Crafting The Perfect Wedding Invitation: A Step-By-Step Guide

Writing a wedding invitation can be a tricky task, but it's important to get it right as it's one of the first things guests will see. The good news is that there are plenty of options to choose from, ranging from formal and traditional to casual and creative. The key details to include are the host's name, a warm invitation sentence, the couple's names, the date, time and location of the ceremony, and any post-ceremony plans. Here are some examples of wedding invitation wording to help you get started:

Formal Wedding Invitation Wording Examples:

- Mr. and Mrs. John Smith request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their daughter Jessica to Mr. Edward Jones, [location], [date], [time], and afterwards at [reception].

- Mr. and Mrs. John Smith and Mr. and Mrs. Alan Jones request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their children Jessica and Edward, [location], [date], [time], followed by a reception.

- Together with their families, Lydia Harrison and William Jones invite you to join them at the celebration of their marriage, Saturday, the twenty-first of October two thousand and twenty-three, at two thirty in the afternoon, [reception location].

Casual Wedding Invitation Wording Examples:

- Jessica and Jane are getting hitched! [location], [date], [time], followed by drinking and dancing. RSVP by 30th June to [couple's address].

- Together with their parents, Talia Flores and Stephen Byrne invite you to share in their joy as they tie the knot, June 11, 2024, 12:00 pm, Arctic Club Hotel, 700 Third Avenue, Seattle, Washington. Dinner and dancing to follow.

- Join us for the wedding of [couple], [location], [date], [time].

Who's Hosting: The first line of your wedding invitation is dedicated to the host of the wedding. Traditionally, the bride's parents are the hosts, but nowadays, it could be the groom's parents, the couple, or a combination of all three

The Request to Come: This is where you extend an invitation to your guests. Formal ceremonies may call for traditional wording, such as We request the pleasure of your company. For a less formal approach, you could say, Join us to celebrate, or a simple, We're getting married

The request to come to a wedding is an important part of the invitation. The wording will depend on the tone and formality of the event. Here are some examples of wording for this section of the invitation:

Formal Wording

• "We request the pleasure of your company."
• "The pleasure of your company is requested."
• "The honour of your presence is requested."
• "We request the honour of your company."

Informal Wording

• "Join us to celebrate."
• "We're getting married."
• "Join us as we tie the knot."
• "We'd love for you to join us."
• "Join us for our special day."
• "We'd be delighted if you could join us."

The request to come can also be extended by the hosts of the wedding, usually the parents of the couple. Here are some examples:

Formal Wording

• "Mr. and Mrs. John Smith request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their daughter Jessica to Mr. Edward Jones."
• "Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Mr. and Mrs. Jones request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their children Jessica and Edward."

Informal Wording

• "Mr. and Mrs. Smith invite you to celebrate the marriage of their daughter Jessica to Mr. Edward Jones."
• "Together with their parents, Jessica and Edward invite you to share in their joy as they tie the knot."

Couple's Names: The names of the couple are usually displayed in larger text. For different-sex couples, the bride's name typically comes first. For same-sex couples, you can go in alphabetical order or choose what sounds better

The names of the couple are one of the most important elements of a wedding invitation. They are usually displayed in larger text and often in a fancy typeface.

For different-sex couples, the bride's name typically comes first, followed by the groom's full name. The bride's parents' names are usually listed at the top of the invite, followed by the groom's parents' names.

For same-sex couples, the names can be listed alphabetically by last name or based on what looks best with the invitation design. Same-sex couples can also choose to go with what sounds better, rather than following a strict alphabetical order.

Different-Sex Couples

• "Mr. and Mrs. John Smith request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their daughter, Jessica, to Mr. Edward Jones, [location], [date], [time], and afterward at [reception]."
• "Together with their parents, Jessica Smith and Edward Jones invite you to join them as they say 'I do!' [location], [date], [time], followed by a reception."
• "The honour of your presence is requested at the marriage of Talia Camila Flores and Stephen Anthony Byrne, Saturday, the eleventh of June two thousand and twenty-three, at twelve o'clock in the afternoon, Arctic Club Hotel, 700 Third Avenue, Seattle, Washington. Reception to follow."

Same-Sex Couples

• "Together with their parents, Edward Jones and Jack Andrew request the pleasure of your company at their wedding, [location], [date], [time], followed by a reception."
• "Invite you to party with them and celebrate their love at their wedding, [location], [date], [time], followed by a reception."
• "The future Mrs and Mrs Brooker-Drake invite you to celebrate with them, [location], [date], [time], followed by a reception."

Date and Time: Traditional invitations tend to spell out the date and time in full. For a modern approach, you can use numerical figures

When it comes to the date and time on your wedding invitations, there are a few different ways to format this information depending on whether you want to go for a traditional or modern style.

Traditional Wedding Invitation Wording

For a traditional wedding invitation, it is customary to write out the date and time in full. For example, if your wedding is taking place on the fifteenth of September 2024 at 4:30 pm, the wording could be:

> Saturday, the fifteenth of September, two thousand twenty-four, at half after four in the afternoon

The day of the week and the month should be capitalised, and the year should be in lowercase. There is no "and" when spelling out the year. The time of day should be written out in full, for example, "four o'clock" or "half after four o'clock". Noon is written as "twelve o'clock", and the evening begins at five o'clock. From noon until four o'clock is considered the afternoon.

Modern Wedding Invitation Wording

In contrast, modern wedding invitations often use numerical figures for the date and time. Using the same example as above, the wording could be:

> Saturday, 15 September 2024, 4:30 pm

When using numerical figures, it is important to choose a legible font to avoid confusion. For example, a "2" that looks like a "5" could cause a lot of confusion for your guests.

Other Considerations

Regardless of whether you choose a traditional or modern style, it is important to include the date, time, and location of your wedding clearly on your invitations. This is one of the most important pieces of information for your guests, so it should be easy to find and read.