“Both families are hosting” sounds simple until you try to fit the real families at the top of one invitation.
Perhaps both sets of married parents are contributing equally. Perhaps one family paid for the venue while the other is hosting the welcome dinner and handling months of planning. There may be divorced parents, stepparents, single parents, chosen family, several surnames, or relatives who offered support that cannot be measured on a spreadsheet.
You do not have to print the family’s accounting on the card. You do need wording everyone understands in roughly the same way. Traditionally, the people named at the top are the hosts who issue the invitation. In modern use, “together with their families” often recognizes a wider circle of support without claiming that every contribution was identical.
These 21 examples cover both approaches. Before choosing one, decide whether you want to name the hosts, recognize the families, or do both. Those goals overlap, but they are not always the same.
Choose the family structure before the request line
Most two-family invitations use one of three structures:
| Structure | Best when | What guests may assume |
|---|---|---|
| Both sets of parents named first | The parents are clearly and publicly hosting | The named parents are extending the invitation |
| “Together with their families” | Support is shared, complex, or better left unitemized | The couple and families are collectively welcoming them |
| Couple first, family credit second | The couple wants a modern voice while naming support | The couple is central and the families share a meaningful role |
If a parent expects individual recognition, do not assume an umbrella phrase will feel equivalent. If naming every parent creates a six-line roster, do not assume equal respect requires equal space. Have the recognition conversation first; let the invitation solve the wording and design problem second.
Inclusive wording without listing every parent
These versions are useful when both sides are involved but a complete list would be crowded or emotionally complicated. They also avoid making the invitation look like a public record of who paid what.
- Classic “together with their families” wording Together with their families
Elena Rivera and Christopher Hall
request the pleasure of your company
at their wedding
Saturday, June 12, 2027
at five o’clock
The Orangerie
Charleston, South Carolina
Dinner and dancing to follow This is the safest all-purpose choice when both families are supporting the wedding in different ways. It is polished enough for an evening event but does not require titles, matching surnames, or an explanation of the financial arrangement. If the ceremony is in a house of worship and the family prefers traditional etiquette, “request the honor of your presence” may replace “request the pleasure of your company.” The family line itself can stay the same. - Warm family wording with the couple first Elena Rivera and Christopher Hall
together with their families
invite you to celebrate their wedding
Saturday, June 12, 2027 at 5:00 p.m.
The Orangerie, Charleston
Reception to follow Moving the couple above the family line changes the emphasis without removing family recognition. This works well when the couple is managing the invitations and decisions while both families are contributing. “Reception to follow” is enough only when the reception is at the same location or clearly explained on an enclosure. Name “dinner and dancing” if guests need to know a meal is included. - Formal wording without parent names The families of
Elena Marisol Rivera
and
Christopher James Hall
request the honor of your presence
at their marriage
Saturday, the twelfth of June
two thousand twenty-seven
at four o’clock
Saint Anne’s Church
Charleston, South Carolina This gives the families a traditional host position while avoiding a crowded list of individual names. It can be especially useful when both sides include divorced or remarried households. The phrase is more formal and less personal than “together with their families.” Use it because it suits the ceremony, not because unnamed family wording must sound old-fashioned. - Families and couple inviting together Together with their families
Elena and Christopher
invite you to join them
as they exchange vows and celebrate
Saturday, June 12 at 4:30 p.m.
Magnolia House
Charleston, South Carolina
Cocktails, dinner, and dancing will follow “Invite you to join them” gives the couple an active role instead of making them the event being presented by their parents. The sequence at the end prepares guests for a full reception. First names are appropriate only if that level of familiarity matches the guest list and design. Use full names when many guests know one family better than the other. - First-person wording from the couple With the love and support of our families
we invite you to our wedding
Elena Rivera + Christopher Hall
Saturday, June 12, 2027 at 5:00 p.m.
