Wedding Invitation Wording
How Should You Word Your Wedding Invites?
While you’re deciding on your wedding stationery, you should also be thinking about the exact words you’d like to use to inform your guests of your upcoming nuptials! Let's be real - your invitations should be stunning, but they should also be informative.
If you're having a difficult time deciding how to word your invites, I've created a guideline below using traditional etiquette. Keep in mind that it is important to create beautiful stationery that represents you. Whether you want your wedding to be traditional and classic or creative and modern, feel free to express it by breaking away from these guidelines in order to suit your own wedding. However you decide to word your invites, there are a few basic elements that they should include:
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​• The Host
​• The Request
• The Names of the Couple
• The Date and Time
• The Location
• Reception Information
• Dress Code
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We'll break each element down one by one. Here we go!
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1. The Host:
Customarily, the bride’s parents host the wedding and the groom’s parents host the rehearsal dinner and take care of other things like the bride’s bouquet, transportation, etc. Nowadays, it’s not uncommon for it to be more of a collaborative affair. Of course, you should still style the host(s) names based on the formality of your wedding (Mrs. and Mr. etc.). Below is a guide with examples on how to word based on who is hosting:
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BRIDE'S PARENTS ARE HOSTING
ONE SET OF PARENTS
Mr. and Mrs. John Clarke
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their daughter
​
Elizabeth Marie
to
Kendall Taylor Jackson
​
Saturday, the tenth of August
two thousand nineteen
One o'clock in the afternoon
​
The Shrine of Saint Joseph
Saint Louis, Missouri
​
Reception to follow
​
TWO SETS OF PARENTS
(ONE PARENT REMARRIED)
*note: mom is listed first!
Ms. Ellen Clarke
Mr. and Mrs. John Clarke
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their daughter
​
Elizabeth Marie Clarke
to
Kendall Taylor Jackson
​
Saturday, the tenth of August
two thousand nineteen
One o'clock in the afternoon
​
The Shrine of Saint Joseph
Saint Louis, Missouri
​
Reception to follow
​
TWO SETS OF PARENTS
(BOTH PARENTS REMARRIED)
*note: mom is listed first!
​
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Burroughs
Mr. and Mrs. John Clarke
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their daughter
​
Elizabeth Marie Clarke
to
Kendall Taylor Jackson
​
Saturday, the tenth of August
two thousand nineteen
One o'clock in the afternoon
​
The Shrine of Saint Joseph
Saint Louis, Missouri
​
Reception to follow
​
GROOM'S PARENTS ARE HOSTING
ONE SET OF PARENTS
Mr. and Mrs. Connor Jackson
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of
​
Elizabeth Marie Clarke
to
Kendall Taylor Jackson
​
Saturday, the tenth of August
two thousand nineteen
One o'clock in the afternoon
​
The Shrine of Saint Joseph
Saint Louis, Missouri
​
Reception to follow
​
TWO SETS OF PARENTS
(ONE PARENT REMARRIED)
*note: mom is listed first!
​
Mr. and Mrs. Louis Smith
Mr. Connor Jackson
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of
​
Elizabeth Marie Clarke
to
Kendall Taylor Jackson
​
Saturday, the tenth of August
two thousand nineteen
One o'clock in the afternoon
​
The Shrine of Saint Joseph
Saint Louis, Missouri
​
Reception to follow
​
TWO SETS OF PARENTS
(BOTH REMARRIED)
*note: mom is listed first!
