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Beginner October 2014

How to list divorced parents

Amanda, on April 15, 2014 at 8:43 AM Posted in Etiquette and Advice 0 3

Hello!

Quick question- my parents are (within the last 6 months... ack) newly divorced. My mom is not changing back to her maiden name. I'm wondering if it is still appropriate to list her on the wedding program as "Mrs. Jane Doe".... as technically, she is no longer that? Is she back to a Ms.?

Along a similar line- my FH's father has passed away, and his mother never remarried- am I right in assuming it is still correct to title her as Mrs. Jane Doe?

I have considered dropping the titles altogether, but I think it might bother FH's mother, who is much more proper when it comes to this kind of thing.... thank you so much for any advice! Smiley smile

3 Comments

Latest activity by Kristin Griffin, on April 15, 2014 at 10:39 AM
  • N
    Master September 2014
    Now I'm Mrs_M ·
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    I am listing my divorced parents as:

    Ms. Jane Doe

    Mr. John Doe

    I want to make sure my mom is comfortable when she sees her name. Addressing her as "Mrs." (even though she never went back to her maiden name) seems inappropriate for where she is in her life.

    Yes, widows are still assumed to be titled "Mrs.".

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  • HopeRebecca
    VIP October 2013
    HopeRebecca ·
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    My parents divorced 6 years ago and my dad remarried. I didn't list them at all! I didn't want to worry about any one's feelings. Our invite just said 'together with their families' - DH's parents are divorced too and his mom remarried.

    The programs did list my parents, but only first and last names. added my dad's wife & DH's mom's husband just to keep the peace. But thats all I did to acknowledge the families and our situation.

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  • Kristin Griffin
    Kristin Griffin ·
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    Ms. is the appropriate title for a divorced mother who has not remarried. Mrs. for a widowed mother.

    For divorced parents, list them on separate lines in the invitation and programs (mother first). They also get announced separately. If either is dating and you (and family feel comfortable), the announcement of the BP into the reception would be "mother of the bride, Ms. Jane Doe accompanied by Mr. xxx." Then, "father of the bride, Mr. John Doe accompanied by Ms. xxx." They can also walk in just by themselves, if that's better and less painful.

    One other note - tell your photographer about all this ahead of time... You don't want them assuming your parents are still together and posing them that way in the pictures. If it's amicable, just put mom on one side and dad on the other with you as a buffer. If not, do two separate sets of photographs. Have a side conversation before the wedding with your photographer about how you want to handle this and it will be much smoother on wedding day.

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