Wording Your Civil Wedding Invitation: Etiquette And Examples

Civil wedding invitations should include the same basic information as any wedding invitation: who is getting married, who is hosting, the date and time, and the location. The tone of the invitation can vary depending on the level of formality of the event. For a traditional or formal civil ceremony, the invitation should include the full names of the hosts and the individuals getting married, and the date and time should be written out in full. For a more casual civil ceremony, the invitation can be less formal and include numbers for the date and time.

Traditional Civil Ceremony

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. RSVP by [date] to [address].

Informal Civil Ceremony

Together with their parents, [couple] invite you to celebrate their wedding, [location], [date], [time], followed by a reception. RSVP by [date] to [address].

Couple as Hosts

Jessica and Jane are getting hitched! [location], [date], [time], followed by drinking and dancing. RSVP by [date] to [address].

Evening-Only Invitation

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

Host names and couple's names

The host line is the opening line on a wedding invitation and names the hosts of the event. If the couple is hosting the wedding themselves, this line can be omitted. Here are some examples of how to word the host line, followed by the attendance request and the couple's names:

Both Sets of Parents Hosting

For different-sex couples, list the bride's parents' names at the top of the invite, then the groom's parents' names. For same-sex couples, list the names according to preference or in the order that looks best with the invitation design.

• Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Wong and Mr. and Mrs. Adam Hollis request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their children Emma and Jax.
• Aaron and Alisha Wong together with Adam and Beatrice Hollis request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their children Emma and Jax.

Couple Hosting with their Families

When the couple and both of their families are contributing to the cost of the wedding, many choose to add a line such as "Together with their families" as the host line.

• Together with their families, Emma and Jax request the pleasure of your company at their wedding.
• Together with our families, Emma and Jax invite you to witness our new beginning.

One Set of Married Parents Hosting

Include the parents' full names (with middle names for very formal weddings). If they have different last names, write "and" to join the two names.

• Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Timothy Williams request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their daughter Emma to Jax.
• Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Williams invite you to share in the joy at the marriage of their daughter Emma to Jax.
• Mr. and Mrs. Christopher and Sarah Williams request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their daughter Emma to Jax.
• Christopher and Sarah Williams invite you to celebrate the wedding of their daughter Emma to Jax.

One Set of Divorced Parents Hosting

Include the mother's name first, followed by the father's name. Do not use "and" to connect the two names; rather, each name should get their own separate line.

• Dr. Vance and Elizabeth Gregory and Mr. James Abner request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their daughter Emma to Jax.
• Mr. James Abner and Lydia Abner and Mr. Harold and Jane Hyland invite you to the wedding of their children Emma and Jax.

Couple Hosting

If the couple is hosting the wedding themselves, the host line can be omitted or replaced with a warm and welcoming introduction.

• Emma and Jax request the honour of your presence at their wedding.
• With hearts full of love and joy, Emma and Jax invite you to witness their new beginning.

A warm invitation sentence

• "Together with their families, [Couple's names] invite you to celebrate with them."
• "Together with full hearts, [Couple's names] invite you to share in their joy."
• "With hearts full of love and joy, [Couple's names] request the honour of your presence."
• "We are thrilled to invite you to celebrate with us."
• "We are delighted to invite you to share in our special day."
• "It would mean so much to us if you could join us."

Date and time of the wedding

The date and time of the wedding are essential details to include in a civil wedding invitation. Here are some tips and examples to help you word this section effectively:

Date and Time Wording

Traditional wedding invitation wording typically spells out the date and time in full. For example:

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

The day of the week and the month should be capitalised, and the year should be lowercase. There is no "and" when spelling out the year. The time of day is usually described as "four o'clock" or "half after four o'clock". Noon is considered the transition from morning to afternoon, so from noon until 4:00 pm is considered the afternoon, and 5:00 pm onwards is considered the evening.

For a more modern or informal approach, you can use numerical figures for the date and time, like "Saturday, 15 September 2021, 4:30 pm". If you go with this style, be sure to choose a legible font to avoid any confusion (e.g., between "2" and "5").

