There is no single right way to do this, and no obligation to do it on the invitation at all. Twelve examples for the invitation, the programme, and the ceremony — so you can choose where their name belongs.
Because a host line invites guests, someone who has died cannot strictly host — so these versions name the parent within the couple's line instead, which is both correct and warm.
Eleanor Rose Whitfield daughter of Helen Whitfield and the late Charles Whitfield and Thomas James Ashby request the honour of your presence at their marriage Saturday, the twelfth of June two thousand twenty-seven at half after four in the afternoon Saint Andrew's Church Charleston, South Carolina
Mrs. Helen Whitfield requests the honour of your presence at the marriage of her daughter Eleanor Rose daughter of the late Charles Whitfield to Mr. Thomas Ashby Saturday, the twelfth of June two thousand twenty-seven at half after four in the afternoon Saint Andrew's Church Charleston, South Carolina
Eleanor Rose Whitfield and Thomas James Ashby together with their families and in loving memory of Charles Whitfield request the pleasure of your company at their marriage Saturday, the twelfth of June two thousand twenty-seven at four o'clock in the afternoon The Hallowell Library Boston, Massachusetts
Ana Beatriz Salgado daughter of Rita Salgado and Paulo Salgado, of blessed memory and Marcus Chen son of Wei and Grace Chen invite you to their wedding Saturday, September 18, 2027 at 5:00pm Kettle Hollow Farm Asheville, North Carolina
Priya Anand and Kwame Osei, son of Adjoa Osei and the late Daniel Osei invite you to celebrate their marriage Sunday, August 22, 2027 at two o'clock in the afternoon The Old Chapel at Fairmount Providence, Rhode Island Reception to follow
Together with our families, and with our fathers in our hearts, Nadia Haddad and Elias Fournier invite you to their wedding Saturday, May 15, 2027 at 5:30pm The Fern Room Montreal, Quebec Dinner and dancing to follow
Fill in your details and get the full wording — then add the line about your parent wherever it feels right, on the invitation or in the programme.
Many families prefer to keep the invitation simple and put the tribute where there is room to say something. These are the lines couples use most often.
In loving memory of Charles Whitfield 1961 – 2019 Father of the bride He is missed at every good thing.
Today we remember those who cannot be with us, especially Charles Whitfield and Grace Chen, whose love is part of this marriage even in their absence.
A candle burns at the front of the chapel in memory of Daniel Osei, who taught his son every song we will dance to tonight.
The seat in the front row is not empty — it is saved for Paulo Salgado, who would have insisted on being early.
My mother's ring is sewn into my bouquet, and my father's watch is on Marcus's wrist. Thank you for being here to see it.
We will raise the first glass tonight to the people who are not at the table: Charles, Grace, and Nana Ruth. Please raise yours with us.
The conventions here are gentle rather than strict. Where they conflict with what your family needs, your family wins.
A host line is an invitation issued by living people, so a late parent is not placed there. Naming them within the couple's line — “daughter of Helen Whitfield and the late Charles Whitfield” — is the traditional solution and reads beautifully.
“Of blessed memory” is standard in Jewish families; “in loving memory of” suits any register; “with our fathers in our hearts” avoids naming altogether. All are correct — choose the one you can read aloud without flinching.
Many people find a printed invitation the wrong place to carry grief, and put the tribute in the programme or the toast instead. Nobody will read an omission as a slight.
The wording sits on their line too. Ask them how they would like their spouse named — some prefer the full formal phrasing, some find it painful, and only they can say.
A sentence about who they were belongs where guests are sitting quietly. The invitation's job is logistics; the programme's job can be memory.
Both come from good intentions.
It confuses guests, who read a host line as “this person is inviting me,” and it can read as a claim the surviving parent didn't agree to. Move the name into the couple's line instead.
This is the one wording choice on the whole invitation that belongs to more than the couple. Show your surviving parent and your partner's family the exact line before it is printed.
Set to formal with families hosting together. Generate the full wording, then add your memorial line where it belongs.
A phone number, a website, or “reply to this text.”
Name them within the couple's line rather than on the host line: “Eleanor Rose Whitfield, daughter of Helen Whitfield and the late Charles Whitfield.” Because a host line invites guests, someone who has died is not placed there — but naming them beside the surviving parent is both traditional and warm.
No. “Of blessed memory” is common in Jewish families, “in loving memory of” works in any register, and “with our fathers in our hearts” names nobody at all. Pick the phrase you can say out loud comfortably — that is the only test that matters here.
Not at all. Many couples keep the invitation to logistics and put the tribute in the ceremony programme, a reserved seat, a candle, or the first toast. Guests will not read anything into its absence from the card.
Name the surviving parent and their spouse on the host line as usual, and name the late parent in the couple's line: “daughter of Helen Sandoval and the late Charles Whitfield.” It keeps both relationships clear without ranking anyone.
The same wording works — “in loving memory of” followed by their name — though it more often lives in the programme than on the invitation, simply because the invitation has room for one line and families usually have more than one person to remember.
A reserved seat with a note, a photograph at the reception entrance, a memorial candle at the ceremony, a piece of their jewellery worn or sewn into a bouquet, or a line in the first toast. The programme examples above can be adapted for any of these.
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