Invitation wording when groom's family isn't contributing financially

You could list your parents' names at the top to show they are the hosts, then put his parents further down after your names. For example:


Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Jane Smith

joyfully invite you to the marriage of their daughter

Nicole (can put your middle name if you want)

to

(Your fiance's name)

son of Mr. Kevin Jones and Mrs. Barbara White

We did not want to write their names. We wrote “together with their families”

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Agree with this!

View Quoted Comment This sounds the most diplomatic

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I agree with this. Currently in a position where my own daughter will be getting married and I will be paying for the wedding solely. I expect no help from her father or the family of the groom. I'm fine with that, but as the host, I feel a sense of responsibility to make sure the event goes well and with amazing hosting. I don't want guests thinking that other people have a say in how my daughter and her partner are choosing to spend their budget or host the event. The invitation is the clearest way of saying that.

I chose "together with their families" my parents have written every check to all the vendors, FH and I are paying for one vendor which is our transportation since I'm being picky with it. FH's parents claim they're going to be paying for something but we have seen no money from them and FH won't ask for specifics so we're not counting on any money but I know if I just put my parents name on the invite his mom will throw a fit so to avoid that we're just doing the "together with their families"

I'm putting "together with their families". Both sets of parents offered to help pay but my fiancé felt bad accepting money from his dad who owns his own business and is doing okay, but isn't retiring anytime soon. My dad said there's no way we weren't taking money from him so they're technically the only ones helping us, but I didn't think it was fair to exclude FH's parents because he was the one to tell them not to contribute. This just makes it easier and puts the focus more on our names as the people getting married and less on who has helped put money into it.

We're not including parent's names. It's a 2nd wedding for us both and we're paying for it all. My mom and step dad aren't even coming. We're likely gonna start it "Micah & Nisha, along with their children" and leave it at that. That's our whole wedding party.

Both our parents contributed to our wedding and we did not include their names on the invitations at all. I think including family names is very old fashioned and traditional - fine if you want to go that route but not necessary to do.

I would not, however, include the names of one set of parents and exclude others. That is bound to cause hurt feelings and draw attention to the fact that one family "stepped up" and the other didn't one or one is "more important" to the couple and the other less so. It's also traditional for the bride's family to pay for the wedding and the husband's not to (but to pay for a rehearsal dinner, if one is done). So I would read putting one set of names as intentionally spiteful to the family not contributing vs honoring the family that providing some financial assistance.

I would skip the names entirely or put "together with their families." We actually used "together with their loved ones" because I feel closer to friends than blood relatives in a lot of ways, so it felt most appropriate.

Thank you everyone for your input!! It's a tricky thing!!! Congratulations to those getting married and those who are already celebrating wedded bliss! God bless!!

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This is what we wrote. Both our parents gave the same amount!

We are both older, and third marriages ..... no parents (obviously) This is what we came up with,

Because you have believed in us, Celebrated with us,Loved and Encouraged usWe invite you to join us as we exchange marriage vow

We’re paying for most of our wedding with some help from FH’s mother and my grandmother and we just skipped the other names completely and went with a more modern (we think, at least) “Lindsay and Matt are getting married”