Planning A Wedding? Here's How To Invite Guests

Wedding invitations are a chance to showcase your personality and give your guests all the information they need to celebrate with you. The tone, format and content of your invitation will depend on whether your wedding will be formal or informal, traditional or modern, and who is hosting.

- A warm invitation sentence

- The names of the couple

- The date, time and location of the ceremony and reception

- An RSVP card or instructions for a digital RSVP

You may also want to include:

- Information on the dress code

- The URL of your wedding website

- A prompt for dietary requirements

- A line to specify if your wedding is adults-only or child-friendly

- A line to request money as a gift

Who's hosting: Traditionally, the bride's parents host and are named at the top of the invite. But you can also include both sets of parents or just the couple

Traditionally, the bride's parents host the wedding and are named at the top of the invitation. This is still the case even for very formal affairs. However, modern couples are increasingly hosting their own weddings or doing so together with their parents.

If you want to stick with tradition, the text could read:

> Mr. and Mrs. John Smith request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their daughter Jessica to Mr. Edward Jones.

If the bride's parents are hosting but have different surnames, you would use both parents' full names:

> Mr. John Smith and Mrs. Beth Howard request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their daughter Jessica to Mr. Edward Jones.

If the bride's parents are divorced and have both remarried, you would name them separately:

> Mr. John Smith and Mrs. Beth Howard request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their daughter Jessica to Mr. Edward Jones.

If the bride's parents are divorced but have kept the same surname, you would use both parents' full names:

> Mr. John Smith and Mrs. Beth Smith request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their daughter Jessica to Mr. Edward Jones.

If the bride's parents are divorced and one has remarried while the other hasn't, you would use their separate names:

> Mr. John Smith and Mrs. Beth Howard request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of Jessica Smith to Mr. Edward Jones.

If the bride's parents are divorced and one parent wishes to include their new spouse, you can include them all, keeping each parent on a separate line:

> Dr. Vance and Elizabeth Gregory

>

> Mr. James Abner and Lydia Abner

>

> Mr. Harold and Jane Hyland

>

> invite you to the wedding of their children Amy Abner and Charles Hyland

If the couple's parents are divorced and you want to include both as hosts, you can include them all. Keep each parent on a separate line, and if you're going to include the name of a stepparent, keep it on the same line as their partner.

> Mr. and Mrs. John Smith & Mr. and Mrs. James Jones invite you to celebrate the marriage of their children Jessica and Edward.

If the bride's parent is widowed and hosting alone or hasn't remarried, you would traditionally just use the name of the parent:

> Mrs. Beth Smith requests the pleasure of your company at the marriage of her daughter Jessica Smith to Mr. Edward Jones.

If the bride has two mothers or two fathers, you can list them both:

> Mrs. Beth Smith and Mrs. Jane White request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their daughter Jessica to Mr. Edward Jones.

If the couple is hosting the wedding themselves, the invitation can be more informal:

> Jessica and Edward are getting hitched!

Or:

> Join us to celebrate our wedding.

If the couple is hosting, but you want to keep the invitation formal, you can write:

> The honour of your presence is requested at the marriage of Jack Alexander Smith to Mason Jacob Kim.

If the couple is hosting together with their parents, you can include both sets of parents' names:

> Together with their parents, Kenzie M. Smith and Jennifer L. Smith, Mark Franklin and Mary Elizabeth Reyes request the honour of your presence at their wedding.

If the couple is hosting with only the bride's parents, you can write:

> Together with their parents, Kenzie M. Smith and Jennifer L. Smith request the honour of your presence at their wedding.

Request to come: The pleasure of your company or We're getting married are some ways to invite guests

The request to come to the wedding is an essential part of any wedding invitation. Here are some ways to invite guests while maintaining a formal and traditional tone:

Host Line

The host line typically indicates who is hosting and paying for the wedding. While this was traditionally the bride's parents, modern variations include:

• Both sets of parents: "Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Wong and Mr. and Mrs. Adam Hollis invite you to share in the joy of their children's marriage."
• Couple and both families: "Together with their families, Sophie Rose and Noah James request your company at their wedding."
• Couple hosting: "Sophie Rose and Noah James request the honour of your presence at their wedding."

