So, you’re wedding planning, and you’ve arrived at the invitation stage. This small piece of cardstock is one of the essential parts of your preparations. It gives your guests all of the necessary information and sets the tone for your big day.
Because of the invitation’s importance, crafting one can be a bit intimidating. And if you don’t know how to word wedding invitations, this job is even tougher.
If you’re unsure about what to say in your wedding invitation and how to say it, we’ve got you covered! Read on to learn everything you need to know about wedding invitation wording.
Table of Contents
List Your Hosts
When crafting your wording for invites, the first step is to ask yourself who’s paying for the wedding. Those are your hosts and should be listed in the first line of the invitation.
Now, if you and your partner are paying for the wedding yourselves, you can skip this line. But you always want to acknowledge your parents’ help if they’re funding it. If both yours and your partner’s parents are helping, you can say, “Together with their families.”
Keep in mind that putting people on the same line implies marriage. If your parents are divorced, put them on separate lines.
Extend the Invitation
The next line is where you want to extend the actual invitation. How this line is worded will depend on the tone you’re trying to set. Use formal language to indicate a formal wedding and keep it casual if your wedding will be more laid back.
An example of a formal invitation line would be, “request the honor of your presence,” this suggests a traditional religious ceremony. For a non-religious ceremony or casual vibe, you could go with “invite you to share in their joy.”
Explain the Invitation
Now that you’ve asked people to come, you need to explain what it is they’re coming to! If the bride’s parents are hosting, you should say, “at the marriage of their daughter.” A dual-hosted wedding could read, “at the marriage of their children.”
If you’re hosting the wedding yourselves, this line could say, “as they tie the knot” or “in celebration of their marriage.”
List the Couples’ Names
This is one of the easiest parts of wedding invite wording, as a lot of it comes down to your preference. If you and your partner are opposite sexes, the bride’s name should be listed first, with the groom’s name below hers. With a same-sex wedding, you can organize your and your partner’s name in alphabetical order by last name.
If the bride’s last name is listed on the host line, you don’t have to write it a second time, but the groom’s name should be written in full. This is especially important if you’re changing your last name – your family will want to know your new one!
With a less-formal wedding, feel free to leave out middle, or even last names, if you’re going ultra-casual.
Give the Date and Time
To give your invitation a traditional feel, spell out the date and time in full. When spelling the date, capitalize the day of the week and month, but leave the year lowercase.
Unless you’re wedding is taking place at an ambiguous time, such as 8 or 9, there’s no need to include phrases such as “in the evening” or “in the morning.” But remember, this is your wedding and your invitation, write it how you want to!
List the Location
Now that your guests have the date and time of the ceremony, they need the location. Give your venue name on one line, and the city and state on the next. For formal invitations, it’s a good idea to write out the state instead of using abbreviations.
If your wedding is happening at a private residence, give the street address. Otherwise, the name of the venue and the city and state it’s in is plenty.
Your template might call for the zip code, but it’s usually omitted. Take a look at these Mountain Wedding Invitations to get an idea of the type of template you might be interested in.
Mention the Reception
It’s good to mention the reception in your invitation, so your guests are aware of the full line-up of events for the day. How in-depth you go with information will depend on the location of your reception. If your reception is in the same building or on the same property as your ceremony, you need only say “reception to follow.”
However, if your guests will need to travel to a different location, you’ll need to either list the venue on the next line or include a separate reception card in your invitation envelope.
It’s polite to let your guests know what they can expect in terms of food and drink, so they can eat lunch or dinner beforehand if they need to. You can say, “dinner and dancing to follow” if you’re serving a full meal or “join us after for cake and cocktails” if your guests will need to eat before their arrival.
Explain the Dress Code
If your wedding will be black-tie, it’s important to list that on your invitation, after the reception line. Otherwise, a dress code line is optional but usually recommended. Leaving your guests to infer the dress code from the formality of your invitation will result in a lot of questions thrown your way.
If you have a specific vision for your wedding, don’t be afraid to do what you can to make that vision come to life by giving your guests some direction. Giving a dress code such as semi-formal, cocktail attire, or daytime will relieve both you and your guests of a bit of stress.
How to Word Wedding Invitations to Make Writing Invitations a Piece of Cake
Ultimately, the tone of your wedding invitations will come down to the type of wedding you want to have.
If you’re having a small backyard get together, don’t be afraid to go casual with your wording. On the other hand, you might want to stay on the formal side if you’re planning a more traditional wedding.
But now that you know how to word wedding invitations, crafting your perfect invite should be a breeze!
Looking for more tips and tricks to make wedding planning an easier, more enjoyable experience? Be sure to browse our blog!
