Alright, here’s my take on this whole wedding invitation thing. I recently got hitched, and let me tell you, the planning process was a doozy. One of the things that had me scratching my head was, “Do I include my groom’s parents on the wedding invitation?”
So, I dove into it. First off, I checked out what the “traditional” approach was. Turns out, it’s kind of all over the place. Some say if the groom’s parents are chipping in for the wedding, their names should be on there. Others say it’s only necessary if they’re hosting the whole shebang, or if the bride’s parents aren’t in the picture, or if the bride’s parents are throwing a fit about the marriage, which, thankfully, wasn’t the case for me.
Then, I thought about our specific situation. My in-laws are great, and they were contributing to the wedding, which was super generous of them. So, it felt right to include their names. But, I also knew that every family is different, and what works for one couple might not work for another. I decided to ask my partner, and then we started to discuss with both families. I called my parents and my partner’s parents, talking about this issue. We considered the family members’ preferences. It’s their big day too, in a way.
I also considered the whole divorced and remarried parents’ situation. Luckily, that wasn’t something I had to navigate, but I could see how that would complicate things. If that were the case, I probably would have listed both my parents and my step-parents, especially if everyone was helping out with the wedding costs.
After weighing everything, we decided to include my husband’s parents on the invitation. It just felt like the right thing to do for us. We listed them right under my husband’s name, and it looked pretty nice, if I do say so myself.
Here’s a little rundown of what I did:
- Researched the “traditional” etiquette.
- Considered our personal circumstances and our parents’ contributions.
- Talked to my partner about it.
- Discussed with our families to see how they felt.
- Made a decision that felt right for us.
At the end of the day, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. It really depends on your family dynamics, who’s paying for what, and what you and your partner are comfortable with. Just remember, it’s your wedding, so do what feels right for you!
