Wedding Wishes From Parents: 55+ Messages for the Card They Keep

A parent’s wedding card is the one the couple keeps. It is also the hardest to write, because everything you want to say has been building for about thirty years. Here are 55+ original messages for parents of the bride or groom.

Send yours in a free congratulations ecard, or write it into the card they open on the morning.

Quick wedding messages from parents

1. Congratulations to you both. We could not be prouder or happier today.
2. With all our love on your wedding day.
3. Congratulations! A wonderful day for two wonderful people.
4. So proud of you both. Wishing you every happiness.
5. Congratulations! Our love goes with you both, always.
6. What a day. Congratulations to you both, with all our love.
7. Congratulations! Delighted, proud, and thoroughly emotional.
8. Wishing you both a long and very happy marriage.
9. Congratulations! The best of days for the best of couples.
10. With love and pride on your wedding day.

Heartfelt messages to your son or daughter

1. We have watched you become someone we admire enormously. Today we get to watch you start the next part. All our love.
2. Of all the days we have had with you, this is the proudest. Congratulations, darling.
3. We have loved you since the very first day, and today does not change that — it just adds someone else to the list.
4. You have chosen well, and you have been chosen well. That is a rare thing. Congratulations.
5. Watching you happy is the whole of it, really. Today you look happier than we have ever seen you.
6. We are not losing anything today. We are gaining someone, and so are you. Congratulations, both.
7. Everything we hoped for you is standing next to you today. All our love.
8. You have turned into exactly the person we hoped you would, and then some. Proud does not cover it.
9. Congratulations, darling. Whatever comes next, you know where we are and you always will.
10. Today you start your own family. Ours has been better for having you in it. Go and build a good one.
11. We could not have picked better for you if we had been allowed to try. Congratulations.
12. Thank you for letting us be here for this. It has been the privilege of our lives.

Welcoming a new son-in-law or daughter-in-law

1. Welcome to the family. We have been quietly hoping for this for a while.
2. Congratulations to you both. We could not have hoped for anyone better for our daughter.
3. Welcome properly, though you have felt like ours for some time now.
4. Thank you for making our son so happy. That is all we ever wanted for him.
5. Congratulations! You are not marrying into this family so much as being formally recognised.
6. Welcome to the family. We are delighted, and we hope you know it.
7. Thank you for looking after her, and for letting us see how happy she is.
8. Congratulations. You have been good for our son in ways we noticed early on.
9. Welcome. Our door is open, permanently, no notice required.
10. Congratulations to you both. Two families joined today, and very glad about it.

From the mother of the bride or groom

1. I have thought about this day since you were small, and the reality is far better than anything I imagined.
2. You made me a mother. Today you make someone else a spouse. Both are enormous. All my love.
3. I am so proud of you I can barely see straight. Congratulations, my love.
4. Whatever happens, I am always the phone call at the end of a bad day. Congratulations, darling.
5. You have grown into someone kind, and that is the thing I am proudest of. Congratulations.
6. Today I hand you over to someone who deserves you. Not without conditions, obviously.
7. My love goes with you today and every day after it.
8. Watching you walk in today was the best moment of my life. Congratulations, darling.

From the father of the bride or groom

1. I have never been prouder of you than I am today. Congratulations.
2. You have picked well. I have watched carefully, and you have picked very well.
3. Whatever you need, whenever you need it — nothing about today changes that.
4. I am not a man for speeches, so this will have to do: I am immensely proud of you.
5. Congratulations. Look after each other, and the rest sorts itself out.
6. Best day of my life, this. Congratulations to you both.
7. You have turned out well, and today proves it. All my love.
8. Congratulations. Go and be happy. That is the only instruction.

Short messages from parents

1. With all our love on your wedding day.
2. So proud of you both.
3. Congratulations, darling. All our love.
4. What a day. What a couple.
5. Proud beyond words.
6. Welcome to the family.
7. Our love, always.
8. Congratulations to you both.

How to write it

1. Say you are proud, directly. Children of any age want to hear it in your handwriting.
2. Welcome the new partner by name. A parent’s card that only addresses their own child reads coldly.
3. Reassure them nothing changes. “You know where we are” is the line most couples remember.
4. Keep advice to one sentence, or none. A wedding card is not the place for a marriage lecture.

Send it — and pair it with a gift

A free congratulations ecard is useful for family who cannot travel. See also what to write in a wedding card and wedding wishes for a friend:

FAQ

What do parents write in a wedding card?

That you are proud, a welcome to the new partner by name, and a line making clear you are still there for them. Advice is optional and should be brief.

Should the card be from both parents or separate?

Either works. Many couples treasure a separate note from each parent more than one joint card, because the voices differ.

What do you write to a new son-in-law or daughter-in-law?

Welcome them explicitly and thank them for making your child happy. It is the line they will remember from the whole day.

Is it appropriate to be emotional?

Yes. This is the one card at the wedding where sentiment is expected rather than excessive.

What is a good short message?

“With all our love on your wedding day. So proud of you both.”

What if the family situation is complicated?

Keep it to what is true and warm about them, without commentary on anyone else. Short is safer than trying to address it.

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• Wedding wishes for a daughter or son