Wedding Invitation Wording: An In-Depth Guide from a Wedding Planner

If you’ve reached the point of tackling your wedding invitation wording and aren’t sure where to start, you’ve come to the right place. Hi, I’m Kate, from Kate Elizabeth Events, and for years, I’ve been guiding couples through the intricacies of wedding invitation wording. Whether you prefer a traditional classic approach or desire something truly unique, the essential elements outlined in this guide will steer you in the right direction.

Fortunately, navigating wedding invitation etiquette is simpler than you might expect. The fundamental principles I’ve outlined in this guide are straightforward and serve as helpful guidelines rather than strict rules. Ultimately, your goal is to craft a beautiful invitation that reflects your personality and the excitement of your upcoming celebration. Please feel empowered to interpret these principles to align with your unique vision.

To assist you further, I’ve broken down the significance of each line of your invitation below, detailing what it should entail.

What to Include in Your Wedding Invitation Wording

The key elements of a traditional wedding invitation should always contain the following details:

1. Host Line: Clearly states who is hosting the wedding
2. Request Line: Invites guests to attend the wedding
3. Bride and Groom: Names of the marrying couple
4. Date and Time: Specific details regarding the wedding ceremony timing
5. Location: Provides the address of the ceremony venue
6. Reception Information: Optional inclusion about the reception following the ceremony
7. Dress Code: Optional explanation of expected attire for guests

Line by Line Wedding Invitation Wording Explained

To ensure you achieve proper invitation etiquette, follow the directions for each line of your invitation as I’ve explained below.

Host Line

For a traditional wedding invitation, it is customary for the names of the hosts, typically the bride’s parents, to be the first line on the invitation. Today, it is not unusual for various family members to contribute financially to hosting a wedding. In fact, it’s becoming increasingly common for couples to host their own wedding or share the duty with their parents. Additionally, navigating how to list host names can get convoluted when parents have passed away, divorced or remarried. Not to worry, there is a way to include each circumstance simply and graciously. See examples below on how to list hosts names under unique circumstances.

Bride or groom’s parents are hosting:  When the bride or groom’s parents are hosting the wedding, follow a verbiage structure such as, “Mr. and Mrs. Michael Davis request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their daughter…”

Both sets of parents are hosting: If both sets of parents are hosting, consider wording in a manner like, “Mr. and Mrs. Robert Johnson And Mr. and Mrs. George Williams request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their children…”

Parents host with bride and groom: In cases where both sets of parents and the couple are contributing financially, wording such as “Together with their parents, Sarah and Garrett request the pleasure of your company…” can be used.

A hosting parent has passed away: If you desire to include the name of a deceased parent, you can consider wording such as “Mrs. Elizabeth Jones and the late David Jones request the honor of your presence…” can be written.

Host parents are divorced: In situations where parents are divorced but you want to keep each parent on the invitation as a host, list each parent separately on his or her own line.

Host parents are remarried: Similarly, if you’re including a stepparent, maintain their name on the same line as their partner.

Bride and groom are hosting: If you’ve footed the bill of your wedding on your own, it is still gracious to include your parents as hosts. However, if you opt not to, consider verbiage such as, “Alexandria Smith and John Taylor request the honor of your presence at the celebration of their marriage…”.

Request Line

When extending invitations to your wedding, the request line sets the tone for your celebration. Whether you opt for a formal or casual tone, select wording that aligns with your wedding theme and reflects your personality. Here are some wording suggestions:

Formal: 

• “the pleasure of your company”
• “honor of your presence”
• “at the marriage of their children”

Relaxed: 

• “would love for you to join them”
• “invite you to celebrate”

Here are invitation examples:

1. Brides Parents are Hosting

2. Hosted by Both Parents

“Mr. and Mrs. Robert Smith
And Mr. and Mrs. George Jones
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their children”

3. Hosted by Bride and Groom

“Georgia Smith and Tucker Jones
request the pleasure of your company
at the celebration of their marriage”

4. Hosted by Couple and Both Families

“Together with Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Smith
and Mr. and Mrs. George Jones
Elise Margaret Smith
and
Thomas Reed Jones”

Bride and Groom Names

When naming the bride and groom on the wedding invitation, traditional etiquette dictates that the bride’s name always precedes the groom’s. This is a reflection of the historical practice of the parents giving their daughter away in marriage. Additionally, when writing out the names of both the bride and groom, full names including their first, middle, and last names, are typically used. However, if the parents’ last names are already listed prior to the couple’s names, it’s acceptable to include only the bride’s first and middle names, or the groom’s if his parents’ full names are provided. Here are a few examples:

1. Couple and Both Parents Hosting

Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Smith
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Emily Grace Smith
to
Philip Joseph Jones
Son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Jones

2. Bride’s Parents Hosting

Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Smith
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Emily Grace
to
Philip Joseph

3. Couple Hosting

Georgia Anne Smith and Tucker James Jones
request the pleasure of your company
at the celebration of their marriage

Date and Time

When spelling out the details of your wedding including the date and time, your first consideration if whether you are adopting a formal or casual tone. For a formal wedding, it is customary to write out all information regarding the wedding date, time, and details in full without using numerals. For example, The time of day should be spelled out, using phrases like “o’clock”, “half after five o’clock,”, or “in the afternoon.” For a casual-tone wedding invitation, numerals are perfectly acceptable. In both scenarios, notating the year of the wedding is optional as wedding invitations are typically sent within the year of the wedding.

