Wedding Invitation Wording | Gold Image Printing

Knowing what to write on your Custom Wedding Invitations is a process that is more complicated and nuanced than may initially seem. Whether your wedding is casual and informal, traditional, or religious will deeply impact the wedding invitation wording. Traditional wedding invitation wording for example is very different from casual wedding invitation wording and beyond that there are other types of unique wedding invitation wording. That's a lot of wedding invitation wording etiquette to learn! The good news is, you won't need to know all the different types of wedding invitation wording at once. Follow this guide and stick to the type or types of wedding invitation wording that best suits your needs. If standard wedding invitations aren't up to par with the wedding you'll be hosting, you can also opt for our luxurious Soft Touch Invitations or Foil Stamp Wedding Invitations! You can also always contact us with any questions, comments, or concerns you may have, as well as to place a fully customized order. Without further ado, let's jump right in!

Generally speaking, all (or most) wedding invitations follow the same structure for wedding invitation wording. There is always room for variation or to completely change things up, but even then you should ensure you have all these elements of wedding invitation wording in some capacity. These components make up the wedding invite wording that will be receptive to the most people, meaning more confirmed guests and fewer confusion on the day of your wedding. You should also remember to stay concise with your wedding invitation wording. Despite the need to provide lots of information, you also don't want to overwhelm your future guests to the point of confusion or forgetfulness.

(Optional) Monogram:

Couples or hosts sometimes choose to imprint or print a monogram onto the top of the card. Monograms are typically two letters long and are styled with calligraphy. This is considered to be optional. If you do opt for a monogram, Letterpress Wedding Invitations and Embossed Wedding Invitations can help you make it stand out!
Example:
JS

Host Line:

This answers the question of WHO is sending out the invitation. Put simply, the host is the person or people paying for the wedding. The host can be a parent, grandparent, deceased family member, or even the couple themselves. There's a lot of combinations for this that you'll learn more about in the Examples & Templates section.
Example:
Mr. and Mrs. John Smith

Request Line:

Answering the question of WHAT this line tells the guests what the purpose of the wedding invitation is. There are many different ways to word this part as well, but in general you want it to be clear that you are asking the guest to attend. The next section of this guide will explore this more deeply.
Example:
request the honor of your presence at
the wedding of

Couple’s Names:

This is effectively the second part of the WHO answer. The guest already knows the host, but they don't know who the host or hosts are paying for. The "couple's names" refer to the two individuals who are to be married. Use Digital Foil Wedding Invitations and White Ink Wedding Invitations to make your names extra noticeable!
Example:
John Smith &
Jane Doe
*Here the two names are put on separate lines to indicate that they are not (yet) married.

Ceremony Information:

Let your guests know the WHEN and WHERE of your wedding. This component should include the date, time, and location that your wedding is to be held. In terms of wedding invitation wording, you can spell out every word here or keep it short and sweet; keep everything capitalized, everything lowercase, or do normal capitalization.
Example:
On Saturday, the 15th of July
Two Thousands and Nineteen
at Six O'Clock
The Hotel
445 Street Name
Los Angeles, California

Reception Details:

Here you may simply mention that there is going to be a reception or you can give the WHERE and WHEN wedding invitation wording of the reception as well in a similar way to the Ceremony Information. You can alternatively include detailed information on a direction card or reception card.
Example:
Reception to follow…

(Optional) Dress Code:

Here you can indicate whether the event is black tie, formal, semi-formal, or casual. You can also opt to include this information on another item from your invitation suite.
Example:
Black tie
Example:
Dress casual

(Optional) Wedding Website:

You can also optionally include your wedding website (if you have one) here at the end of the wedding invitation, or a QR code for it as well.

In this section you can discover a vast array of elegant wedding invitations through many wedding invitation wording examples and wedding invitation wording templates. Once you've found the part of this section that best suits your needs, you'll be full of wedding invitation ideas and ready to look further into the invitation suite for anything else you need to make your big day extra special and successful. Let's look at a breakdown of the wedding invitation wording components depending on who is hosting.

*Informally, either the bride or groom's name may go first.

Parents of Bride / Groom	Parents of Bride & Groom (or Same-Sex)	Couple
Robert and Susan Williams invite you to share in their joy  at the marriage of their daughter/son Joseph Williams to Margaret Anderson Saturday, July 15, 2019 at 6:30 in the afternoon Venue Name 445 Street Name Los Angeles, California	Robert and Susan Williams and Michael and Jessica Anderson invite you to share in their joy at the marriage of their children Joseph Williams and Margaret Anderson Saturday, July 15, 2019 at 6:30 in the afternoon Venue Name 445 Street Name Los Angeles, California	Joseph Williams and Margaret Anderson invite you to share in their joy at their marriage Saturday, July 15, 2019 at 6:30 in the afternoon Venue Name 445 Street Name Los Angeles, California

 

*Traditionally, the bride's name will always go first.

