Q& a: How To Word Your Formal Wedding Invitations
If youre hosting a traditional wedding, youll want to word to word your wedding invitation in a way that conveys a sense of formality. But, when it comes time to word your wedding invite, you may find yourself pausing and wondering about grammar, punctuation and other technicalities.
Honor vs. honour? Whose name goes first? Where are the commas and periods? These are just a few of the questions you might have while personalizing and ordering your wedding invitations.
These are the most-asked questions about wording your formal invitation.
What To Include In Your Wedding Invitation Wording
Traditional wedding invitations have an etiquette to follow, while a contemporary invitation may be more informal. Theres important information to include, but the order its presented varies dramatically. Here are some key parts of the content to consider:
In days gone by, weddings were hosted and paid for by the brides parents. So, traditional wedding invitations are often worded Mr. and Mrs. John Smith request the pleasure of your company to celebrate the marriage of their daughter. This style is ideal if you want your invitation to be formal.
Of course, modern weddings arent necessarily going to be arranged in this way. Perhaps your big day is being paid for by both sets of parents, or you may have step parents to also acknowledge on the invitation. You could include each set of names at the top of the invitation, or keep it more general by using Together with their families, followed by your names.
If youre paying for the wedding yourselves, the invitation is likely to come from you as a couple. You could keep it simple with David and Emma would like to invite you to join them. Wording your invitation this way can set the tone for a more informal and relaxed wedding day.
Do You Put The Venue Address On A Wedding Invitation
Skip the venue street address and zip code.
The most proper way to write a location, such as a ceremony or reception venue, is to only include the city and state. The only time youd want to include a street address is in the case that there are two or more venues, within the same city and state, with the same name.
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How To Address Bridesmaid
If you are wondering how to address a bridesmaid and her husband on wedding invitations, or a single bridesmaid, simply follow the earlier etiquette for married couples and singles if you are using formal wedding invitations. If you are striking a more casual tone or want to specifically honour a member of your bridal party, you could prefix their name with something like to my honoured bridesmaid/groomsman but some people find that a little clumsy.
How To Address Without Inner Envelope
If youre wondering how to address the invitations with one envelope or how to properly address wedding invitations without inner envelopes, you can include the guest and kids on:
- The outer envelope
- Indicate the exact guests on the RSVP card
- Guest address on the pocket
- Address the guests by name on the belly band
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How To Address Parents
Whether parents are helping host the wedding, it can seem overly formal and awkward to address them as Mr. and Mrs. Smith, instead of just Mum and Dad. It comes down to how formal you want to be, but if you really want to stick to proper titles you absolutely can.
The same rules apply for grandparents.
Does Everything Get Spelled Out
Yes, almost every word on your wedding invitation will be spelled out. You may use titles like Mr. and Mrs. but you must spell out the wedding date, time and year. For example:
at five o’clock in the eveningon Saturday, the eighth of Junetwo thousand and twenty-four
You will also spell out words and numbers appearing in the venues address, like court, avenue and street. House numbers and apartment numbers can remain numbers. If you need to see some wording examples, check out our custom wedding invitation verses.
The Sweet Rose Winery
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What Is Wedding Invitation Etiquette
Wedding invitations should include the full names of the couple getting married, those of the hosts , and the place and time of the ceremonythats it. These invites, by Epoch Designs, do just that.
Keeping this in consideration, What is everything you need for a wedding?
Youre on a roll
- Choose bridal party attire and accessories.
- Reserve ceremony and reception venues.
- Book officiant.
- Hire photographer, videographer, caterer, DJ/band, florist, and planner.
- Mail your Save the Dates.
- Purchase wedding dress, veil and undergarments.
- Establish a fitness routine.
Secondly Does the man or womans name come first on a wedding invitation? The name of the bride always precedes the grooms name. Formal invitations issued by the brides parents refer to her by her first and middle names, the groom by his full name and title if the couple is hosting by themselves, their titles are optional.
What is proper etiquette for wedding RSVP?
Wedding RSVP Etiquette for How to Fill Out a Response Card
- Include full names.
How To Address For Unmarried Couples
How to address wedding invitations to unmarried couples can be tricky, but is determined primarily by the living situation. If you are posting the invitations and they dont live together, you can just send them separate invitations, addressed like you would a single person . If they dont live together but you are hand delivering invitations and want to address them together you can do either name first, but a good idea is to do so alphabetically.
If the couple are not married but live together, place their names on separate lines with no and joining them. Traditionally the man is listed above the woman, but you could choose to go by alphabetical order or whichever guest you are the most familiar with.
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How To Address With A Plus One
Tackling how to address the invitations with a guest is the least awkward single option because you are offering for them to bring a date/friend. A simple tip on how to address wedding invitations to include a guest is to write Ms. Bennet and guest. It sounds nicer than plus one and is clear that they are allowed to bring someone. This phrase is only necessary for the inner envelope and on the outer envelope you can just put Ms. Mary Bennet and the address. If you already know the guests full name, you can write it on the invitation .
Hot tip: when you write and guest on your invitation, both words are left lowercase.
How Do You Word A Wedding Invitation With Parents Names
When writing wedding invitation wording from the brides parents, pay attention to first and last names. Since the brides parents first names and last name are mentioned, only the brides first and middle name should appear on the invitation. However, the grooms first, middle and last names should be included.
