Wedding Etiquette

Question
How do I refer to the groom’s stepfather on the invitation? He’s not a host, but his wife my future mother-in-law is pushing for it.


Answer
Tradition holds that the brides parents are the hosts, regardless of who pays for the wedding and only their names are listed on the invite along with yours of course. But nowadays more and more couples are including the groom’s family on the invitations, too. In that case yours would read “Mr. and Mrs. John Smith request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their daughter, Jane Smith to James Jones, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Martin. if you want to acknowledge the groom’s father, add “and Mr. Dean Jones” on a separate line under his mom’s line. You may want to order an oversize card to fit it all in.