Parents of Bride / Groom	Parents of Bride & Groom (or Same-Sex)	Couple
David C. Wilson and Elizabeth B. Wilson request the honor of your presence  at the marriage of their daughter/son Lisa Wilson to Michael Rose Saturday, the fifteenth of July two thousand nineteen at half past six Venue Name 445 Street Name Los Angeles, California	David C. Wilson and Elizabeth B. Wilson Daniel M. Rose and Michelle L. Rose request the honor of your presence  at the marriage of their children Lisa Wilson to Michael Rose Saturday, the fifteenth of July two thousand nineteen at half past six Venue Name 445 Street Name Los Angeles, California	the honor of your presence is requested  at the marriage of Lisa Wilson to Michael Rose Saturday, the fifteenth of July two thousand nineteen at half past six Venue Name 445 Street Name Los Angeles, California

*Traditionally, the bride's name will always go first

Parents of Bride / Groom	Parents of Bride & Groom (or Same-Sex)	Couple
Desiring God's will for their lives and believing that includes each other Mr. and Mrs. Howard Doe request you to share in their joy as their daughter Jane Helen Doe united for eternity in Christ with John Montgomery Smith on Saturday, the fifteenth of July two thousand nineteen at half past six Church Name 445 Street Name Los Angeles, California	Desiring God's will for their lives and believing that includes each other Mr. and Mrs. Howard Doe and Mr. and Mrs. Elliot Smith request you to share in their joy as their daughter Jane Helen Doe united for eternity in Christ with John Montgomery Smith on Saturday, the fifteenth of July two thousand nineteen at half past six Church Name 445 Street Name Los Angeles, California	Desiring God's will for their lives and believing that includes each other Jane Helen Doe and John Montgomery Smith request your presence as Christ unites them to become one on Saturday, the fifteenth of July two thousand nineteen at half past six Church Name 445 Street Name Los Angeles, California

With your wedding invitation wording set and ready, creating your invitation suite to put everything together should be next up on your list. If you still have questions about wedding invitation wording, please consult our FAQ below or contact us! Your invitation suite for your wedding can include a multitude of components. For starters, order some reception cards so your guests can get the details they missed out on in the wedding invitation wording examples above. Don't need any? Go on and ensure that your guests have an easy and efficient way of letting you know they're coming using our RSVP cards! Thinking of gifts? Be ready with registry cards! Out of town guests will really appreciate your accommodation cards. That's a lot of details to remember! After some time has passed, your guests will really appreciate some details cards to keep all that information together in one handy place. Make sure everyone knows where they're seated by ordering some place cards. Has the wedding come and gone? Thank your guests with wedding thank you cards today! Order your collection and keep that theme consistent. We have plenty of product templates available to help you out as well as graphic designers on hand to help push you in the right direction!

Q: How do I word a wedding invitation?
A: Follow the guide above to word your wedding invitation according to the intended guests, who the hosts are, who the couple is, where the wedding is and when. 

Q: What is the proper wording on a wedding invitation?
A: Depending on the type of wedding you're having, you'll want to word your invitations casually, formally, or religiously.

Q: How do I invite guests to my marriage?
A: Design a wedding invitation according to the guidelines above and send out your completed invitations to your guests!

Q: What do I say on an invitation?
A: There are a lot of different ways to word a wedding invitation, but no matter what you need a request line, host names, couples' names, and the when and where of the matter.

Q: What information goes on a wedding invitation?
A: You'll want to include who is hosting, what is being requested, the couples' names, ceremony information, and optionally the reception details and wedding website.

Q: Does the bride or groom name go first?
A: Traditionally, the bride's name should go first on your wedding invitations. If you're going for a more casual wedding, it's completely up to you.

Q: Why does the bride's name go first?
A: Originally, the bride's family is the one expected to host and pay for a wedding. This is of course not the case anymore all the time, but the idea of having the bride first has stuck.

Q: Do you have to put Mr and Mrs on wedding invitations? Do you put Dr on wedding invitation?
A: That's completely up to you. Wedding invitation wording has certain components that need to be included, but titles can be left to personal touches.

Q: Do the groom's parents' names go on the invitation?
A: If the groom's parents are the hosts or one set of the hosts then their names should be on the host line of the wedding invitation.

Q: How do you write family names on a wedding invitation?
A: If the entire family is hosting, you can indicate that on the wedding invitation. If just one person or set of people, such as the parents, are hosting, you can just put their names.

Q: Do you put last names on wedding invitations?
A: This is a good practice, especially if you or your bride-to-be have a common name. The last thing you'd want is people confused about whose wedding it is.

Q: Do you write guest names on wedding invitations?
A: No. Your guests' names should go on the envelope when you address the wedding invitation to them.