Wording The Wedding Invite: Time-Honored Etiquette For Your Big Day

There are many ways to write out the day and time on wedding invites, and the style you choose will depend on the level of formality you wish to convey. For instance, traditional invitations for black-tie weddings tend to use more formal language, while casual invites are more relaxed and informal. Here are some tips to help you write out the day and time on your wedding invites.

Spell out the time for formal invites

When writing out the time for formal invites, there are a few things to keep in mind. Firstly, it is best to write out the time in full, rather than using numerals. For example, if your wedding is at 3:30 pm, you would write "half after three o'clock" or "half past three o'clock" (although the former is more appropriate for formal invites).

For times on the hour, simply replace the "half after" with "on": "on three o'clock". The time should be written in lowercase, and you should include "o'clock" in the phrase.

If your event falls on the quarter-hour, the appropriate wording is "one quarter after six o'clock" or "three-quarters after six o'clock", with no hyphen between "three" and "quarters".

You should also specify whether the event is taking place in the morning, afternoon, or evening. Morning includes all hours between midnight and 11:59 am; afternoon is from noon to 5:59 pm; and evening starts at 6 pm and ends at 11:59 pm. You don't need to include this specification unless there could be confusion over whether the event is in the morning or evening—for example, if your event starts at 8 or 9 am or pm.

> Mr. and Mrs. Henry Dashwood

> cordially request the honor of your presence

> at the wedding of their daughter, Elinor Dashwood

> Mr. George Knightley

> on Saturday, the tenth of October

> at five o'clock in the afternoon.

Write the time as the placement of hands on a clock

When writing out the time on a wedding invite, it is best to consider the formality of the wedding. For more formal, traditional weddings, the time should be written out in full, with no numerals. For example, if your wedding begins at 3:30 p.m., you would write "half after three o'clock". If the time is on the hour, you would write "three o'clock".

For formal invitations, the time should be written out as the placement of hands on a clock. For instance, 12:00 pm would be written as "noon". The time of day should be written out in full, instead of using a.m. or p.m. For times before 11:00 am, you would write "in the morning". For times between 12:00 pm and 5:00 pm, you would write "in the afternoon". And for times after 5:00 pm, you would write "in the evening".

It is important to note that for formal invites, you should not write "twelve o'clock" or "four thirty". Instead, you would write "noon" or "half after four o'clock", respectively. Additionally, o'clock should only be used for times on the hour and not for times that are not on the hour.

For more casual weddings, it is acceptable to write the time in a more informal way, such as "4pm" or "5:30pm". However, remember that the date and time should match in formality. If you write out the date in full, it is best to also write out the time in full.

Include the day of the week

When writing the date on a wedding invitation, it is customary to include the day of the week. This is helpful for guests to know when they need to be available and can add a sense of formality to the occasion.

The day of the week should be written in full, in title case, and followed by a comma. For example, "Saturday," or "Friday,". It is important to note that the day of the week is usually capitalised, unless the font of the invitation is all uppercase or lowercase.

Including the day of the week is especially important if your wedding is on a day that is commonly associated with other activities or events. For example, a wedding on a Sunday might conflict with guests' plans for a leisurely brunch or a trip to the park. By explicitly stating "Sunday," guests will be more likely to take note of the day and plan their schedules accordingly.

Additionally, the day of the week can add a nice rhythmic flow to the invitation. It breaks up the numerical date and provides a natural pause for the reader. This can be especially useful if you have a long or complex date format, such as including the full month or year.

However, it is worth noting that including the day of the week is not mandatory. If you have chosen a more casual or modern invitation style, you may opt to omit it. Ultimately, the decision should be guided by the level of formality you wish to convey and the overall design of your invitation.

"Saturday, the twenty-ninth of December, two thousand and twenty-three, at seven o'clock in the evening."

Write out the date, day, month and year

When writing out the date, day, month, and year on wedding invites, there are a few things to keep in mind. Firstly, the day of the week and the month should be capitalised, while the year and numerical date should not be. For example, "Saturday, the twenty-sixth of October two thousand twenty-four". The day of the week should be capitalised (unless your wedding invitation's font is all uppercase or lowercase), and there should be a comma after the day of the week.

If the date falls between the 21st and 31st of the month, use a hyphen between the tens and the ones place. For example, "Saturday, the twenty-eighth of May". The month should be capitalised and written in full, with no abbreviations. The year is usually written on a separate line from the day and month, with no comma between the month and the year. There is no hyphen between "two thousand", but there is a hyphen between the tens and ones digits in the year.

While it is not necessary to include the day of the week or the year, it is recommended for clarity. For a more casual wedding, you can write the date more informally, such as "Saturday, May 17th, 2025". Alternatively, you may choose to use numerals as a design choice, for example, "Saturday, August 15, 2026".

It is important to maintain consistency in the formatting of the date across all enclosures in your wedding invitation suite, including the response card. For instance, if you are using traditional wording and your RSVP deadline is April 17th, it would be written as "Kindly respond by the seventeenth of April". For a more informal approach, you could write "Please reply by April 17th".

Include the time of day, not AM or PM

When writing out the time of day on wedding invites, it is important to note that the time of day should be included instead of using AM or PM. This means writing out "in the morning", "in the afternoon", or "in the evening".

For example, if your wedding is at 7 pm, you would write "seven o'clock in the evening". However, if your wedding is at 7:30 pm, you would traditionally write "half past seven in the evening" or "half past seven o'clock in the evening". Leaving out the ""o'clock" is also acceptable and preferred by some. It is also acceptable to say "half after seven in the evening", which is more common in the UK and Australia.

If your wedding is at noon, simply write "noon", without adding "o'clock" or "noon in the afternoon". Similarly, if your wedding is at midnight, just write "midnight".

It is worth noting that there is some debate about when afternoon ends and evening begins. Traditionally, afternoon is considered to be from noon to 6 pm, while evening starts at 6 pm. However, some sources suggest that evening begins at 5 pm. If your wedding is at 5:30 pm, you may need to specify "in the afternoon" to avoid confusion.

While these guidelines are suggested for formal invitations, you can choose to bend or break the rules if you are having a more casual wedding or prefer a modern invitation style. Ultimately, the most important thing is to provide your guests with clear information about the timing of your wedding.

Frequently asked questions