Nimanto

Guide

Wedding invitation wording, with examples

By Nimanto · · 6 min read

The short answer

A wedding invitation says who is hosting, who is marrying, the date and time, the venue and how to reply. Formal invitations spell out the date and ask for “the honour of your presence”; casual ones say it plainly. Choose the opening line that matches who is hosting, then keep everything else short and clear.

What should a wedding invitation say?

Every wedding invitation answers the same questions in the same order: who is inviting, what the occasion is, whose wedding it is, when and where it takes place, and how to reply. Details such as dress code, hotels and gifts belong on a separate card or page, so the invitation itself stays clean.

The usual order, top to bottom:

  • The host line: the people inviting, such as the couple, their parents or both families.
  • The request line: “request the honour of your presence” or “invite you to celebrate”.
  • The couple’s names, in full on formal invitations.
  • The day, date and time.
  • The venue name, then the city. A full street address can go on the details page.
  • The reception line, if it follows straight after: “and afterwards at the reception”.
  • How and by when to reply.

Formal wedding invitation wording

Formal wording writes everything out: full names, the date and time in words, and no abbreviations. Traditional etiquette uses “the honour of your presence” for a ceremony in a place of worship and “the pleasure of your company” for any other venue. The tone is third person and the punctuation is minimal.

Linda and Mark Bennett request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their daughter Sofia Grace to James Michael Carter. Saturday, the twelfth of June, two thousand twenty-seven, at four o’clock in the afternoon. St. Mary’s Church, Boston, Massachusetts.

The pleasure of your company is requested at the marriage of Maya Elizabeth Chen and Daniel Thomas Reyes. Saturday, the twelfth of June, two thousand twenty-seven, at half past five in the evening. The Glasshouse, Toronto.

  • “Half past five” is the formal way to write 5:30.
  • The year is optional on formal invitations; include it if the wedding is more than a year away.

Casual and modern wedding wording

Casual wording speaks to guests directly, uses numerals for dates and times, and can sound like the couple. It suits garden, backyard, city-hall and destination weddings. Keep it warm but still complete: guests need the same facts, the date, time, place and reply date, whatever the tone.

We’re getting married. Join Maya and Daniel for vows, dinner and dancing on Saturday, June 12, 2027 at 5:30 pm, The Glasshouse, Toronto.

Sofia and James are tying the knot, and it wouldn’t be the same without you. Saturday, June 12, 2027, 4 pm, Willow Farm, Vermont. Dinner and dancing to follow.

Two hearts, one very good party. Please join us as we say I do.

How do you word an invitation hosted by parents?

When parents host, their names come first and the couple is introduced as “their daughter” or “their son”. Traditionally the bride’s parents hosted, but today it is just as common for both sets of parents to be named, or for the couple to host “together with their families”. Name whoever is genuinely hosting.

Linda and Mark Bennett request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their daughter Sofia Grace Bennett to James Michael Carter, son of Helen and Robert Carter.

Linda and Mark Bennett and Helen and Robert Carter invite you to celebrate the marriage of their children, Sofia and James.

  • Divorced parents who host together can each be named on their own line, without “and” between them.
  • If a parent has died, many couples honour them in the host line: “Sofia Grace, daughter of Linda Bennett and the late Mark Bennett”.

How do you word an invitation when the couple is hosting?

When the couple hosts, their names lead the invitation and they invite guests in the first or third person. “Together with their families” is the most popular modern line: it credits both families without naming every parent, and it works whether or not anyone else is contributing to the wedding.

Together with their families, Aisha Rahman and Omar Siddiqui invite you to celebrate their marriage.

Maya Chen and Daniel Reyes request the pleasure of your company at their marriage.

We, Sofia and James, would love you to join us as we marry.

Religious and multicultural wedding wording

Religious invitations often open with a blessing, a verse or an invocation, and use the ceremony’s own name, such as a Nikah or an Anand Karaj. Multicultural couples can name both traditions, print two languages side by side, or list each ceremony with its own time. Ask both families which words matter to them.

By the grace of God, and with joy in our hearts, Sofia Bennett and James Carter invite you to share in their wedding.

With the blessings of Allah and our families, we invite you to the Nikah of Aisha Rahman and Omar Siddiqui.

Join us as Priya and Arjun marry in two ceremonies: a Hindu wedding at 10 am and a Christian blessing at 4 pm.

  • In a bilingual invitation, give each language equal room and keep the facts identical in both.

Reception-only and adults-only lines

A reception-only invitation leaves out the ceremony and invites guests straight to the party, often after a private or faraway ceremony. Adults-only lines are best kept polite and short, and placed on the details page or reply card rather than the main invitation, so the card itself stays celebratory.

Maya and Daniel were married in a small ceremony in Kyoto. Please join us for a reception in their honour on Saturday, July 10, 2027 at 7 pm.

Dinner, drinks and dancing to follow the ceremony.

We love your little ones, but our celebration will be adults only.

We have reserved two seats in your honour.

For more ways to say who is invited, see the guide to plus-ones and kids.

Putting the wording on a digital invitation

On a Nimanto invitation the main card carries the host line, names, date and venue, while dress code, hotels and gifts go on their own pages, which stay out of the invitation when you leave them empty. Guests reply on the invitation itself, and you choose what they are asked, such as plus-ones and dietary notes: see what guests are asked.

Questions people ask

What do you write on a wedding invitation?

Write who is hosting, a request line, the couple’s full names, the day, date and time, the venue and city, and how and by when to reply. Formal invitations spell the date and time out in words. Keep dress code, hotels and gift notes for a separate card or page.

Is it honour or honor on a wedding invitation?

Both are correct. Invitations in the United States usually write “honor”, while British, Canadian and many other English-speaking invitations write “honour”. Traditionally the phrase “the honour of your presence” is used for a ceremony in a place of worship, and “the pleasure of your company” for other venues.

Whose name goes first on a wedding invitation?

Traditionally the bride’s name comes first, because her parents were the hosts. When both families or the couple host, many couples still follow that order, while others choose the order that sounds best aloud. For two brides or two grooms, alphabetical order or whichever reads more naturally are both fine.

How do you say no gifts on a wedding invitation?

Keep it off the main invitation and say it gently on the details page or in a note: “Your presence is the only gift we need.” If you would prefer contributions to a cause or a honeymoon fund instead, say so in one short, warm sentence and give guests the details.