As with every facet of your invitation, your personalities and imagination are the starting point for your wording. The language you select for your invitation will create a mood that conveys your sentiments to your guests.

Below are examples of inivitation wording with some suggestions for observing traditional conventions. However, we encourage you to take poetic license.

John and Suzanne Cossé
joyously invite you
to the wedding celebration of
Natalie Cossé
and
Andre Lefleur
Saturday, the fourteenth of October
Two thousand
The Mayflower Inn
Washington, Connecticut

Feast and merriment to follow

Greg and Nicole
invite you
to witness their wedding
and celebrate
the beginning of
their lives together
on September 16, 2000
at 3:30 in the afternoon
at 125 Tower Road
Brookfield, Connecticut

Join us for a day in the country
and share in our happiness
as we celebrate our marriage
with family and friends
Saturday, October 7, 2000
Half past eleven in the morning
The Spinning Wheel Inn
Redding Center, Connecticut
reception immediately following
the wedding of duanne daughtry and john simon

Please join us* to help
CELEBRATE our wedding
Friday, the fifteenth of September
in the year two thousand
at five o’clock in the afternoon
Waveny House
677 South Avenue
New Canaan, Connecticut
reception immediately following ceremony

*Jennifer Ellen Hamilton & Lars Christian Otto

Wedding Invitation Wording Etiquette

Host Line
The traditional format has the bride's parents hosting and inviting the guests.

Mr. and Mrs. George Chelso

If the grooms parents are sharing expenses, both sets of parents act as hosts, with the bride’s listed first.

Mr. and Mrs. George Chelso
Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Levy

Many couples want to mention the groom's parents, even if they're not throwing the wedding.

Mr. and Mrs. George Chelso
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Emily
to
Mr. Owen Levy
son of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Levy

Divorced parents should be listed on separate lines with the mother’s name first.

Mrs. Brenda Anne Chelso
Mr. George Samuel Chelso

When either or both of the bride’s parents has remarried, it’s most proper that only the natural parents are listed, since they usually give the bride away; depending on your family’s situation, though, stepparents can be included.

Mrs. Brenda Anne Hamilton
Mr. George Samuel Chelso

A good way not leave anyone out is to invite the guests yourselves, and mention both families.

Together with their families
Emily Chelso and Owen Levy

More couples are paying for their own weddings and playing hosts by themselves.

Emily Chelso
and
Owen Levy

Request Line
By strict convention, “the honour of your presence” is reserved for religious ceremonies. British spellings are still used for all types of formal weddings.

request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter

For weddings held at a hotel or a home, it’s more appropriate to use warmer, less solemn wording.

request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their daughter

Many families are opting to mix tradition (such as British spellings and formal constructions) with their own sentiments.

would be honoured to have you share in the joy
of the marriage of their children

A reflection of the times:
The couple issues a simple request, emphasizing the celebration.

invite you to celebrate their marriage

Bride and Groom Line
Traditionally, a bride takes no title before her name. Another option is to include titles for both the bride and groom; this is useful when one of you has an occupation that carries an official title, such as Dr. One way to put yourselves on equal footing is to leave titles off altogether. This is also appropriate if both sets of parents are serving as hosts.

Date and Time Lines
Spelling out the day, date, and year lends sophistication, but you can also use a numeral for the year. Similarly, although “half after six o’clock” is classic, it may not be right for a less formal wedding. When stating the time, only the hour is necessary; there’s no need to note A.M. or P.M. Where time of day may be unclear use “in the morning” or “in the evening”

Location Line
Make sure you have the proper name of your church. As with everything else, spell out “Saint” or any other abbreviations (except R.S.V.P.). Direction cards have become a common way to direct your guests to both the ceremony and reception site. Invitations are typically written without punctuation; line breaks take the place of commas, except to separate city and state, or to avoid confusion.