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How Do You Address A Plus One On A Wedding Invitation
Below are some examples of how to address a plus one on wedding invitations. Simply write Mr. Smith & Guest- Once they confirm that they are coming, you then can go ahead and change the plus one to the guests name on the seating chart, escort cards, etc. Another way of doing this is by not necessarily saying Mr.
How To Address Wedding Invitations When One Parent Is Deceased
Getting married is already emotional enough without adding the stress of how to honour a loved one who has passed away. We do have some suggestions on alternate ways to honour them, but if you would really like to include their name on the invitation, you definitely can. It is important to make sure that you dont make it sound like they are hosting or helping host the wedding, as this can cause painful confusion.
An example of alternate wording:
Cassandra Elsa
daughter of John Bourke and the late Elsa Bourke
son of Michael and Jessica Kane
request the honour of your presence at their wedding
Other ways to honour a deceased loved one at your wedding:
- A poem or song during the ceremony
- A photo and inscription on the ceremony order of service
- Lighting a candle
- A mention during speeches, or reading of a letter
- Sharing a short memory during the ceremony
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Whose Name Comes First On The Wedding Invitation
A traditional wedding invitation typically begins with an invitation line, followed by a request line, along with the bride’s, then the groom’s name. The first invitation line usually includes the names of whoever is hosting the wedding tradition dictates that this is usually the bride’s parents. The request line, “…request the honor of your presence,” is then used for ceremonies taking place at a house of worship. While the phrase, “Request the pleasure of your company,” is reserved for ceremonies taking place elsewhere. Lastly, the bride’s name is always listed before the groom’s on all wedding stationery, including the wedding invitation. An example of this syntax is included below.
“Mr. and Mrs. John Smith
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Sarah May Smith
Wedding Invitation Wording To Include A Deceased Parent
You can absolutely switch up your wedding invitation wording to include the name of a deceased loved. One tactful and meaningful way to do this is to change the format slightly to accommodate the word “late” in front of your family member’s name.
Together with their families,
son of John Smith and the late Eliza Smith,
and Mason Jacob Kim,
son of Mr. and Mrs. Mark Franklin Kim,
request the honor of your presence at their marriage
Saturday, the seventeenth of May
two thousand and twenty
At six o’clock in the evening
Plaza Hotel
Invite you to join in the celebration of the wedding of
Jack Alexander
Mason Jacob Kim
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Whose Name Goes First On The Invitation Bride Or Groom
Posted in Etiquette and Advice0
Hello ladies. I want to do this right, if there is a right way. Whose name goes first on the wedding invitation/ std’s? My name or fh? I heard something about if it’s the couple paying its the bride, but not sure if it’s right. Thanks
on November 2, 2019 at 10:39 PM
When Should Wedding Rsvps Be Due
When should the RSVP deadline be? Have your RSVP due date be two to three weeks prior to the wedding. Your caterer will want a head count at least one week before the reception, and youll need a few days to get in touch with people who you havent heard from.
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When Signing A Card Whose Name Goes First
Signing Greeting Cards
How Do I Invite My Daughter To My Marriage
Let us honor the most wonderful custom of marriage and share the happiness of our son/daughter as they take on the vows of marriage. You are cordially invited to join us. We expect no less than your entire family to join us as we look forward to starting a new life together. Let us be blessed by the presence of you!
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How Much Should You Spend On Your Wedding Invitations
The average cost of wedding invitations is between $400 and $650. This price can vary depending on the number of guests, wedding theme, design and materials.
Some designs offer the options of decorating with real pearls, authentic lace or Swarovski crystals. If you want to save some money, you can design your own invitation by using online platforms with pre-prepared templates.
You will still have to pay for printing, shipping and any additional taxes that may apply.
How To Address Indian Wedding Invitations
- Invitations are formally issued from the brides home
- RSVP cards are not part of Indian wedding culture and it is assumed you are coming unless you send your regrets
- Close family and friends should be invited in person
- Guests who are not as close as the above can be mailed an invitation
- Friends of bride and grooms parents are invited, as well as business acquaintances of both families
- Make guest list first, book venue after
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How To Address Casual Wedding Invitations
Most of the examples given so far have been for how to address formal invitations. If you are wondering how to address informal wedding invitations, you have more freedom from the traditional rules of etiquette. Some casual wedding invitations dont even have the names printed on the invitation card, just the envelope, but that can still allow for confusion about exactly who is included on the invitation.
The most common option for casual invites is to just list first names on the inner envelope, or you could even include nicknames if you want to bring some personality into it. The order of the names is also more flexible and you can choose between:
- Woman first
- Alphabetical order
- Guest you know the best listed first
- Most common way of referring to a couple
If the invitation is to members of the same family, the parents will still always be listed before the children, no matter how old.
How Do You Inform A Wedding Without Inviting
If you decide to not invite the family member, have a response prepared in case they ask for a reason. Were paying for the wedding on our own, so we just dont have the ability to invite everyone. We appreciate your understanding.Our venue has limited space for guests, so were keeping the wedding very intimate.
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How To Address To A Single Person Without A Guest
It is perfectly fine to not offer plus ones to your single guests, especially if your budget wont allow for it. While it is considered rude to state on the invitation that the guest is not allowed to bring a plus one, you can hint at it in a few ways.
On your invitation: Ms. Mary Bennet
On your RSVP cards: Please indicate the number of guests able to attend the wedding.
____ of __1__ guests will be attending.
If you are worried that some guests wont take the hint you can talk to them in person and say something like, While we would love for everyone to be able to bring a plus one, unfortunately our wedding budget just doesnt allow for any more than we have invited.
