The parents of the bride announce the wedding, even though the bride is a widow.

In that case the inscription must take this form :

Mr. and Mrs. Julian Blanke

Request the honor of your presence

at the marriage of their daughter

Mary Louisa Craig

with

Mr. John Victor Reynolds

Or

Parents would announce the remarriage of their widowed daughter:

Mr. and Mrs. James Daylon Parker

have the honour (or pleasure) to announce

the marriage of their daughter

Dorothy

(Mrs. Harold de Peyster)

to

Mr. John Baird Livingston

on Tuesday, June the eleventh, Nineteen hundred

Etc.

If a widow remarries, and her parents are not making the announcement her name is accompanied by the prefix “Mrs.”

When the contracting parties are both widowed, they themselves send the announcement of their marriage, it reads:

Mrs. Marian Bronson

and

Mr. Warren Atherton

have the honour to announce their marriage

on Tuesday, January the second

at twelve o’clock

Grace Church

Etc.

Or

MR. JOHN WILLIAM DOE

AND

MRS. JAMES EGBERT HOWLAND

ANNOUNCE THEIR MARRIAGE

ON MONDAY, AUGUST THE ELEVENTH

The remarriage of a widow is usually simple and informal, and not in white wedding gown and veil, which is the symbol of first marriage.

Her own children may attend her if she wishes. She may write personal notes as invitations and announcements, using her full name.

The Ultimate Wedding Planning Kit:

From America’s Top Wedding Experts, Elizabeth & Alex Lluch

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Emily Post’s Wedding Etiquette

Some parents are paying for part of the wedding and some aren’t helping at all… between the two of you their may be 5 or more parent names to list.

Wedding invitations are a way to announce and invite someone to a wedding. They are not an announcement of who is paying for the wedding.

If you feel the need to list everyone that is “sponsoring” your wedding… think about using a wedding program. This can be a very sentimental expression of your love and thankfulness for their support.

Programs are a interesting addition to the wedding package… these can be done as simple or formal as money allows.

If you have parents and grandparents walking in separately, and an officiate that you know closely, programs are very appropriate. You can print them for less than $10.

What if the groom’s parents are hosting?

Mr. and Mrs. Jason Smith

request the honor of your presence

at the marriage of Miss Deloris Jones

to their son

William Jason Smith

Another way is to word the invitation so that the couple is hosting their own wedding:

The honour of your presence

is requested at the marriage of

Ms. Joanne Smith

and

Mr. Mark Jones

If the Grooms Parents Hosting

Mr. and Mrs. Mark Johnson

request the honour of your presence

at the marriage of

Joanne Alice Smith

to their son

Richard Johnson

On

Saturday, the Second of April

Two Thousand and Two

at half past three o’clock

Valley Center Club

Any Town, Any State

Traditionally, the parties that are hosting the wedding (paying) should do the announcing of the wedding… that is usually the brides parents.

The Ultimate Wedding Planning Kit:

From America’s Top Wedding Experts, Elizabeth & Alex Lluch

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The Knot Ultimate Wedding Planner: Worksheets, Checklists, Etiquette, Calendars, and Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Friends and family members often ask either the bride or her mother what would be acceptable as a wedding gift. It is quite all right to reply specifically if it is done in such a way that the sender is given some latitude for the cost of the item.

For instance, if the giver indicates that she would like to send silver, the name of the pattern selected may be given her so that she may add a piece or as many pieces as fit her budget. Or, a list of several items of varying costs may be suggested.

In answer to the direct question about the acceptability of some specific item: “Would you like an electric iron?” the reply may be frank appreciation or rejection of the suggestion; e.g., “Oh, we’d love one, thank you,” or “Thank you, it’s a grand idea, but Ted’s mother has already sent us one.”

In answer to the question, “Is money an acceptable wedding gift?”

Emily Post says “No,” listing as her reason the fact that the money is spent and the couple has nothing definite to remember the sender by.

However, many couples who marry today find money a highly acceptable gift in many instances. Some couples are not able to establish a household of their own for some time. For them the problem of storing wedding gifts may be a difficult one.

Other couples go to housekeeping in limited quarters where there will be no place to put many of the things that they get for their wedding.

Most young couples start out with limited finances that must be stretched as far as dollars can go and, knowing just what they need and what they can do without for a while, can possibly more wisely spend the gift allotment than could all but their closest associates.

One possible compromise between Emily Post and modern expediency is the giving of a United States Government Bond, which may be turned in for cash at once if needed, or “salted away” as a gift of security from the sender until it matures, or until it can be used to purchase some much needed item for the new household.

However… it is not appropriate to ask for money or gifts in a wedding invitation. Never mention a gift registry in a wedding invitation… the place for that is in wedding shower invitations. If someone wants to purchase a gift for you… they will often ask the mother or other relative about a registry.

The invitation is an announcement of your wedding and the joy of your new life together.

The invitation to a reception is to show your loved ones how much you appreciate their love and their attendance at their wedding.

It is customary that wedding guests give gifts… but it is completely voluntary… not a given.

The Knot Ultimate Wedding Planner:

Worksheets, Checklists, Etiquette, Calendars, and Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

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