Your Guide to Wedding Invitation Wording

There are certain parts of the wedding planning that stump a wedding couple, and wedding invitation wording has to be one of them. While picking the wedding stationery itself is a dream, trying to get the tone right on your wedding invitations and making sure you’re not forgetting anything can be seriously stressful. Invites like weddings are changing – traditionally, wedding invites would have been much more formal but as couples embrace more laid back, casual celebrations, the wedding invite is reflecting this and following suit. That doesn’t mean you can’t have a formal wedding invite if that’s what you’re after, but if you are looking to have a bit of fun with your wording, there’s room for that too. To help you figure out what style and tone you’re after, and make the invite part as easy as possible, we’ve got a complete guide to wedding invitation wording to help you...

There are a few things to think about before you start putting pen to paper or ordering that cute floral invite you're lusting after.

  • Firstly what type of wedding are you having? If you’re having a formal black tie bash, then you’ll have to follow suit with a more formal tone for your wedding invite. Whereas if it’s a back yard garden party you’re throwing, you can relax a bit and have a much more casual and informal tone for your wedding invitations.
  • Traditionally the parents ‘hosted’ and paid for a chunk of the wedding which is where the wording 'Mr & Mrs X request the pleasure of your company' comes from but with couples sharing or paying the majority of the wedding costs, wording is changing to follow suit. You’ll need to decide who wants to take the lead on the invite, do you want to go 50/50 and include your parents on the wedding invite or would you like to invite guests yourself.

The Basics

Okay so the basics, what exactly goes on your wedding invites? You'll need to include the following:

  • Who is extending the invite (You & Your Parents/Your Parents)
  • The event itself i.e. the wedding ceremony and reception or just afters
  • The location – where is the ceremony/reception taking place
  • The date and time
  • RSVP details (include a ‘reply by’ date and as many ways as RSVPing as you wish (text, email, snail mail – make it as easy as possible for your guests to get back to you)
  • Who the invite is to (you might like to add a note about kids if you are or aren’t inviting them)

Additional Info

You may also like to include the following on the back of the invite or on a separate sheet:

  • Directions (to ceremony and reception plus parking info if relevant)
  • Accommodation options
  • Menu and Dietary requirements
  • Personal contact details
  • Gift List details (if you’re having one)
  • Dress code (if there is one)

Family Issues

Unfortunately family issues may pop up in the midst of your planning particularly when it comes to wording your invites. If it’s you and your other half taking the lead on the invite, then crisis averted, but if your parents are separated or divorced and other partners would like to be included, a lovely way to avoid any awkwardness or hurt feelings is by using the wording: 'Together with their Families, X and X would like to invite you to celebrate their wedding day...'. 

Children at Weddings

The kids at weddings debate can cause all sorts of problems and some people feel they need to spell out their wishes clearly from the get-go. If you’ve decided against having any little folk at your Big Day, the invite is a good place to get the message out there. Here are some handy yet polite ways to say it’s an adults only bash:

  • Be clear on your invitation and print only the names of exactly who is invited.
  • Add “Adults Reception to Follow”.
  • Add “As much as we would like to invite all the children, regretfully it is only possible to accommodate the children of close family.”

Informal Options

For some, the phrase 'request the pleasure/honour of your company' and 'cordially invite you to' are a little on the formal side. If you’re looking to create a bit more of a relaxed tone and feel to your day, why not try some of the following:

  • 'invite you to celebrate the wedding/marriage of...'
  • 'invite you to the wedding celebration of...'
  • 'invite you to share in the festivities...'
  • 'invite you to join them as they become Mr/Mrs & Mr/Mrs...'
  • 'invite you to the joyful occasion of X and X joining in marriage...'
  • 'would love you to join them in celebrating their wedding...'
  • 'invite you to celebrate their wedding day...'
  • 'Before friends and family, (Groom/Bride’s Name) would like to give his/her love and last name to (Groom/Bride’s Name)...'

Samples


Mr & Mrs (Bride/Groom’s Parents)
request the pleasure of the company of

———————————————————-
at the marriage of their daughter/son

Ms/Mr (Bride/Groom’s Name)
on (Insert Wedding Date)
at (Insert time),
at (Insert Ceremony Reception)
and afterwards at the Reception
at (Name of Venue)
County (Insert)

Please see enclosed RSVP information


Bride/Groom & Bride/Groom
request the pleasure of the company of

———————————————————-
at their marriage
on (Insert Wedding Date)
at (Insert time),
at (Insert Ceremony Reception)
and afterwards at the Reception
at (Name of Venue)
County (Insert)

Please see enclosed RSVP information


Mr & Mrs (Bride/Groom’s Parents)
cordially invite you to an evening celebration

———————————————————-
in honour of the marriage of their daughter/son

Ms/Mr (Bride/Groom’s Name)
on (Insert Wedding Date)
at (Insert time),
at (Name of Venue)
County (Insert)

Please see enclosed RSVP information


Together with their parents
Ms/Mr (Bride/Groom’s Name)
and
Ms/Mr (Bride/Groom’s Name)
invite

———————————————————-
to celebrate their Wedding Day
on (Insert Wedding Date)
at (Insert time),
at (Name of Venue)
County (Insert)

Please see enclosed RSVP information


Wedding Invitations courtesy of The Parlour Press Wedding Stationery