In a prior post, I talked about invitation wording that was composed by a couple.  Now let’s talk about more traditional invitation wording.

One of the key things to remember is that although it’s a wedding, it’s also a HUGE party that is being thrown or hosted by one or more people. Those people are the hosts, (read paying for the party), and are the first names on the invitation.  For example:

Brides Parents Hosting:  Mr. and Mrs. Raspberry Lemonade request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their daughter Strawberry Fields to Joseph Almond Milk son of Mr. and Mrs. Oat Bran Milk…..

Both Sets of Parents Hosting: Mr. and Mrs. Raspberry Lemonade and Mr. and Mrs. Oat Bran Milk invite you to share their joy as their children Strawberry Fields and Joseph Almond are united in marriage….    

The Couple are Hosting: Ms. (or Miss) Strawberry Fields Lemonade and Mr. Joseph Almond Milk invite you to share their joy….

I will admit that not many of my female clients, that are paying for their own wedding, use Miss as their title.  These days, formal invitation wording is a lot more relaxed so it’s OK to use their full names.

Bride and Groom Hosting with Both Families: Ms. Strawberry Fields Lemonade and Mr. Joseph Almond Milk, along with their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Raspberry Lemonade and Mr. and Mrs. Oat Bran Milk invite you to celebrate their marriage…

As a reminder “requests the honor of your presence” should be used for ceremonies taking place in a house of worship (church, synagogue, etc.) while “request the pleasure of your company”, or anything similar, is used for any other location.

There are a variety of different scenarios that will change the wording of an invitation (think divorced or deceased parents), that aren’t included in this post.  However, you can rest assured that any good stationer, like me, will be familiar with what to say for these special circumstances.

A last bit of advice, please, please, please, review invitation wording with any involved parents to ensure they are happy with the final version.  We all want to avoid that last-minute phone call that’s sure to occur if they aren’t happy with where they are listed, with the wording overall or, the placement of their names.

Remember, it’s your wedding, but it’s also a big day for both families, so be respectful of their feelings.

All the best,

Lynne