Wording Examples
Welcome to our Wording section, it can seem a little daunting at first glance. But don't get too worried about all the options here because 80% of all the invitations we print are worded in one of two ways; Brides Parents Hosting or Couple Hosting. This page is only of use if you are the 20% who either has an unusual family situation or if your wedding is unconventional. For our reference and yours, we have tried to cover every possibility here, but if you still can't see your situation just ask us!
General Rules
Before we start looking at examples, here are some general do's & don'ts regarding wedding invitations!
- Full names are used, no nicknames or abbreviations (for both wedding party & guests).
- Line breaks are used instead of commas, punctuation is kept to a minimum.
- No abbreviations are used. (Saint not St.)
- Numerals are traditionally spelt out but this can be hard to read. Most importantly be consistent, don’t mix these two styles.
- Titles (Mr., Miss, Ms., Mrs.) are used in formal invitations. Most importantly be consistent, don’t mix names with and without titles.
- "Request the honour of you presence" is traditionally used for religious ceremonies, however "Request the pleasure of your company" is now more commonly used.
- Although you may wish to include a deceased parent on your invitation, it is really not appropriate or correct to do so. It is better to remember them in the wedding booklet through a prayer or dedication.
- The preposition ‘at’ should be used, not ‘in’ e.g. ‘at Saint Mary’s Church’ and ‘at The Ritz Hotel’ NOT ‘in Saint Mary’s Church’ or ‘in The Ritz Hotel’
- The date and time should always appear before the location.
- It is not necessary to be too specific about the church or hotel location, for example post codes should not be included. Use the information cards to give directions.
- Invitations are written in the 3rd person so you can't suddenly change to the 1st person halfway through, this is a common mistake...
They invite you the their wedding (correct)
They invite you to our wedding (incorrect)
The first question to ask yourself is...
'Is my wedding formal or informal?' For example will it be a Church wedding followed by a banquet in a castle or is it on a beach followed by a BBQ?
| 01. Formal Example A Note the use of 'honour of your presence' this is very formal and should be used with religious ceremonies. However we rarely use this as modern couples find it too stuffy.
Mr. & Mrs. Tom Lavin ---------------------------------------------------------- |
02. Formal Example B Note the use of indirect structure. This option sounds very formal and is great when you don't want to mention any host.
The pleasure of your company is requested |
03. Formal Example C This is similar to example 2 but we added a line to write in guest's names and we replaced numerals with words. While this option looks fancy, it can be difficult to decipher.
The pleasure of the company of ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| 04. Informal Example A Words like 'wish' and 'celebrating' are use to make it more relaxed. Also note the lack of Mr. & Ms.
Julie Lavin and Robert Moore ---------------------------------------------------------- |
05. Informal Example B Words like 'pleasure' and 'celebration' are use to make it more relaxed. Also note the lack of Mr. & Ms.
Julie Lavin and Robert Moore ---------------------------------------------------------- |
06. Informal Example C Words like 'delighted' and 'celebrate' are use to make it more relaxed. Also note the lack of Mr. & Ms.
Julie Lavin and Robert Moore ---------------------------------------------------------- |
The second question to ask yourself is...
'Who is hosting of my Wedding?' The hosts of the wedding are traditionally the people paying for it. Times have changed and many couples are funding or part funding the day so this all has a bearing on who gets top billing!
| 07. Couple Hosting The titles here are optional depending on how formal you want to be.
Ms. Julie Ann Lavin ---------------------------------------------------------- |
08. Couple Hosting & mentioning the parents This is a very popular option as it covers all bases. The first line can also be placed after the Bride and Groom's names; it means the same thing. The word Parents can be replaced with the word Families.
Together with their parents ---------------------------------------------------------- |
09. Bride’s Parents Hosting Again another popular option. Titles don't have to be used, but you must be consistent, if the parents are Mr. & Mrs. then the Groom must be Mr. (or whatever title he has).
Mr. & Mrs. Tom Lavin ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| 10. Groom’s Parents Hosting This is more unusual. Note that even though the Groom's parents ate hosting, the Bride's name still appears first. In the previous option the Bride's surname was not included as it was already inferred in when her parents were mentioned. Here her full name must appear. So should the Groom's full name as he is a man!
Mr. & Mrs. Harry Moore ---------------------------------------------------------- |
11. Both Parents Hosting It is now common that both parents are helping out. This is the proper way to word it, but we find many couples don't like the reference to 'children'! So example 8 is sometimes preferred.
Mr. & Mrs. Tom Lavin ---------------------------------------------------------- |
12. Mentioning the Groom’s Parents If the Groom's parents are not hosting but you want to give them a mention anyway...
Mr. & Mrs. Tom Lavin ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| 13. Widowed Parent Hosting It is difficult to see your parent alone, and while this option below is correct, it seems to put that feeling into print. Happily here are many ways around this. Replace Mrs. Tom Lavin with... 'Mrs. Tom Lavin together with her family' 'Mrs. Tom Lavin & Mr. Tom Lavin Junior (son)' 'Mrs. Tom Lavin together with her sons' 'The Lavin Family' or just use example number 8 instead.
Mrs. Tom Lavin ---------------------------------------------------------- |
14. Divorced Parents Hosting The two names are displayed separately as shown. If one or both have re-married, they become: Mother remarried: Mr. & Mrs. New-Surname Father remarried: Mr. & Mrs. Tom Lavin.
Mrs. Jessica Lavin (or maiden name ---------------------------------------------------------- |
The third question to ask yourself is...
'Is my wedding a little unusual, do I need the wording to be different from the norm?'
| 15. Civil Ceremony & Reception in 1 Place A simple line at the end clears up any confusion.
Mr. & Mrs. Tom Lavin ---------------------------------------------------------- |
16. Civil Partnership No different to any other invite except the word marriage is replaced with 'Civil Partnership'
Mr. James Andrew Lavin ---------------------------------------------------------- |
17. Private Wedding Abroad & Party Back Home It is important to firstly state that you are getting married abroad to avoid any confusion. If that section was not included some guests would assume they were going to witness your actual marriage.
Julie Lavin and Robert Moore ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| 18. Children of the Bride & Groom are the Hosts It can be cute to have your children act as hosts. This is naturally going to be an informal invitation. The word parents can be replaced with Mummy & Daddy if your children are very young.
Sally, Ann & Sam ---------------------------------------------------------- |
19. Wedding Reception at Home The use of 'at their home' clears up any confusion.
Mr. & Mrs. Tom Lavin ---------------------------------------------------------- |