The Orangerie, Charleston
Please stay for dinner and dancing This makes a useful distinction: the families are recognized for love and support, while the couple extends the invitation. It is honest when families helped substantially but do not consider themselves formal hosts. Keep first person throughout the suite. The website should say “our story” and “we cannot wait to see you,” not switch back to “their wedding weekend.” - A short line for a minimal invitation Elena + Christopher
with their families
June 12, 2027 at 5:00 p.m.
The Orangerie, Charleston
Join us for the wedding, dinner, and dancing Minimal does not have to mean vague. The final line confirms that this is an invitation to the wedding and that a meal follows. Because “with their families” does not explicitly say “hosting,” it is a good fit when the phrase is primarily about belonging. If the parents want formal host credit, choose a version that names them. - Wording that includes chosen family Together with the family they were born into
and the family they found along the way
Elena and Christopher
invite you to celebrate their wedding
Saturday, June 12 at 5:00 p.m.
The Orangerie, Charleston This line can be meaningful when friends, mentors, godparents, or other loved ones hold genuine family roles. It should reflect the couple’s life, not simply sound moving on paper. The phrase is emotionally prominent. Keep the remaining wording restrained and make sure immediate family members hear the plan before the proof appears.
Wording that names both sets of parents
Naming parents is clearest when the listed people are comfortable being presented as hosts. Confirm every preferred name, title, and surname directly. Do not rely on an old holiday card or assume a parent still uses a former spouse’s last name.
- Two married sets of parents hosting formally Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Rivera
and
Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Hall
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their children
Elena Marisol Rivera
and
Christopher James Hall
Saturday, the twelfth of June
two thousand twenty-seven
at five o’clock
The Orangerie
Charleston, South Carolina “Their children” keeps the two families grammatically equal. This style suits parents who value formal conventions and an event whose design and service feel similarly traditional. Many people now prefer their own full names rather than “Mr. and Mrs. Husband’s Name.” Ask. Formality is not a reason to erase the name a host actually uses. - Both sets of parents named without titles Marisol and Samuel Rivera
and
Rebecca and Jonathan Hall
invite you to celebrate the wedding of
Elena Rivera and Christopher Hall
Saturday, June 12, 2027 at 5:00 p.m.
The Orangerie, Charleston
Dinner and dancing to follow This retains clear host recognition without sounding ceremonial. It works particularly well when parents have different title preferences or the couple wants the names to feel warm and current. Keep the two households visually parallel. If one pair must wrap onto two lines because of longer names, work with the designer rather than shortening only that side. - Parents and couple all hosting Marisol and Samuel Rivera
Rebecca and Jonathan Hall
together with Elena and Christopher
invite you to celebrate their wedding
Saturday, June 12 at 5:00 p.m.
The Orangerie, Charleston This says more than “the parents paid.” It presents the six people as sharing the welcome. Use it when the couple also contributed, planned, or wants an active place in the host line. The grammar must stay clear: Elena and Christopher are inviting guests to their wedding, not the parents’ wedding. Line breaks should support that reading. - One parent from each family hosting Marisol Rivera and Rebecca Hall
invite you to celebrate the marriage of their children
Elena Rivera and Christopher Hall
Saturday, June 12, 2027 at 5:00 p.m.
The Orangerie, Charleston Two individual parents can share one host line when they are comfortable being linked by “and.” Their relationship here is simply that they are jointly issuing the invitation. If the parents do not want to appear as a social pair, give each a separate line and place “and” on its own line. Design can communicate joint hosting without suggesting a household. - One married household and one single parent Marisol and Samuel Rivera
and
Rebecca Hall
request the pleasure of your company
at the wedding of
Elena Rivera and Christopher Hall
Saturday, June 12, 2027 at five o’clock
The Orangerie, Charleston Do not add a title, spouse, or relationship label merely to make the second family occupy the same number of words. Equal importance does not require visual symmetry. If Rebecca prefers “Dr. Rebecca Hall” or another title, use it. The hosts’ actual names matter more than making every line follow one formula. - Two mothers hosting Marisol Rivera and Rebecca Hall
joyfully invite you to the wedding of their children
Elena Rivera and Christopher Hall
Saturday, June 12 at 4:00 p.m.
