When it comes to wording your invitations there are a few things to consider. The design and language used on your invitations will set the tone for your special day so make sure you keep everything consistent. If you are planning a formal wedding let the wording reflect that. On the other hand, if you want a more relaxed feel keep your wording casual and fun.
Most importantly, make sure your wording includes all of the important information your guests’ will need to know. Below is a step by step guide to writing your invitation.
HOSTLINE
The first line of the invitation should tell the guest’s who is inviting them to the wedding. This can get a bit political as some traditions, like the Bride’s or couple’s parents hosting the wedding, are not necessarily followed these days. Most commonly the hostline will be ‘Together with their families’ to keep things simple. Now days it’s quite common for the couple themselves to host their own wedding therefore the hostline could be omitted entirely. Below are some examples of popular hostlines.
COUPLE’S NAMES
There are a few decisions that need to be made regarding how you will list your names. Firstly, will you use your full names or just your first names? If you’re holding a more formal wedding full names are probably going to work best. If you want to keep your wedding casual you could just use your first names, or more casual still, your shortened names or nicknames. You will also need to decide who’s name will appear first. Traditionally, the Bride’s name is usually first, however these days those rules are mostly obsolete.
INVITATION
This is where the invitation actually takes place. Again, you can use this line to give an idea of the formality of your event. An example of a more formal invitation is ‘Request the honour of your presence at their marriage’. A more casual way to invite your guests would be ‘Invite you to celebrate their marriage’. In this section you might like to also address the guests personally which can be helpful if you are need to specify exactly who is invited (where partners or children aren’t invited). For example ‘Invite John to join them in celebrating their marriage’.
IMPORTANT DETAILS
Keep the ceremony and reception information as simple and straight forward as possible. Be sure to include the time, date and place very clearly. Some invitations use numerals, for example ‘3PM’ whereas the more formal invitations tend to spell out numbers, for example ‘three o’clock in the afternoon’. I personally like the use of ‘o’clock in the afternoon’ as opposed to AM or PM however I prefer the use of numerals rather than spelling out times and dates to keep things simple.
EXTRAS
If you aren’t having an information card and need to include extra details on your invitation here is the place to do it. Some examples of extra info would be RSVP details, Gift registry details, Recovery details, direction of whether or not children are invited.
EXAMPLES
Below are some examples of invitation wording to inspire you.
Together with their families
Fay & Sydney
Request the pleasure of your company
at the celebration of their marriage
Saturday, 7th of December 2017
at 3 o’clock in the afternoon
Old Government House,
270 Anne Street, Brisbane
Dinner and dancing to follow
Please RSVP via enclosed card before
Saturday 1st November, 2017
It is with great pleasure that
Fay & Sydney
Invite you to join in the celebration of their marriage
Saturday, seventh of December
two thousand and seventeen
at three o’clock in the afternoon
Old Government House,
270 Anne Street, Brisbane
Dinner and dancing to follow
Please RSVP before first Novmber
two thousand and seventeen
to fayandsyd@gmail.com.au
Deborah & John along with
Mary & David invite you to celebrate
the marriage of their children
Fay & Sydney
Saturday, seventh of December
two thousand and seventeen
at three o’clock in the afternoon
Old Government House,
270 Anne Street, Brisbane
Reception to follow at Restaurant Two
100 Queen Street, Brisbane
from six o'clock in the evening.
Regrettably, we cannot accommodate children.
Thank you for your understanding.
