e invalid as of the date of the marriage. The provisions of this Act relating to property rights of the spouses, maintenance, support and custody of children on dissolution of marriage are applicable to nonretroactive judgments of invalidity of marriage only." Ill. Rev. Stat. 1987, ch. 40, par. 304.
Section 304, which derives from section 208(e) of the Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act (see 9A U.L.A. 170-71 (1987)), now allows the circuit court to make the judgment of invalidity of the marriage nonretroactive so that the provisions of the Act relating to property rights of spouses, maintenance, and support and custody of children may be applied. (See Ill. Ann. Stat., ch. 40, par. 304, Historical and Practice Notes, at 94-95 (Smith-Hurd 1980).) While, in the instant case, the circuit court's judgment of invalidity of the marriage recited that "the marriage is declared void ab initio," the court further made provisions for custody of the children, disposition of the property of the parties, and entitlement to maintenance. We also note that the petition to declare the marriage invalid requested the adjudication of property and custody rights, but did not mention seeking retroactive invalidity of the marriage. At the hearing on the petition, petitioner also testified that he sought custody and division of the property. Again, no mention was made of a retroactive application of the invalidity of the marriage. The record shows that the written judgment of invalidity of the marriage was prepared by petitioner's counsel and signed by Judge Homer. There appears to be no reason why the language was included in the judgment that "the marriage is declared void ab initio." The petition, testimony, and all the other findings and awards of the court in the judgment clearly indicate that petitioner and the circuit court intended that the judgment of invalidity of the marriage not be retroactive.
*459  1, 2 As a general rule, judgments are to be construed like other written instruments, the determinative factor being the intenti