wedding invitation wording guide

Wedding Tips
Written By Stephanie Tara Stationery

All of a sudden you’re planning a wedding, something you’ve * probably * never done before and you’re just expected to know how to do all these brand new things? It’s madness. So let me help you out, starting with how to word your invitation, what information to include and provide some examples for you!

Now of course, when you hire a wedding stationery designer it’s like having your own personal tour guide through this brand new portion of the wedding planning experience. I work with my clients to word all of their stationery in a way that feels appropriate to their event style, clear and concise.

Our motto here is to do what feels right for you. We don’t believe in confining ourselves to traditions and norms if it doesn’t reflect who you are as a couple and the kind of celebration you are throwing. We want your stationery to have personality, specifically yours, above all else. We work with you to make sure you reach this goal!

what to include on your wedding invitation:

  • The hosts

  • A request to attend the wedding

  • Names of the couple getting married

  • The date + time

  • The wedding ceremony + reception location

  • Dress code

line by line breakdown:

  1. THE HOST

Traditionally, the brides parents were the hosts of the wedding since they were the financiers However, more and more we are seeing both parents mentioned or no parents mentioned, since many couples are paying for their own weddings. Below are examples of the different ways in which to word this portion of the invitation since there is no longer just one standard in etiquette!

OPTION 1 | GROUP INVITE:

TOGETHER WITH THEIR FAMILIES
STEPHANIE TARA & JOHN ANTHONY
REQUEST THE PLEASURE OF YOUR COMPANY
AT THeir wedding celebration

OPTION 2 | PARENTS OF THE BRIDE INVITE:

MR. & MRS. LOGAN MADDEN INVITE YOU TO CELEBRATE THE MARRIAGE OF THEIR DAUGHTER
STEPHANIE TARA TO JOHN ANTHONY
SON OF MR. & MRS. MASON HART

OPTION 3 | PARENTS OF BOTH BRIDE + GROOM:

MR. & MRS. LOGAN MADDEN ALONG WITH MR. & MRS. MASON HART
JOYFULLY INVITE YOU TO CELEBRATE THE MARRIAGE OF THEIR CHILDREN
STEPHANIE TARA & JOHN ANTHONY

OPTION 4 | NO SPECIFIC HOST:

WITH JOY & LOVE
STEPHANIE TARA & JOHN ANTHONY
INVITE YOU TO CELEBRATE THEIR MARRIAGE

2. REQUEST TO ATTEND THE WEDDING

There are a variety of ways to request the attendance of your guests at your wedding so let’s list them below!

  • “INVITE YOU TO CELEBRATE THEIR MARRIAGE”

  • “REQUEST THE PLEASURE OF YOUR COMPANY AT THE CELEBRATION OF THEIR MARRIAGE”

  • “INVITE YOU TO CELEBRATE THEIR WEDDING”

  • “INVITE YOU TO CELEBRATE THE MARRIAGE OF THEIR CHILDREN”

  • “REQUEST THE HONOR OF YOUR PRESENCE”

  • “JOYFULLY INVITE YOU TO THEIR WEDDING CELEBRATION”

  • “CORDIALLY INVITE YOU TO THEIR WEDDING CELEBRATION”

FOR A DESTINATION WEDDING WITH A SUPER FUN GROUP, WE ALSO LOVE TO ADD A LITTLE CHARACTER, LIKE THe EXAMPLE below:

  • “PACK YOUR BAGS, IT’S HIGH TIME WE HAVE A PARTY!”

3. NAMES OF THE COUPLE GETTING MARRIED

As the main characters of this day, the couples names should be the focal point of the invitation by having them larger and also in a defining font style, such as an elegant calligraphy style script or maybe an ‘all capital letter’ look for a modern wedding.

Traditionally, the brides name is mentioned before the grooms name.

For same sex weddings, the first name to appear will be a personal choice. You may want to go alphabetical or with whichever name looks and sounds best for you and your partner.

Further, you can decide to have 1. only first names, 2. first and middle names, 3 first, middle and last names or 4. first and last names.

See some examples below!

