Wedding Invitation Wording for Divorced Parents

By Mustafa Bilgic · Last updated 20 June 2026

Divorced and remarried parents are one of the most common — and most fretted-over — wedding wording questions. The good news: there are clear conventions for every situation, and a graceful modern shortcut when the conventions get complicated. Here is exactly how to list everyone.

The short answer: List the mother first, on her own line, and the father directly beneath on a separate line — with no "and" between them, because they're no longer a couple. Include each parent's current spouse on their line if remarried, honour a deceased parent with "the late," and when it all gets complicated, use the easy fix: "Together with their families, [Name] and [Name] invite you..." See more host-line patterns in our main wording guide.

The two rules that govern divorced-parent host lines

Almost everything about wording divorced parents comes down to two small conventions:

Each parent gets their own line. The mother is traditionally listed first, the father on the line below.
No "and" joins divorced parents. The word "and" on a host line means "these two are married." Leaving it out — and using separate lines — is how the card signals the parents host separately.

That's the whole grammar of it. Once you know that "and" equals "married couple," every variation below makes sense.

Divorced parents, neither remarried

When both parents host but neither has remarried, list the mother first, the father beneath, no conjunction between them:

Mrs. Susan Carter
Mr. David Carter
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Olivia Grace
to
James Michael Bennett

If the mother has returned to her maiden name, use that name and the title she prefers (Mrs., Ms., or Dr.). The absence of "and" between the two lines is doing the quiet work of saying they're divorced.

One or both parents remarried

When a parent has remarried, include their current spouse — and here "and" returns, because it now correctly describes a married couple. Each remarried couple occupies its own line:

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hartley
Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Carter
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of
Olivia Grace Carter
and
James Michael Bennett

Here the bride's mother (now Mrs. Hartley) and stepfather are on the first line, and her father and stepmother on the second. The mother's household is still listed first. If only one parent has remarried, simply combine the formats — a remarried line for one, a single-name line for the other.

Honouring a deceased parent

A parent who has passed away is never listed as an active host — hosting implies presence — but they can be lovingly named in relation to the couple, using "the late." This is one of the most touching uses of the host area:

Mrs. Susan Hartley
requests the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of her daughter
Olivia Grace
daughter of Mrs. Susan Hartley
and the late Mr. David Carter
to
James Michael Bennett

Naming a late parent this way keeps them present in the moment without the awkwardness of listing them as a host. For more on honouring family members, our wedding invitation etiquette guide covers the gentler edge cases.

When both sides of the family host

If divorced parents and the groom's family all want to be acknowledged, the card can grow long quickly. You can list each household on its own line — bride's mother, bride's father, groom's parents — but at four or more host lines, most couples reach for the simpler option below.

Mrs. Susan Hartley
Mr. David Carter
and Mr. and Mrs. David Bennett
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of
Olivia Grace Carter
and James Michael Bennett

For a fuller treatment of listing two families, see our guide to wording when both sets of parents host.

The easy modern fix: "together with their families"

When the family tree is complicated — remarriages, step-parents, strong feelings about order — the cleanest, kindest solution is to name no one individually:

Together with their families
Olivia Grace Carter
and
James Michael Bennett
invite you to celebrate their marriage
Saturday, the twelfth of September, two thousand twenty-six
The Rosewood Garden · Charleston, South Carolina

This credits everyone, avoids every question of order and remarriage, and keeps the peace. It's not a "lesser" choice — it's correct, warm, and increasingly the default for blended families.

Divorced-parent wording at a glance

Situation	How to list	"And" between divorced parents?
Divorced, neither remarried	Mother on line 1, father on line 2	No
Mother remarried only	"Mr. and Mrs. [Stepfather]" line 1; father line 2	No (only within each married couple)
Both remarried	Each remarried couple on its own line	No (only within each couple)
One parent deceased	Living parent hosts; "and the late Mr. [Name]" names the other	No
Everyone, simplified	"Together with their families"	n/a

Order isn't a ranking — it's a convention

Listing the mother first is a long-standing etiquette habit, not a statement about who matters more. If your family's circumstances make a different order kinder — say, a parent who raised you should be named first regardless of gender — do that. The point of the invitation is to honour the people you love; the conventions exist to serve that, not the other way around. When in doubt, "together with their families" gracefully removes the question entirely.

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Frequently asked questions

How do you list divorced parents on a wedding invitation?

Traditionally the mother is listed first, on her own line, and the father on a separate line directly beneath — with no "and" joining them, because they're no longer a couple. If a parent has remarried, their spouse can be included on the same line. The two names sit on consecutive lines without conjunctions: that spacing is what signals they host separately.

Do you put "and" between divorced parents' names?

No. The word "and" on a host line implies the two people are married to each other. For divorced parents, you place each name on its own line with no "and" between them. This is the single clearest signal on the card that the parents are no longer a couple but are both hosting.

How do you word a wedding invitation if a parent has remarried?

Include the parent's current spouse. A remarried mother might appear as "Mrs. Susan Hartley" or, with her husband, "Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hartley." A remarried father appears as "Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Carter." Each remarried couple goes on its own line, and the divorced parents' lines still have no "and" between them.

How do you include a deceased parent on a wedding invitation?

A deceased parent can be honoured with the phrase "the late" — for example, "Olivia Grace, daughter of Mrs. Susan Hartley and the late Mr. David Carter." A deceased parent is never listed as an active host, since hosting implies presence, but they can be lovingly named in relation to the couple.

What is the easiest wording for divorced parents?

The simplest modern solution is "Together with their families, Olivia and James invite you..." It credits everyone without naming individual parents, sidesteps all questions of order and remarriage, and keeps the peace in blended or complicated families. It's correct, warm, and increasingly the norm.