Invitation wording is the one part of wedding stationery where a small mistake is very visible. Here are templates for the common situations, plus the lines that cause the most trouble.
In this guide
- The classic formal wording
- When the couple is hosting
- Divorced, remarried and blended families
- The lines that cause trouble
- The details card
- Proof it properly
The classic formal wording
“Mr and Mrs David Reyes request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their daughter Anna Marie to Thomas James Whitfield, son of Mr and Mrs Peter Whitfield, on Saturday the twentieth of June two thousand twenty-six at three o'clock in the afternoon, The Old Mill, Hawthorne.”
“Honour of your presence” signals a religious ceremony; “pleasure of your company” signals a secular one.
When the couple is hosting
“Anna Reyes and Thomas Whitfield invite you to join them as they marry on Saturday 20 June 2026 at three o'clock, The Old Mill, Hawthorne. Dinner and dancing to follow.”
This is now the most common wording and it needs no apology for departing from tradition.
Divorced, remarried and blended families
- Divorced parents hosting together: two separate lines, mother first, no “and”
- Remarried parent: “Mrs Sarah Bennett and Mr David Reyes”
- All four parents hosting: list both couples, bride's side first
- A deceased parent: “daughter of Mrs Sarah Reyes and the late Mr David Reyes”
- Same-sex couples: alphabetical order, or whoever's family is hosting first
The lines that cause trouble
Adults only: put it on the details card or the website, not the invitation — “We love your little ones, but this is an adults-only celebration.” Dress code: name it plainly and add one clarifying sentence. Registry: never on the invitation, always on the website.
Address the outer envelope to the exact people invited. That is how plus-one and children questions are answered without a single awkward conversation.
The details card
Times, address, dress code, parking, transport, accommodation, website URL and the RSVP deadline. Keep the invitation itself to who, when and where; everything else belongs on the second card so the main piece stays clean.
Proof it properly
Read it aloud. Check every name, every date, the day of the week against a calendar, and the venue's legal name. Then have someone who was not involved read it. Reprints are expensive and invitations with a wrong weekday get talked about for years.
From Sagevow
Wording matters more than almost anything else in wedding stationery. Every suite we print is proofed with you before it goes to press.
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