Wedding Open House help needed

Parent Cafe
1

<p>We are giving our daughter and her husband a wedding open house/reception this summer. They were married last summer in a civil ceremony and due to all sorts of things, nothing special was done then. So we are having just a celebration party at a nice event place. It will be more casual than formal. We are having finger food with a string quartet for atmosphere. My problem is how to write the invitations. My husband and I are hosting it but how do I acknowledge the groom’s parents who are divorced and both remarried. </p>

<p>Any advise for the etiquette challenged? Any suggestions on anything else?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>I’d call it a reception celebrating their one year anniversary (if you are close) or just “their marriage last summer” if they aren’t.</p>

3

<p>Mr. & Mrs. John Smith
Request the pleasure of your company</p>

<p>Celebrating the marriage of </p>

<p>Amy & Steven Jones</p>

<p>June 16, 2011</p>

<p>4:00 in the afternoon</p>

<p>452 Main Street</p>

<p>If you want mention his parents…</p>

<p>Mr. & Mrs. John Smith</p>

<p>Together with</p>

<p>Mr. & Mrs. Robert Evans (his mother & stepdad) and Mr. & Mrs. Christopher Jones</p>

4

<p>^^^^by saying Amy and Steven Jones, it establishes that they are already married.</p>

5

<p>I’m a little unclear why you’re calling it an Open House if it’s going to be at an event venue, rather than your house. Not that I’m objecting, you understand :), just never heard of that.</p>

<p>If it doesn’t matter to you that you are specifically acknowledged as the hosts you can word the invitation </p>

<p>“The parents of Amy and Steven Jones request” or “The families of Amy and Steven Jones request”…
Wedding invitations nowadays are often worded “Amy Smith and Steven Jones, together with their parents, request…” (but you might want it to seem that they are the honored guests rather than the hosts).</p>

<p>If you want less formal wording, you could say
“Please join us for a celebration of…”</p>

<p>Mr. and Mrs. John Smith (or John and Elaine Smith)
together with Mr. and Mrs. Robt Evans (or Bob and Jan Evans) and Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Jones (or Chris and Ann Jones)</p>

6

<p>Mr and Mrs John Smith
request the pleasure of your company
to celebrate the marriage of Amy and Steven Jones,
son of Mary Brown and Edward Jones.</p>

<p>The hosts should have the leader in the invitation or top billing so to speak.</p>

7

<p>I’d make absolutely certain your groom wants his step parents acknowledged. You could be walking into a landmine with that one.</p>

8

<p>Thank you all for your wonderful replies. I knew I could count on CC. </p>

<p>We are calling it an open house as there is no set time to be there. People can come and go between 1 and 5. The site is a beautiful old Victorian mansion. </p>

<p>Groom’s parents and stepparents are wonderful people. We had them all for Thanksgiving and they were very friendly and gracious with each other. Whew!</p>