Emphasising the Time

If you're having a civil ceremony, it's a good idea to emphasise the time by wording it as "3 pm sharp" since the bride is not allowed to be late.

Examples

> Saturday, the seventeenth of August, two thousand twenty-four, at half after four in the afternoon.

> Saturday, 17 August 2024, 4:30 pm.

> Saturday, the twenty-first of October, two thousand and twenty-three, at two thirty in the afternoon.

> Saturday, 21 October 2023, 2:30 pm.

> Saturday, the fifteenth of September, two thousand twenty-one, at four o'clock.

> Saturday, 15 September 2021, 4:00 pm sharp.

Location of the ceremony and reception

The location of the ceremony and reception is an essential detail to include in your wedding invitation. Here are some tips and examples to help you word this section effectively:

Providing Clear Information

It is important to provide clear and detailed information about the ceremony and reception locations to ensure your guests can find their way. Include the names of the venues, the full street addresses (including the city and state), and the date and time for each.

If the ceremony and reception are held at the same venue, you can simply state, "Reception to follow" or "Dinner and dancing to follow." If the reception is at a different location, you can include the details on the same line or on a separate insert card.

Wording Examples for Different Scenarios

• Traditional Formal Wedding – "at [venue name and address], [city, state] on [date] at [time]."
• Informal or Casual Wedding – "Join us for a celebration at [venue name and address], [city, state]. Drinks, dinner, and dancing to follow."
• Modern Wedding – "We'd love for you to be there at [venue name and address], [city, state] on [date] at [time]. Let's eat, drink, and be married!"
• Wedding with Separate Ceremony and Reception Venues – "Ceremony at [ceremony venue name and address], [city, state] at [time]. Followed by a reception at [reception venue name and address]."
• Destination Wedding – "Join us for a destination celebration at [venue name and address], [city, state/country] on [date] at [time]."
• Wedding with Multiple Events – "Be a part of our wedding weekend from [date] to [date] at [venue name and address], [city, state]. Refer to the enclosed schedule for event details."
• Evening Reception Only – "You are cordially invited to an evening reception celebrating the marriage of [couple's names]. Join us at [venue name and address], [city, state] on [date] at [time]."

Additional Considerations

When providing the location details, you may also want to consider the following:

• Timing – For civil ceremonies, it is advisable to specify the time as "3 pm sharp" or a similar phrase to indicate that the bride should not be late.
• Registry and Accommodation Information – While not essential on the invitation itself, you may want to include a separate insert card with additional details like travel and accommodation suggestions, as well as registry information.
• RSVP and Contact Information – Ensure you provide clear RSVP instructions, including the deadline and how to respond (by mail, email, or a wedding website).
• Clarity on Guest List – Be clear about who is invited to the wedding and reception. If children are not invited, it is best to communicate this politely and graciously.

Remember to proofread your invitations thoroughly and consider getting a fresh pair of eyes to review them before sending them out.

RSVP and deadline

When it comes to RSVPs, it's important to give your guests a clear deadline. Typically, you should ask your guests to respond by a date that's around four weeks before the wedding. This gives you time to finalise details with your vendors, and allows for a margin in case of late replies.

"We kindly request your response by [date]"

"A favour of response is kindly requested before [date]"

"Please RSVP no later than [date]"

"Please watch us tie the knot. RSVP by [date]"

"Will you be joining us? Please RSVP before [date]"

"Say 'yes'...you know you want to. RSVP by [date]"

You can also add a playful tone to your RSVP deadline:

"When we say 'I do', will we be seeing you? Reply before [date]"

"Fly away with us! Elope with us and watch us tie the knot. RSVP by [date]"

If you are having a destination wedding, it's a good idea to give your guests a little more time to respond and to send out your invitations earlier. In this case, your RSVP deadline should be about two months before the wedding, and invitations should be sent out four months in advance.

To make it as easy as possible for your guests to respond, include a pre-addressed, pre-stamped return envelope with your invitations. You can also give guests the option to respond digitally via your wedding website, or by email or text.

Frequently asked questions