Saturday, July 3, 2010

Deceased Parent

My fiance's biological father is deceased and his mother is remarried, my parents were never married and neither are remarried (I share my fathers last name), we want to include both of our sets of parents on the invitation and don't know how to word it?

Go to Plan/Order Invitations and Announcements in EZWeddingPlanner, click on the light bulb on the right. That has lots of advice and sample wordings. Here are also a few suggestions:

Mary Johnson and John Martin
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Susan Nicole Martin
to
Craig Joseph Anderson
son of
Mrs. Mark Smith
and Mr. Mike Anderson (deceased)
on date, etc...
Ms. Mary Johnson and Mr. John Martin
together with
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Smith
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of
Susan Nicole Martin
and
Craig Joseph Anderson
son of
Mrs. Smith and the late Mr. Mike Anderson
on date, etc....
Ms. Mary Johnson and Mr. John Martin
and
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Smith
invite you to share in the joy of
the marriage uniting their children
Susan Nicole Martin
and
Craig Joseph Anderson
son of
the late Mr. Mike Anderson
on date, etc...
or a religious version which doesn't list all the parents:
Desiring God's will for their lives
and believing that includes each other
Susan Nicole Martin
and
Craig Joseph Anderson
together with their parents
invite you to share their joy
as they are united in marriage
on date, etc.
Susan Nicole Martin
and
Craig Joseph Anderson
together with their parents
Ms. Mary Johnson and Mr. John Martin
and
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Smith
(and the late Mike Anderson)
request the honour of your presence
at their marriage
on....

Friday, July 2, 2010

Dancing

What type of music should be played to facilitate a fun, party-like atmosphere to a wedding with a family who doesn't normally dance?

If many of the guests have a certain ethnic background, perhaps some music typical of that country would break the ice. Also, slower dances may tend to entice some of the older couples to dance (unless they are used to Polkas, etc.). If you have a DJ or Master of Ceremonies, they can work the guests and invite them to dance. Familiar songs may also do the trick. A DJ will have suggestions.

You may also get the help of the people in your wedding party. Ask them to mix-it up a bit and ask various guests to dance with them. This also applies to the bride/groom. Very few people will refuse to dance with the bride/groom if asked. And, once there are several couples on the dance floor, some of those people who may be shy to dance, may then join in.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Invite Co-workers

Is it appropriate to invite co-workers and boss's from work to your wedding?

If you are also friends with them and have social contact beyond your office contact, you can certainly invite them to your wedding. But they should not be just casual acquaintances, which would probably cover most of your co-workers. Inviting them or not may also depend on the size of your guest list and your budget. Typically, business associates and coworkers can be the first to drop off your list, if you need to cut it down a bit. You could send them wedding announcements after the fact, which can also include your name preference (changing or keeping your maiden name, etc.) and new address, etc. If you have many co-workers who you feel close to, but did not invite to the wedding, you could have a casual postwedding party or after-work affair when you return from your honeymoon.

If you work in a very small company and there are a very few employees, you may consider inviting them because this is generally a much more intimate group than that of a larger company. It also depends on the size of your budget, any limitations on reception seating, etc.