Reader Question: Wedding Invitation Wording When Parents Are Deceased

Wedding invitation wording always seems to confuse engaged couples. With blended families, couples paying for the wedding themselves, and other tricky situations, the standard invitation wording just doesn't suffice.

Rachel writes:

My fiance and I aren't sure how to word our wedding invitations.Our theme of our wedding is romantic & traditional. Where our problem is incurring is that both of our father's have passed & our mother's are paying for the wedding. How do we word that?

Rachel, you have several options here. You could write something like

You are cordially invited to celebrate
the wedding of
Rachel Susan Smith
the daughter of Anne Smith and the late John Smith
and Theodore Joseph Johnson
the son of Linda Johnson and the late Patrick Johnson

or you could write

Mrs. John Andrew Smith
and
Mrs. Patrick Andrew Johnson
request the honor of your presence at
the marriage of their children
Rachel Susan
and
Theodore Joseph

There are ways to include your dads in the wedding, although it shouldn't be as part of the wedding invitation. Read about some of the ways to honor a deceased parent at your wedding. Basic Guide to Writing Wedding Invitations More More Samples of Wedding Invitation Wording etc.