Top Tips for Wedding Invitation Wording & Invitation Etiquette

Now that your partner has stood up from being on one knee and you’ve said yes! It’s time to start making all the preparations. Choosing a date and location is the first big decision for you to make. The next step on your wedding timeline will be to order your invitations. One of the questions we receive the most from brides-to-be is about how to word their invitations, which names to include, what information is important, and does it change depending on how formal the event is. We’re here to help you out with this topic, and share a few suggestions about your wedding invitations!

A quick note: here in the Zazzle wedding department you’ll hear us saying ‘traditional’ A LOT! Weddings have been around for thousands of years (apparently they’ve been around for more than 4000 years), and some folks have long-standing ideas of what they should look like, especially when it comes to invitations. If you, your parents, your great-grandma Edna, etc. subscribe to those convictions, take our more formal suggestions into account. If you’re planning the affair yourself and would rather get married on the beach with the In-N-Out Burger truck nearby, feel free to loosen the formality and let your personality shine! Both ways are perfect. There’s no judgment whichever way you go.

To tackle this topic, we implore you to think about your invitation in three parts; a greeting from the host, the request for attendance, and the details. Your goal is to answer the ‘5 W’s’: Who, What, Where, When, and Why. These are all the important details that your guests will need to know about your big day!

Who: The Host Greeting

You know, the chances are that the family of the bride is paying for the wedding. While this is still the case in some families, it’s important to note that for many couples, you might be fronting some or all of the wedding budget on your own. If you’re lucky enough to have some money for your wedding coming from family members, including them as the ‘host’ of the wedding is a sign of respect and appreciation for their monetary contribution. Put their names front and center on your invitation in a style like this:

• Mr. and Mrs. Johnson

• Together with their families, Catherine Marie & Maxwell Scott (include your first and middle names too, if you have one).

Pro tip: If you have a blended family of any sort (divorced, step-parents, etc.), this part can be extra tricky and frankly, a little delicate. The traditional way of listing two divorced parents’ names is “Mr. Mark Johnson and Mrs. Jane Thomas.” If either parent is remarried, list their new partners as well; “Mr. & Mrs. Mark Johnson and Mrs. Jane Thomas.” This is also a place where you can acknowledge a deceased parent, by saying “Mrs. Jane Thomas and the late Mr. Mark Johnson”. We know it can seem like a lot of names to include, but this way everyone is included that should be and no one is left out.

You can by all means still include your family member’s names even if they aren’t contributing financially to the wedding, but if you’re going for a more informal style you can also simply list your and your fiancé/fiancée names.

• Catherine Marie & Maxwell Scott invite you to their wedding.

What & Why: Requesting Their Attendance

This section of the invitation can vary in formality depending on the wedding you have planned. If you’re planning a more elegant or religious affair, err on the more professional side, whereas a more casual wedding allows you more freedom with your invitations. Use this opportunity to express the personality of you and your partner! Here are some ideas of how you could address this section, ranging from very formal to more casual.

More Formal Invitations:

• Request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their children
• Cordially request your presence at their celebration of love
• Request the pleasure of your company at the wedding of their daughter, Catherine

Less Formal Invitations:

• Kindly request your attendance at their union
• Invite you to celebrate their love at their wedding
• As we begin our lives together
• Ask that you join them as they tie the knot!
• Because we’re getting hitched!

Where & When: The Details

This part of your invitation will likely be the biggest, and to be honest, it’s logistically the most important! Again, the formality can vary greatly, but you want to answer the where & when at a minimum. A more formal invitation might include all this on an enclosure card.

• Date and time of your ceremony written out (don’t forget to give the time for the reception if it doesn’t immediately follow the reception). If the reception is following immediately, write something like – reception to follow.
• The name & address of your ceremony and reception venues (if your wedding is more formal, the address might go on a separate information card instead.)
• What will be happening, including the reception details (Cocktails, dinner, dancing, etc.)
  wedding invitation wording – personalized wedding invitations.

Bonus Content!

Not every wedding will fit into this outline, so here are some additional pieces that you might want to include if they pertain to your event:

• Personalization: This is your wedding! Feel like putting the lyrics to ‘your’ song at the bottom? Go for it! Include a timeline of your love story on the reverse side, or include a “Mad Libs” with fill–in–the–blanks game for the guest to bring to the reception, the options are endless.
• Link to your wedding website: We won’t even say ‘traditionally’ this time, because almost all couples have a wedding website these days. You can include your favorite photos, tell your love story, or what your plans are after getting married. Websites are great for many reasons, but a key one is that you can list your registry (and links!) on there, without taking up valuable invitation space.
• Adult Only: Many young couples are opting for a child-free wedding. They want to party all night with loud music and the drinks flowing. It’s hard to do when young family members are around. To help with this difficult topic, our wedding experts have you worked out what to say in our article mentioned below.

• Registry details: Etiquette-focused folks will tell you that the #1 wedding faux pas is including any information about gifting/registries on your invitation, or even in the invitation envelope for that matter. Some will even recommend that you only inform close friends of your registry, and implore them to pass that information along to family and friends. Our suggestion is to include the aforementioned website on your invitation and include all the details you have on your physical invitation, along with registry information and anything else you’d like your guests to know about your big day on the site.
• Attire: To provide some information to your guests about the recommended attire, you can make a small note at the bottom of your invitation that dictates the dress code. This could also go on a separate attire card if you’re including one, this can also include the colors you would like your guests to stick to for the wedding.

Now that you know what to include in your invitations, you’re set to create and design your wedding invitations from Zazzle! We have a wide selection of invitations for every couple getting married.

What can seem like a baffling task of wording your wedding invitation can be made simple by answering the ‘5 W’s’ and remembering to keep the wording and design in line with your wedding theme. The invitation is the first part of your wedding that your guests will receive, and many people will talk about it right up until the wedding. But at the end of the day, the important thing is that you’re happy with it and are excited to plan the next steps of your wedding!

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in April 2019 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

Lucy

Lucy is a Content Specialist at Zazzle in Cork, Ireland. Originally from America, she is now settled in Ireland with her husband and Corgi-mix puppy Dug (yes, like from Disney’s UP!). It’s the simple things in life that matter, so give her a bag of M&M’s and she’s happy. She loves to relax with a good book, cozy up on the couch for a movie, or go to the park for a stroll with the family.