Magnolia House, Charleston
Dinner will follow No explanation is necessary. The names and request line already show who is hosting. Add family relationships only if they improve clarity for the particular guest list. “Joyfully” brings warmth, but it is optional. A direct “invite you” often sounds more natural than trying to make the host line emotional. - Parents with different surnames Marisol Vega and Samuel Rivera
and
Rebecca Chen and Jonathan Hall
invite you to celebrate the wedding of
Elena Rivera and Christopher Hall
Saturday, June 12, 2027
at The Orangerie in Charleston Write each person’s current full name. Do not force couples into a shared family surname they do not use, and do not shorten the hosts to “the Rivera and Hall families” unless everyone identifies comfortably with those labels. Full names also help guests who know only one side understand the relationships. The invitation can be inclusive without becoming a genealogy lesson.
Complex family structures that still fit on one invitation
When there are several households, the cleanest invitation is not always the one with the most names. These examples show ways to recognize real roles without asking the card to explain divorces, remarriages, grief, or unequal contributions.
- Divorced parents on one side and married parents on the other Marisol Rivera
Samuel Rivera
and
Rebecca and Jonathan Hall
invite you to celebrate the wedding of their children
Elena Rivera and Christopher Hall
Saturday, June 12, 2027 at 5:00 p.m.
The Orangerie, Charleston Placing divorced parents on separate lines and omitting “and” between their names avoids presenting them as a couple. The “and” before the other family connects the two hosting sides. Do not let the design quietly join the divorced names with an ampersand. Send the exact line order to the stationer and review the visual proof, not only the text document. - Four divorced parents hosting Marisol Rivera
Samuel Rivera
Rebecca Hall
Jonathan Hall
together with Elena and Christopher
invite you to celebrate their wedding
Saturday, June 12 at 5:00 p.m.
The Orangerie, Charleston This is accurate, but it uses significant visual space. Put each parent on a separate line and let the couple-led ending reunite the invitation grammatically. If the list overwhelms the names of the people getting married, “together with their families” is not a lesser form of recognition. It may be the more readable and emotionally neutral choice. - Parents and stepparents sharing the host line Marisol and David Chen
Samuel and Ana Rivera
Rebecca and Jonathan Hall
invite you to celebrate the wedding of
Elena Rivera and Christopher Hall
Saturday, June 12, 2027 at 5:00 p.m.
The Orangerie, Charleston Include stepparents because their relationship and hosting role make the recognition honest, not simply because remarriage occurred. A long-standing stepparent who helped raise the couple may belong here even if their financial contribution was not identical. Speak with all named adults before printing. The invitation should not be the first notice that one spouse is included and another is not. - Family surnames used instead of individual names The Rivera and Hall families
invite you to celebrate the wedding of
Elena and Christopher
Saturday, June 12 at 5:00 p.m.
The Orangerie, Charleston
Dinner and dancing will follow This is compact and friendly when each surname truly represents the people involved. It is less suitable when parents, stepparents, or the couple use several names and one label would erase them. Do not choose surnames only to make the invitation shorter. Ask whether every principal host hears themselves in the family name. - Families hosting a destination wedding Together with their families
Elena Rivera and Christopher Hall
invite you to join them in San Juan, Puerto Rico
for their wedding
Saturday, June 12, 2027 at 5:00 p.m.
Casa Mar
Reception to follow
Travel details at elenaandchris.com Naming the destination early helps guests understand that travel is part of the invitation. The website should carry hotel terms, airport options, transportation, passport guidance when relevant, and the exact schedule. Hosting a destination wedding does not mean the families are paying for every guest’s travel. Keep payment promises off the card unless a specific item, such as airport transportation, is genuinely provided. - Families hosting a reception after private vows Elena Rivera and Christopher Hall
will exchange vows in a private ceremony
Together with their families
they invite you to celebrate their marriage
Saturday, June 12, 2027 at 6:30 p.m.
