How to Word Wedding Invitations in 5 Minutes Flat

Hooray, so you just got engaged. Congratulations! Whether you’re just starting to look at invitations or you’ve already narrowed down your design and purchased your cardstock, I’m sure the question has crossed your mind at one point or another: how do I word wedding invitations, anyway? Good news. Nailing your wedding invitation wording couldn’t be easier.

While invitation messages typically follows a few rules, we’re big fans of mixing it up and doing what feels right to you and your husband-or-wife-to-be. We’ve put together a handy little cheat sheet breaking down what goes where and how to say it, but at the end of the day, let your gut be your guide and say what you feel.

This is your day, after all, and it should be a reflection of you.

Ok, so let’s get started.

How to Word Your Wedding Invitations

We’ll start by showing you how wedding invitations are traditionally worded.

While we have nothing against tradition, we believe that rules were made to be broken. Our hearts skip a beat whenever a couple’s invites sound unabashedly like them, so don’t feel obligated to follow tradition. If you’re a rule breaker, scroll down to the bottom of this post for the informal way to word your invites.

Who’s Hosting the Wedding

This is typically the very first line of the invitation. Traditionally it’s the bride’s parents but with more and more couples hosting their own weddings or getting help from both sets of parents, that’s not always the case. Here’s what to say for each of the possible hosts:

Bride’s parents or groom’s parents: “Mr. and Mrs. [father’s name]”

Both sets of parents: “Mr. and Mrs. [bride’s father’s name] and Mr. and Mrs. [groom’s father’s name]”

Bride and groom: “[Bride’s full name] and [groom’s full name]”

Bride and groom + parents: “Together with their parents”–

The Request

This is also dependent on who’s hosting and where the wedding is taking place (church or non-church). But to keep things simple, we don’t break it down by wedding venue because, let’s be honest, your guests won’t even notice.

If bride’s parents are hosting: “Request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their daughter”

If groom’s parents are hosting: “Request the honor of your presence at the marriage of [bride and groom’s names]”

If bride and groom are hosting (with or without parents):  “Request the honor of your company at the celebration of their marriage”

Bride and Groom’s Names

Here’s one of our favorite places to mix things up. Formal invitations usually include first, middle and sometimes last names, but who says you have to do it this way? We love the simplicity and elegance of beautifully hand-lettered first names all by themselves. Do what feels most natural to you.

Bride’s name (usually comes first): “[First and middle name. Sometimes last name if the bride’s parents aren’t hosting]”

Groom’s name: “[First, middle and last name]”
–

Date and Time

“On [day of the week, month, date] [year spelled out] at [time]”
–

Location

“[name of venue] [city, state, zip code]”
–

Reception

“Reception to follow” or “Dinner, drinks and dancing to follow”

The Informal Way to Word Your Wedding Invitations

Now, what if you’re the informal type? That’s where the magic happens because, honestly, there really aren’t any rules! Just remember, this is a general recommendation. You can, and should, word your invitations however feels best for you.

See, not so daunting, right? While this doesn’t include all of the possible wording combinations you might run into, it covers the most common scenarios. If you have a specific wording question that we haven’t covered, ask us in the comments and we’ll figure out how best to say it.

To shop the templates we used in this post, just head here.

Pssst. Looking for tips on choosing the perfect cardstock? We cover everything from paper weight and texture to testing and printing in this post.

The information contained on this Website and the resources available for download through this website are for educational and informational purposes only. I am only sharing what worked for me, and as such, I cannot guarantee that any products or processes will give you the same results.