I need to know how to correctly word an invitation with a groom and his father who are a Jr. and a Sr., but the father goes by the first name, and the son goes by the middle name:

Example

Stephen Price Livingston, Jr. (groom: goes by Price)

The Honorable Stephen Price Livingston, Sr. (father: goes by Steve and is a Judge)

Do I have to include both names in the father’s name since he goes by the first name? It seems redundant and makes the line extremely long when including the Mrs. Or can we just word it as:

The Honorable Stephen Livingston, Sr.

Would this be correct as the middle name would be implied?

Rebecca Black, Etiquette By Rebecca

Dear Lucyloo,

Listing men’s middle names is optional, even for formal weddings. So, list the men as they wish to be listed.

Best wishes,

Jodi R R Smith, The Mannersmith Etiquette Consulting
Author,

Great question! Yes, for formal invitations formal (i.e. given) names should be used. Remember, the invitation gives cues and clues to the guests as to the level of formality for the occasion. For casual invitations, just first names may be used. For formal invitations, full names are used. So in your case, the groom would be listed as “Stephen Price Livingston, junior” and the father as “The Honorable Stephen Price Livingston, senior.”

(Note: when using “junior” the J is lower case, when using “Jr.” the J is upper case.)

Donna, Wedding Queen, President; Top Wedding Sites

So, for a formal invitation would you have to spell out the word junior or, is it acceptable to use the abbreviated Jr.?

Jodi R R Smith, The Mannersmith Etiquette Consulting
Author

Using “junior” is the MOST formal. Using “Jr.” is a close runner up and completely acceptable (especially if space is an issue!).