The Orangerie, Charleston
Dinner and dancing will follow This tells reception guests exactly what they are invited to without apologizing for the private ceremony. Avoid “reception to follow” because, for this recipient, no ceremony on the card comes first. If the vows will already have happened by the time invitations arrive, change “will exchange” to “were married.” The tense should reflect reality on the day the guest reads it. - Families and the couple’s children hosting together Together with their families and children
Sophie and Noah
Elena Rivera and Christopher Hall
invite you to celebrate as they become one family
Saturday, June 12 at 4:00 p.m.
Magnolia House, Charleston Naming children can be fitting for a blended-family wedding when they have a real place in the ceremony and want to be included. Ask older children how they feel before using their names as an emotional centerpiece. “Become one family” may not fit if the household already considers itself a family. In that case, “celebrate their wedding” is more accurate and does not suggest the marriage creates a bond that was previously missing.
Shared hosting does not require identical contributions
One family may write a larger check while the other contributes time, a home, a welcome event, cultural knowledge, or steady practical help. If everyone agrees that both families are hosting, the invitation does not need to reveal the imbalance. Hosting language is a social role, not an audited receipt.
The problem begins when the people involved use the same word differently. A parent may hear “host” as “the person paying.” The couple may mean “everyone supporting us.” Another parent may expect a named line because that is how weddings in their family have always been presented. Ask directly:
- Do we all see both families as hosts?
- Does anyone expect their individual name on the invitation?
- Would an umbrella family phrase feel inclusive or vague?
- Are stepparents, grandparents, or chosen family part of this recognition?
- Who gives final approval on spelling and titles?
Have this conversation before a designer turns one wording option into a beautiful proof. People become attached to a layout quickly, and a family concern can then feel like a threat to the whole design.
When the families disagree about order or credit
Do not use type size, line order, or punctuation to settle a private dispute. If two families are truly joint hosts, give them parallel treatment. In traditional bride-and-groom examples, one family may appear first by custom, but modern invitations do not need to turn that custom into a ranking.
A useful compromise is to let the couple’s names lead and use “together with their families.” Another is to name the hosts alphabetically by surname, provided everyone understands the reason. If one family requires explicit recognition and the other prefers privacy, a named host line followed by “together with their families” can work, but it should describe the roles honestly.
Money conversations belong outside the invitation meeting. If a contribution came with expectations about guest count, wording, or decision-making, resolve those expectations directly. A graceful phrase cannot make an unresolved financial condition disappear.
When the families follow different cultural traditions
One family may expect the bride’s parents first, another may expect the groom’s family first, and the couple may not use either bride-or-groom category. Treat this as a meaning question rather than a contest over whose custom wins.
A bilingual invitation may also change the most natural order between languages. Do not force a word-for-word translation if it makes one version awkward or alters who appears to host. A fluent reader should check both versions for relationship, formality, and tone—not only spelling.
If no shared order feels neutral, lead with the couple and use one inclusive family phrase. The ceremony program or separate family welcome can then give each tradition enough space to be expressed accurately.
Proof the invitation as a family document and a guest document
First, send the host lines to every person whose name appears. Ask them to verify spelling, title, surname, and the relationship the wording communicates. Give the request a boundary: they are checking their information, not reopening the venue, guest list, or overall wedding tone.
Then give the complete invitation to someone outside the planning group. Can that person identify the couple immediately? Do they know whether they are invited to the ceremony and reception? Can they find the date, start time, venue, city, and meal information? Family recognition matters, but guests should not have to work through six host names before discovering where to arrive.
The best two-family wording does not prove that every contribution was equal. It shows that the welcome is shared, the relationships are represented with care, and the people getting married remain at the center of the page.