How to word a wedding invitation
A wedding invitation has a few jobs: say who is inviting, who is getting married, when and where, and how to reply. Once those are clear, the tone is yours to choose. Here is what to include and four wordings you can adapt.
What the invitation needs to say
Before you think about style, make sure a guest who reads the invitation once, on a phone, between two errands, knows everything they need. Most wording problems come from a missing fact, not from the choice of words.
- Who is inviting: the couple, their parents, or both families.
- The names of the couple, written the way they want to be called.
- The date, with the day of the week, and the time of each part of the day.
- The place of the ceremony and of the reception, with a full address.
- The date by which you need an answer, and how to give it.
- Anything a guest must know to say yes or no: children, a dress code, a long drive.
Who is inviting
The first line tells guests who is hosting. A traditional invitation names the parents who are receiving: “Mr. and Mrs. Tremblay invite you to the marriage of their daughter Léa.” It suits a formal wedding, or a family where the parents really are the hosts.
Today, most couples invite in their own name: “Léa Tremblay and Samuel Okafor invite you to their wedding.” If both families want to be named, you can open with “Together with their families,” which avoids choosing whose parents come first.
Whatever you pick, keep it consistent. If the invitation comes from the couple, the reply-by line and the thank-you notes should come from the couple too.
Four wordings to adapt
Each example below uses the same facts so you can compare the tone. Change the names, keep the structure, and read the result aloud: if a sentence sounds stiff when you say it, it will read stiff too.
- Formal: “Mr. and Mrs. Jean Tremblay request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their daughter Léa to Samuel Okafor, on Saturday, June 12, 2027, at 2 p.m., at Saint-Aurèle-des-Prés Church in Outremont. A reception will follow at the Auberge du Lac-aux-Huards. Kindly reply by May 15.”
- Both families: “Together with their families, Léa Tremblay and Samuel Okafor invite you to celebrate their marriage on Saturday, June 12, 2027, at 2 p.m., at Saint-Aurèle-des-Prés Church. Dinner and dancing to follow. Please reply by May 15.”
- Relaxed: “Léa and Samuel are getting married. Come celebrate with us on Saturday, June 12, at 2 p.m., in the garden at Léa’s parents’ house in Sutton, and stay for dinner. Let us know by May 15 if you can make it.”
- Small wedding: “Léa and Samuel were married at city hall this spring. We are celebrating with the people closest to us on Saturday, June 12, at 6 p.m., at the restaurant Chez Lucie. Tell us by May 15 if you will join us.”
When the ceremony and the reception are separate
Many weddings have two or three parts: the ceremony, cocktail hour, the dinner. Name each part with its own time and place, in the order guests will experience them. If some guests are invited to the ceremony only, the simplest is a separate invitation for the ceremony, or a word to them directly, rather than leaving them to guess.
On invitesyou, each part of the event is listed separately and every guest says which parts they will attend, so you can see who is coming to the dinner and who to the ceremony only.
Children, plus-ones and gifts
These are the lines couples hesitate over most. Be clear and kind rather than vague. “We love your children, but this celebration is for adults” is gentler than a cold “No children,” and much clearer than saying nothing. For plus-ones, address the invitation to the people you are inviting by name; a guest who sees “Marc and Julie” knows Julie is invited.
Gifts are best kept off the main text. A short line such as “Your presence is the gift we hope for” is enough, and the details of a registry can go in a separate section of the invitation that guests open if they wish.
Before you send it
Read the invitation on your own phone, then ask someone who was not involved to read it and tell you the date, the place and the reply-by date without looking twice. If they hesitate on any of these, fix that line first.
When the wording is settled, you can create your invitation, pick a template, and send it to your guests by email or text, each with a personal link to reply.