  • STEPHANIE TARA & JOHN ANTHONY

  • STEPHANIE TARA MADDEN & JOHN ANTHONY HART

  • STEPHANIE & JOHN

  • ELOISE REIGN & OLIVIA ROSE

  • OLIVER JAMES & TIMOTHY PRESCOTT

4. DATE + TIME

Depending on how formal or informal your wedding celebration is, there are a few options with how to write out the date and time. Traditionally, for more formal celebrations, you will write out all the information without numerals.

  • For examples: “Saturday, August Fifteenth, Two Thousand Twenty Five. Ceremony to begin at half past five o’clock in the evening”

For a more casual wedding celebration, numerals are acceptable.

  • For example: “Saturday, August 15, 2025. Ceremony to begin at 5:30 in the evening”

5. LOCATION

It is expected to include the name of the wedding venue. Even if the wedding is at a private residence, it should be named somehow. Underneath the name, the city and state are expected to be written and the street name is optional. If you choose to exclude the street name from the invitation, it should separately be mentioned on either a details card or a wedding website that guests can easily locate so they have all the information.

  • For example: “The Cape Hotel | Cabo San Lucas, Mexico”

6. CEREMONY + RECEPTION LOCATION

There are a few scenarios to cover here. Let’s list them below!

  1. Ceremony + Reception are taking place at the same location. In this case, there is one venue name and location on the invitation card and then the line “Reception to follow” or “Reception immediately following” underneath.

  2. Ceremony + Reception are taking place at different locations with no time lapse between the two. Maybe there is a shuttle from one location to the next. Or maybe guests are driving straight from the ceremony to the reception. If this is the case, You will name the ceremony location on the invitation and then the line “Reception to follow at ___” underneath. Then, separately there should be a details card that provides more itinerary information so guests understand the full picture, starting with the ceremony and ending with the reception.

  3. Ceremony + Reception at taking place at different locaions and there is a gap of time in between. This scenario often happens when the wedding ceremony is taking place at a church. Traditionally the ceremony will take place earlier in the day, then the newlyweds, their families and the wedding party will go and take photos before arriving to the second location for the wedding reception.

7. DRESS CODE

Traditionally, the wedding attire is noted at the bottom of the invitation. As of late, there have been more weddings that become a weekend event as opposed to a single day event. Oftentimes, the bride and groom like to provide a dress code for each event to achieve a certain look in photos and set a vibe for the evening and also to help guests with packing for the celebrations. When there are multiple events with multiple dress codes, we advise including this information on the details card that is outlining each event line by line or in an itinerary style format. Below are some examples of dress codes!

  1. Black Tie Attire : Tuxedos and long gowns are required

  2. Black Tie Optional : Tuxedos are optional, long gowns are encouraged

  3. Formal Attire : Tuxedos are optional, long gowns are encouraged

  4. Cocktail Attire : Suits and ties are acceptable, dress length can be short

wedding invitation wording examples:

PASHK AND ROZA KALABA
ALONG WITH RAY AND EILEEN O’CONNOR
JOYFULLY INVITE YOU TO CELEBRATE 
THE WEDDING OF THEIR CHILDREN

ANGELINA & SHAUN

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5TH, 2024
FIVE O'CLOCK IN THE EVENING

BASTIDE DU ROY

ANTIBES, FRANCE
DINNER AND DANCING TO FOLLOW

BLACK TIE OPTIONAL

TOGETHER WITH THEIR FAMILIES

SAMANTHA STRYSKO

AND

ELMO O’CONNOR

CORDIALLY INVITE YOU TO THEIR WEDDING CELEBRATION
SEPTEMBER 12, 2023
CELEBRATION TO BEGIN AT
FIVE O’CLOCK IN THE EVENING
RECEPTION TO FOLLOW

CATALINA COUNTRY CLUB

AVALON, CATALINA ISLAND

FORMAL ATTIRE

IN ALL THE PHOTOS ABOVE, THERE ARE DIFFERENT EXAMPLES OF FULL INVITATIONS THAT STEPHANIE HAS CREATED FOR HER CLIENTS, WRITTEN IN A VARIETY OF WAYS. TAKE A LOOK AND HOPEFULLY YOU CAN FIND ONE THAT SUITS YOUR WEDDING! IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A STATIONERY DESIGNER TO WORK CLOSELY WITH YOU TO CREATE THE WEDDING PAPER GOODS OF YOUR DREAMS, PLEASE FILL OUT OUR INQUIRY FORM!

Stephanie Tara Stationery
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