The date and time should be placed below the host, request and name lines on the invitation. Here are date and time verbiage examples:

1. Formal

Saturday, the sixteenth of June
two thousand twenty five
at two o’clock in the afternoon

2. Formal

“the twenty-third of August
two thousand eighteen
six in the evening”

3. Casual 

“September 28th, 2018
5:30 PM”

4. Combination of formal and casual

“September 8th, 2018
at five o’clock in the evening”

Location

Regardless of the formality of your invitation, it’s essential to keep the location of your wedding brief and clear. Include the venue’s name, city, and state to provide all necessary information. However, if the venue is unfamiliar, it’s best to include the exact street address for clarity. In every case, ensure to write out the city and state in full to avoid any confusion.

Here are a handful of helpful examples for your reference:

1. The Four Seasons Hotel
   Miami, Florida
   
   
2. Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
   Boothbay, Maine
   
   
3. Four Three Nine Pine Street
   Park City, Utah
   
   
4. 439 Pine Street
   Park City, Utah
   

Reception Information

There are two ways you can inform your guests of reception details. 

1. On the Invitation

Opting to include reception details on your invitation is a more casual approach to inviting guests to your reception. In this approach, leave a short message at the end of the invitation with verbiage such as, “reception to follow” or “cocktail hour and reception to follow.” 

2. On a separate card

A separate card included in the invitation envelope is the formal and more traditional approach to inviting guests to your cocktail hour, dinner, and or reception following the ceremony. Verbiage should follow the same style, format, and design as your invitation. Remember to include the time if the reception does not immediately follow the ceremony.

Dress Code

When considering where to include the dress code on your wedding invitation, remember that it’s optional. Traditionally, it’s placed in the lower right-hand corner, but only include it if you have specific expectations. Otherwise, guests will infer the formality from the invitation’s design and tone. A glamorous, formal invitation may imply a lavish black-tie affair, while a simpler, casual-toned invitation might suggest a more relaxed gathering. Providing a dress code empowers guests to dress confidently, ensuring they meet the venue’s expectations. Not providing a dress code gives guests more flexibility and creativity in their attire. 

Full Wedding Invitation Wording Examples

To help you visualize your dream wedding invitation, here are some great examples to reference.

Example 1: Hosted by Both Families (Informal)

Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Smith
Joyfully invite you
to the marriage of their daughter
Sheridan Cronin Smith
to
Philip Joseph Jones
Son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Jones
June 16th, 2025
Old South Church
Boston, Massachusetts
4:30 PM

Example 2: Hosted by Both Families (Formal)

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Smith
And Mr. and Mrs. George Jones
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their children
Eleanor Mae
to
Andrew John
Saturday, August sixth
two thousand twenty-two
at six o’clock in the evening
Museum of Fine Arts
Boston, Massachusetts

Example 3: Hosted by Bride’s Family (Informal)

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Smith
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their daughter
Margaret
to
Jared
April 7th, 2018
Columbus Park Refectory
Chicago, Illinois
5:30 PM

Example 4: Hosted by Bride’s Family (Formal)

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Smith
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their daughter
Julia Smith
to
David Jones
the twenty-third of August
two thousand eighteen
six in the evening
Tavern on the Green
Central Park | New York

Example 5: Hosted by the Couple (Informal)

Abigail Smith + Thomas Jones
request the pleasure of your company
at their wedding celebration
Saturday, the fifth of May, twenty eighteen
six in the evening
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
Boothbay, Maine

Example 6: Hosted by the Couple (Formal)

Alexia Smith
and
Thomas Jones
request the honor of your presence
at the celebration of their marriage
Saturday, the fifth of August
two thousand eighteen
at five o’clock in the evening
Our Lady of Grace
Harwich, Massachusetts

Example 7: Hosted by the Couple and Both Families (Informal)

Together with their parents
Abigail Smith
&
Thomas Jones
joyfully invite you to join
their wedding celebration 
September 28th, 2018
at five o’clock
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
Boothbay, Maine
Reception to follow

Example 8: Hosted by the Couple and Both Families (Formal)

Together with Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Smith
and Mr. and Mrs. George Jones
Elise Margaret Smith
and
Thomas Reed Jones
request the honor of your presence
at the celebration of their marriage
Saturday, the twenty-sixth of May
Two thousand eighteen
at six o’clock in the evening
Our Lady of Grace
Harwich, Massachusett

Example 9: Hosted by Divorced Parents 

Ms. Margaret Bell
Mr. David Smith
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Eleanor Mae
to
Jared Robert
August twenty-first, twenty eighteen
at five o’clock in the afternoon
Castle Hill on the Crane Estate
Ipswich, Massachusetts
Reception to follow

Example 10: Hosted by Remarried Parents

Ms. Mallory Bell
Mr. and Mrs. David Smith
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Lindsay Anne
to
Jason Joseph
Saturday, the tenth of June
two thousand and eighteen
at five o’clock in the evening
Saints Peter and Paul
San Francisco, California
Reception to follow

What Else to Include in Your Wedding Invitation Suite? 

Instead of overcrowding your wedding invitation, consider adding extra inserts to your wedding invitation suite. A wedding invitation suite in the collection of paper goods sent with the invitation. This suite can include some or all of the following: 

1. RSVP card
2. Save the date card
3. Photographs
4. Reception card
5. Parking details 
6. Accommodation details
7. Additional event invitations
8. Dress code card
9. And more

By using additional suite inserts, you ensure that your main invitation focuses on the essential event: your ceremony. It also gives you the opportunity to customize your guest list for specific events.

Start Creating Your Invitation

Crafting your wedding invitation involves numerous aspects to consider. However, by following these carefully outlined steps, you’ll easily create a stunning invitation bound to impress your guests. Should you still have any queries regarding your wedding invitation wording or design, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Happy planning!