Where do I start with Wedding Invitation Wording?

The wedding invitation serves two (pretty huge) purposes in your wedding. The invitation is the very first impression of your wedding and should really set the theme for the big day. Guests should see a glimpse of the tone of your wedding just from the invitation. Your wedding invitation should not only be beautiful, but informative. It’s kind of a big deal that everyone knows when and where it’s going down! Making sure your wedding invitation wording is clear, correct, and informative is extremely key.

Once my bridal clients have signed off on my contract and paid the deposit, I’m ready to get started! Often, many reach out to me at this point with the same question, “do you have any examples of wedding invitation wording?” Well funny you asked, of course I do! The chance that this is a bride’s first time planning a wedding is pretty likely and the wedding invitation wording seems to be unfamiliar territory.

I typically begin by explaining that wedding invitation wording is truly customizable and open to interpretation. Cue the overwhelm. Let me break it down for ya!

Who’s hosting?

The wedding invitation typically opens with the hosts (aka who’s paying) inviting guests to attend. Traditionally, this was the bride’s parents as they were funding the operation and “giving away” their daughter to a suitable bachelor. I love traditional wording, as it really encompasses the overall idea of a wedding. However, many couples have moved away from traditional wording because there are hosts other than (or in addition to) the bride’s parents. I also think people choose to forgo traditional wording as it seems, well too traditional. To each their own!

Names

The names of the couple* are the focus of the wedding invitation wording. If including the bride’s parent’s full names, the bride’s name is listed as first and middle only. If the parent’s names aren’t on the invitation, the bride and groom can be listed with their full names (up to preference to include middle names!)

*Whether bride + groom, bride + bride, or groom + groom we believe love is love and worthy of celebrating. In heterosexual couples, the bride’s name is traditionally listed first. For same sex couples, you can order the names however you want.

The Ceremony

This is where you can get creative with your wording! A more traditional way to invite people to your ceremony would be along the lines of “request the pleasure of your company at the marriage”, but options to go less traditional are endless. One of my favorites is “invite you to join as they celebrate their love”, ‘cause it just sounds like endless happiness!

The When & Where

In my opinion, this information should be listed in the same way whether opting for something more traditional or modern. Bringing in design elements will allow you to get fun with this part. The date, including the year, and time should be spelled out. The location should be listed with the address using no abbreviations. And for the love of all things pretty, no zip code! Zip codes are for mailing, not for invitations.

The Closing

In literary class, this was known as the conclusion. Most ceremonies are followed by a reception and a short, sweet way to end the wedding invitation wording is with “Reception to Follow”. I love when couples choose to get creative with the closing! One of my favorites included “bring your dancing shoes!”

If you’ve read the above, my hats off to you! You’ve taken in a lot of information about wedding invitation wording. As a visual learner, I’ve provided some examples of wedding invitation wording in action. Click to open and feel free to modify from there!

Click your theme to open wedding invitation wording samples!

Check out my tips on wedding invitation wording for sticky situations here!

>> Click to learn more about our Steph, the wedding invitation fairy godmother, pricing, and the process <<