​
Mr. and Mrs. Louis Smith
Mr. and Mrs. Connor Jackson
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of
​
Elizabeth Marie Clarke
to
Kendall Taylor Jackson
​
Saturday, the tenth of August
two thousand nineteen
One o'clock in the afternoon
​
The Shrine of Saint Joseph
Saint Louis, Missouri
​
Reception to follow
​
BRIDE AND GROOM'S PARENTS ARE BOTH HOSTING
FORMAL
Mr. and Mrs. John Clarke
Mr. and Mrs. Connor Jackson
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their children
​
Elizabeth Marie
to
Kendall Taylor
​
Saturday, the tenth of August
two thousand nineteen
One o'clock in the afternoon
​
The Shrine of Saint Joseph
Saint Louis, Missouri
​
Reception to follow
​
FORMAL
(BOTH SETS OF PARENTS REMARRIED)
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Burroughs
Mr. and Mrs. John Clarke
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their children
​
Elizabeth Marie Clarke
to
Kendall Taylor Jackson
​
Son of Mr. and Mrs. Mary and Louis Smith and
Mr. and Mrs. Lisa and Connor Jackson
​
Saturday, the tenth of August
two thousand nineteen
One o'clock in the afternoon
​
The Shrine of Saint Joseph
Saint Louis, Missouri
​
Reception to follow
CASUAL / SIMPLIFIED
​
Together with their families
​
Elizabeth Marie Clarke
to
Kendall Taylor Jackson
​
request the pleasure of your company
at the celebration of their marriage
​
Saturday, the tenth of August
two thousand nineteen
One o'clock in the afternoon
​
The Shrine of Saint Joseph
Saint Louis, Missouri
​
Reception to follow
​
COUPLE & PARENTS ARE HOSTING
FORMAL
Together with
Mr. and Mrs. Mary and Connor Jackson
​
Elizabeth Marie Clarke
to
Kendall Taylor Jackson
​
request the pleasure of your company
at the celebration of their marriage
​
Saturday, the tenth of August
two thousand nineteen
One o'clock in the afternoon
​
The Shrine of Saint Joseph
Saint Louis, Missouri
​
Reception to follow
​
CASUAL / SIMPLIFIED
​
Together with their parents
​
Elizabeth Marie Clarke
to
Kendall Taylor Jackson
​
request the pleasure of your company
at the celebration of their marriage
​
Saturday, the tenth of August
two thousand nineteen
One o'clock in the afternoon
​
The Shrine of Saint Joseph
Saint Louis, Missouri
​
Reception to follow
​
2. The Request to Come to the Wedding
There are many ways to ask your guests to attend your wedding. Here are a few:
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“The pleasure of your company”
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“At the marriage of their daughter/children”
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“Invite you to celebrate with them”
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“The honour of your presence”
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Traditionally, the British spelling of “honour” indicates that the ceremony will be held in a church or place of worship​​
-
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3. The Names of the Couple
It seems pretty obvious, but the bride and groom's name should be the focus! Traditionally speaking, the bride’s name is first, followed by the groom’s full name with his title. For same-sex weddings, of course, the traditional bride-first groom-second rule doesn't apply. You can choose to go in alphabetical order or just whatever sounds best!
Last name... use it or drop it?
Traditionally, formal invitations given out by the bride's parents refer to their daughter by first and middle name. If she has a different last name than her parents, her full name should be used. If both (bride and groom's) parents are hosting and their last names are the same as their children's, the last name can be left off for both the bride and groom.
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4. The Date and Time
For formal weddings, the date and time, including numbers, should be written out (i.e. "Saturday, the tenth day of June"). I get this question a lot… and the time indicated on your invitation should be the time the ceremony begins! And those times should be spelled out using “o’clock” or “half past...” and time of day is indicated by using “in the afternoon” or “in the evening.” Noon to four is considered afternoon. After five is considered evening. For casual weddings, it’s fine to abbreviate, use numerals, “A.M.” and “P.M.”, etc.
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5. Location
The venue, city, and state should be written out in full. It’s not necessary to include the entire address and zip code (hello, Google Maps), unless omitting it would lead to your guests being confused or if the location is at someone’s home.
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6. Reception Information
If the reception is at a different location than the ceremony, it is normally listed on a separate card. Indicate the separate card by using “reception to follow.” If your ceremony and reception are held at the same place, it is perfectly fine to list it on the same card, especially if the reception is taking place immediately after. You can indicate it by saying “reception immediately to follow." If the reception is held at a different location, it's still fine to put it on the same card if there is room.
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7. Dress Code
The wedding invitation itself dictates the dress code for the wedding. If it needs to be listed, this information goes on the bottom right hand corner.
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