One of the first decisions every couple faces when drafting the invitation is whether to include their parents’ names at all, and if so, how. It looks like a formatting question but it touches real emotion: respect for family, gratitude, and sometimes the delicate dynamics of divorce or loss. Below we cover the accepted conventions, the traditional versus modern approach, and example wordings you can copy and adapt.

Whether to include parents’ names at all

In Israel it is still customary at most weddings to list parents’ names, partly out of respect and partly because parents often share in funding and organising the event. Even so, more and more couples opt for a personal wording centred on themselves.

  • When parents are active partners in the budget or planning, including their names is a natural and expected gesture.
  • When the couple is fully independent and wants something intimate, the wording can carry just the bride’s and groom’s names.
  • A common compromise: the couple’s names in large type, with a smaller line below thanking the parents or naming them.

If you are weighing the wording more broadly, our guide on how to word a wedding invitation walks through the whole structure step by step.

Traditional versus modern approach

The traditional wording puts the parents front and centre: “David and Sarah Cohen request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their son,” and so on. The modern approach puts the couple first, with parents named as a gesture.

David and Rachel Cohen together with Jacob and Sarah Levi joyfully invite you to the wedding of their children Daniel & Noa

A modern alternative reads:

Noa and Daniel are getting married! with heartfelt thanks to our beloved parents David and Rachel Cohen and Jacob and Sarah Levi

Both are correct. The only difference is who stands at centre stage.

Order of names and titles

The usual convention is to place one set of parents on each side, or to give each couple its own line.

  • Write full first and last names for each parent, no initials.
  • If the parents have different surnames, give both in full: “David Cohen and Rachel Levi”.
  • Professional titles (Dr., Prof., Adv.) are a matter of taste. Most modern digital invitations drop them for a clean look, but there is nothing wrong with keeping them if the family prefers.
  • If you add grandparents, the custom is a separate line in smaller type below the relevant grandchild’s name, for example “grandson of the Cohen and Mizrahi families”.

Divorced, blended, and step-parent families

This is where sensitivity matters, and a digital invitation helps because you can edit right up to the last moment at no printing cost.

  • Divorced parents on good terms: list both on the same line, “David Cohen and Rachel Cohen”, with no hint of the marital situation.
  • When there is tension: give each parent a separate line, which separates them visually without spotlighting the split.
  • A step-parent who has been a meaningful figure: include them, as in “Rachel and Avi Cohen”, or add a separate line of thanks. The couple decides, not etiquette.
  • A blended family with two couples per side: lay out four clear lines, couple under couple, so everyone is honoured in their place.

The guiding rule is simple: the invitation should reflect whom you want to honour, not explain your family history to your guests.

When a parent has passed away

This is one of the most sensitive situations, and it has dignified, well-established wordings.

Noa, daughter of David Cohen and the late Rachel Cohen, and Daniel, son of Jacob and Sarah Levi, warmly invite you to celebrate with them

You can add “of blessed memory” after the name, or word it as “in memory of our beloved mother”. Some families choose a small separate line: “with loving memory of Grandpa Yosef”. There is no single correct phrasing; what matters is that it is gentle and does not weigh down the joy of the day.

How a digital invitation makes it easy

The big advantage of a digital invitation is flexibility. Changing a name, title, or order needs no reprint and costs nothing, unlike a printed invitation where every mistake means a repeat cost of hundreds of shekels. You send the file over WhatsApp, and if an aunt points out that Grandma’s name was spelled wrong, you fix it in minutes.

Before you send, it is worth reviewing the common wedding invitation mistakes so you don’t miss a small detail. For the full picture of the whole process, the complete guide to digital wedding invitations brings together everything you need to know.

You are welcome to choose the package that suits you and continue with us on WhatsApp, and we would be glad to design an invitation together that honours exactly the people you want to honour.