and Father of the Groom" ... is it weird to list both mom and stepmom?  Is there a more delicate way to acknowledge them? 

I thought another option would be to just list their names under "Parents" but then people wouldn't know who is my mother vs stepmother.  Or another option is to not include my stepmom, and only include my biological mom, but my stepmom is sure to come to the wedding, and I'm not 100% sure that my mom will (long story, and nothing related to our own relationship).  Or ... not include any parent names at all?  The only thing is, FI's parents have contributed financially to some of the wedding costs, so it seems rude not to include them.

I'm feeling a bit perplexed about the whole thing, and would appreciate any perspectives here!  :-)

BTW, I avoided the situation for our wedding invitations by writing only "[Our names] request the pleasure of your company as they join in marriage ..."

Re: Etiquette on listing stepmom as parent on wedding program???

  • I think writing mother of and step mother of is completely fine.  No one should be offended by that.
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  • Agreed.
    Name, mother of
    Name, stepmother of
  • That sounds fine in the program.  I hope your mom gets to make it to your wedding!
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  • Another vote for listing them individually as Mother and Stepmother.
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  • Yep, I would list them separately.
  • If you are close to both (and both helped raise you), go for it.
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  • Thanks for your views, ladies!  Much appreciated!  :-)

  • My stepmonster is evil so my opinion may be skewed, but my mom would be VERY insulted if I included stepmonster under the title "parents." Everyone's situation is different though... maybe your stepmom had a bigger role in your life than your mom- if so, then list them both. If your stepmother was really just your dad's wife and you didn't live with her, then I would just list your mom. I would never even call my mom's husband or dad's wife (if she was nice) anything with the word "mom" or "dad" in it. I refer to them by their first name or by "dad's wife" if I'm speaking to someone who doesn't know her name. I think that you only have one mom and one dad and you shouldn't diminish their importance by gracing another person with the title, even with "step" in front of it.
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