Wording Inspiration for Wedding Invitations

A guide to penning the perfect announcement

It’s a blissful feeling once you’ve found your dream wedding invitation, but the quest for the perfect announcement isn’t over just yet. There’s still the small matter of deciding what to say and how to word it.

In the hope of saving you some precious time, we’ve rounded up all the tips you need – from rules of thumb to wording templates – to tell them about your big day in the most beautiful of ways.

Here comes the guide…

Essential info for wedding invitations

Who's hosting the wedding

Traditionally this is the bride’s parents, but you can name whoever who wish – both families, you and your other half, step parents, or even your children.

The request to come to the wedding

Traditional and religious ceremonies call for formal wording e.g. ‘request the pleasure of your company…’. Modern and civil services lend themselves to more casual language like ‘Join us to celebrate….’

The names of the couple

Usually, the bride’s name comes before the groom’s. Names on same-sex invitations can be arranged alphabetically or in which ever order has the best ring to it!

The location of the wedding

Formal invitations tend to list the entire address, including postcode. But with Google at our fingertips, it’s becoming a trend to simply put the venue and city – your guests will figure out the rest.

The date and times

Stick to standard time and date formatting for a traditional feel or be a little more creative by writing out your dates in full, e.g. ‘Tenth of August Two Thousand and Nineteen’. You can also reference styles used by other nationalities if you’re getting married abroad.

Reception information

Let your guests know where the reception will be held and what time they can expect it finish.

RSVP details

You can include instructions on how and when to RSVP at the bottom of your invitation, your info card or a separate RSVP card. We recommend an RSVP cut-off of 4 weeks before the wedding.

Wedding invitation wording templates

NO NAMED HOSTS


[bride’s first name] & [groom’s first name] are tying the knot!
[location]
[date]
[time]
[reception]

no named hosts wedding invitation wording

BRIDE AND GROOM HOSTING


[bride’s full name] and [groom’s full name]
invite you to the ceremony and celebration of their marriage
[date]
[time]
[location]

wedding invitation wording - bride and groom hosting

BRIDE’S PARENTS HOSTING (formal)


[mother of the bride’s name] and [father of the bride’s full name]
request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their daughter
[bride’s full name] to [groom’s full name]
[location]
[date and time]

bride's parents hosting wedding invitation wording

GROOM’S PARENTS HOSTING (informal)


[mother of the groom’s first name] & [father of the groom’s first name]
invite you to witness the love and come party at the marriage
[groom’s first name] to [bride’s first name]
[location]
[date and time]

groom's parents hosting wedding invitation wording

BOTH FAMILIES


[Together with their families or something similar]
[bride’s full name] and [groom’s full name]
Request the pleasure of your company at their marriage
[date and time]
[location]

both families hosting wedding invitation wording

SAME SEX WEDDING


[bride’s full name] and [bride’s full name]
Invite you to share in their love as they exchange vows
[date and time]
[location]

same sex wedding invitation wording

CHILDREN HOSTING


[child/children’s name(s)]
request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their parents
[bride’s name] to [groom’s name]
[location]
[date and time]

children hosting wedding invitation wording

DIVORCED PARENTS HOSTING


[father of the bride’s name and [mother of the bride’s name]
Invite you join them in celebration of the marriage of their daughter
[bride’s full name]
to
[groom’s full name]
son of
[groom’s parents]
[date]
[time]
[location]

divorced parents hosting wedding invitation wording

DIVORCED AND REMARRIED PARENTS (include any new surnames or retaken maiden names)


[father of the bride’s full name] & [mother of the bride’s full name]
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their daughter
[bride’s name] option to omit surname if parents have different names
to
[groom’s name]
[date and time]
[location]

divorced and remarried parents hosting wedding invitation wording

FULL WEEKEND WEDDING INVITATION


[groom’s full name] and [groom’s full name]
invite you to sunny Marrakech to share in their wedding celebration
[location]
[dates and time]

full weekend wedding invitation wording

WHEN ONE PARENT IS DECEASED
(and you wish to mention them)


[bride’s full name]
daughter of [mother/father of the bride’s full name] and the late [deceased parent’s full name]
and
[groom’s full name]
son of [groom’s parents’ names]
request the pleasure of your presence
at their marriage
[location]
[date]
[time]

wedding invitation wording when one parent is deceased and you wish to mention them

WHEN ONE PARENT IS DECEASED (and you wish not to mention them)


[mother/father of the bride’s name]
requests the honour of your presence
at the marriage of [her/his] daughter
[bride’s first name]
to
[groom’s first name]
[location]
[date and time]

wedding invitation wording when one parent is deceased and you wish not to mention them

TWO VENUES INVITATION


Join us for the wedding of
[bride’s first name] & [groom’s first name]
[first location ]
[date and time]
And afterwards at [second location]

two venues wedding invitation wording

SECOND & SUBSEQUENT MARRIAGES


[bride’s first name] and [groom’s first name]
invite you to share and celebrate their wedding day
[date]
[time]
[location]

second and subsequent wedding invitation wording

RECEPTION/EVENING ONLY INVITATION


[bride’s first initial] & [groom’s first initial]
invite you to for dinner and dancing at their wedding reception
[date]
[time]
[location]
[optional note to say why you were unable to invite them to your ceremony]

reception only wedding invitation wording

What to write on wedding info cards

All our invitations come with the option to add a matching info card – a place to add any extra details that won’t fit on your main invitation.

Inviting children

If you’re inviting children to your big day, then make this clear on your invitation by including their names or the parents’ names + ‘and family. If you’ve chosen not to invite children, a note such as: ‘As we have chosen an intimate service, it’s only possible to accommodate the children of immediate family.’ will politely let your guests know they need to arrange a childminder.

Directions

If your wedding venue isn’t the easiest to find, add some directions for guests. For example, “Follow signs for ‘Bramley’ on the A3 for nine miles until you reach Gate Barn House.” Or if your evening reception takes place at a separate venue to your ceremony, include directions to let guests know how to get to your second location.

Gift list

You can add details of your wedding gift registry or a brief note to say: ‘No gifts please’. If you’d like to give any monetary donations to a charity that’s close to your heart, the info card is also a good place to mention this.

Wedding website

You can add the url of your wedding website or the hashtag you want guests to use when they share photos from your special day. (A wedding website is particularly useful for destination weddings – it enables you to share detailed travel info, such as the closest airport and affordable, nearby hotels.)

Dress code

Set out whether there’s a dress code: black tie, semi-formal, cocktail attire, summer suits, etc. You can also specify (or simply leave this information off) if there’s no dress code.

Dietary requirements

Ask guests to let you know about any dietary requirements or restrictions when they RSVP.

Social media preferences

If you’d prefer guests not to snap and share during your ceremony or even your entire wedding, you can kindly let them know. For example: ‘Please keep snaps under wraps until we’ve posted our first photo to Facebook.”

Transport info

If you’re putting on a coach or other form of transportation for your guests, tell them exactly when and where they need to get picked up/dropped off.

Ready to send out invitations? Check out our wedding invitations collection to find your design.