Request Line

The request line varies depending on the wedding ceremony location. For religious ceremonies, use "request the honour of your presence", while for non-religious venues, "request the pleasure of your company" is more appropriate. Less formal phrasing includes:

• "Invite you to celebrate with them"
• "Would love for you to join them"
• "Invite you to the wedding celebration of"

Couple Lines

The bride and groom's names are usually on separate lines. If the bride's parents are hosting, her name can be written first, followed by the groom's full name. For same-sex couples, names can be listed alphabetically or based on design preference.

Date and Time

Dates and times are usually spelled out in full on formal invitations, e.g., "Saturday, the fifteenth of September, two thousand twenty-one, at half after four in the afternoon." Times can be indicated as "o'clock" or "half after", and "in the morning/afternoon/evening" can specify the time of day.

Location

The venue's name, city, and state are written out in full, while the street address is typically unnecessary unless the location is private.

Reception Line

If the reception follows at the same location, a simple "Reception to follow" will suffice. Otherwise, the reception details can be included on a separate card.

Couple's names: Alphabetical order or whatever sounds best. Same-sex couples can choose

When it comes to the names of the couple, there are a few options to consider. Traditionally, the bride's name comes first, followed by the groom's full name and title. However, this tradition is not set in stone, and you may arrange the names alphabetically or in whatever order you prefer. For same-sex couples, there is no traditional order, so feel free to choose the order that sounds best or goes with your alphabet.

"Together with their parents, Edward Jones & Jack Andrew request the pleasure of your company at their wedding."

"Invite you to party with them & celebrate their love at their wedding."

"The future Mrs & Mrs Brooker-Drake Invite you to celebrate with them."

"Emily and Zara invite you to share in their joy as they get married."

"Zara and Emily are getting hitched!"

When creating your wedding invitations, feel free to be creative and choose the wording that reflects your personality and the style of your wedding.

Location: Full address or just venue and city

When it comes to the location of your wedding, there are a few different ways to word the details on your invitations. Here are some options to consider:

Full Address

Including the full address of your wedding venue is an option, especially if your wedding is taking place at a private residence or if there are multiple venues with similar names. Here's an example:

"The Ritz-Carlton

1234 Main Street

San Francisco, California"

Venue and City

If you'd prefer not to include the full address, you can simply list the venue name and city. This is a common approach, and it still provides clear information for your guests. For example:

"The Ritz-Carlton

San Francisco"

City and State

In some cases, you may choose to only include the city and state, especially if your wedding venue is well-known or easy to find. Here's how it could look:

"San Francisco, California"

Other Considerations

When deciding how much location information to include, keep in mind that providing clear and concise details is essential. You may also want to consider including a wedding website or providing additional details on a separate card to ensure your guests have all the information they need to find the ceremony and reception locations.

Additionally, if your ceremony and reception are in the same location, you can simply note "Reception to follow" or "Dinner and dancing to follow." If they are in different locations, you can include the reception details on a separate line or on a separate insert card.

Date and time: Write out times in full for a traditional feel or use standard formatting

When it comes to wedding invitations, the date and time are crucial elements that require careful consideration. Here are some detailed guidelines for writing out the date and time in a traditional and elegant manner:

Writing the Date:

• Spell out the day of the week and capitalise it. For example, "Saturday".
• Include a comma after the day of the week.
• Write out the numerical date in words. For instance, "the twenty-sixth" for the 26th.
• Use a hyphen for compound dates, such as "twenty-eighth".
• Capitalise the month and write it out in full. For example, "October".
• The year is typically written in numerical form, such as "2024".
• The year is usually on a separate line and can be omitted if desired.

Writing the Time:

• Spell out the time in full for a traditional feel. For instance, "half after three o'clock" for 3:30 pm.
• Include "o'clock" in the time phrase.
• Use "half after" instead of "half past".
• Specify the time of day by using phrases like "in the morning", "in the afternoon", or "in the evening".
• For times on the hour, simply write "noon" for 12:00 pm or "six o'clock in the evening" for 6:00 pm.
• Be consistent with the level of formality in writing the date and time.

"You are cordially invited to witness the marriage of [Bride] and [Groom] on Saturday, the twenty-sixth of October, two thousand twenty-four, at half after three o'clock in the afternoon."

Remember, these guidelines are for a traditional and formal wedding invitation. If you prefer a more modern or casual style, you can be flexible and creative with the wording and format.

Frequently asked questions