Wedding reception invitation templates

Use “the pleasure of your company” rather than “the honour of your presence”, then the reason: “at a reception celebrating the marriage of” or “in honour of their recent marriage”. Give the date, time, venue and reply date. If the ceremony was private, you can mention it briefly or leave it out altogether.

Yes, and it is common when the ceremony venue is small or the ceremony is for family only. Send reception guests an invitation that gives only the reception details, so nobody is confused. It is far less usual, and best avoided, to invite someone to the ceremony but not the reception.

Treat it like any other party: send the invitations six to eight weeks before a formal reception, or four to six weeks before a relaxed one. Many couples send a marriage announcement first and the reception invitation later, sometimes several months after the wedding itself.

Whatever the invitation asks. Common dress codes are black tie, formal, cocktail and smart casual. If you say nothing, guests usually assume cocktail attire for an evening reception. For an Indian reception, many hosts suggest traditional or Indo-Western clothes, so naming the dress code clearly helps everyone.