76 complete wedding invitation wordings, set out line by line as they print: together with their families, the couple hosting, one or both sets of parents, divorced and remarried parents, in memory of a parent, a house of worship, casual, adults only, reception only, a second marriage and a destination wedding, plus save the date, RSVP card and details card wording, and how to write the date and time. Copy any of them into the free wedding invitation maker.
In the wedding invitation maker, the “who is hosting” picker puts the most common of these openings on any design in one step, and every line can be edited. Type your names and the date once and the save the date, RSVP card and details card follow. For envelopes and timing, see the wedding invitation etiquette guide.
The most widely used wording today. The couple's names carry the card, and "together with their families" thanks everyone who is helping without spelling out who is paying for what. It suits any couple, works on formal and modern designs alike, and takes "and" or "&" between the names because the two of you are inviting as equals.
Numerals for the date are fine on a modern card; keep "o'clock" or numerals for the time, not both.
A way to print both families' names while the couple remains the host.
"Honour of your presence" because the ceremony is in a church.
Tip: For a ceremony in a house of worship, change "invite you to celebrate their marriage" to "request the honour of your presence at their marriage."
When the two of you are the hosts, your own names open the card and there is no separate host line. Formal versions use full names, with or without titles; modern versions use first and last names and speak in a warmer voice. The passive form, "The honour of your presence is requested at the marriage of," lets you host without saying "we."
Titles are optional when the couple hosts; if one of you uses Dr., give the other a title too.
The passive form names no host at all, so it suits a couple hosting with family help.
Tip: Keep both names in the same form: two full names with middle names, or two first-and-last names, never one of each.
The classic wording names the hosts first and invites guests "to the marriage of their daughter" or "their son." Because the hosts' surname is already on the card, their child traditionally appears by first and middle name only, the other partner appears in full with a title, and the two are joined by "to." The bride's parents are the traditional hosts, but the same pattern works for the groom's parents or either family in a same-sex wedding.
The daughter appears by first and middle name only because her surname is already in the host line.
Listing both parents by first name is the common modern form of "Mr. and Mrs."
When the groom's family hosts, "their son" moves down beside his name.
One host takes "requests" (singular) and "her" or "his" in place of "their."
Tip: To name the other family without making them hosts, add "son of" or "daughter of" under that partner's name.
When both families host, both are named at the top, each couple of parents on its own line, and the request becomes "at the marriage of their children." The names are joined with "and" rather than "to," because the couple now stand side by side as both families' children. By custom the bride's family comes first; for two brides or two grooms, couples usually go alphabetically or in whatever order reads best.
"Together with" reads a touch warmer than a bare "and" between the families.
"Their daughters" (or "their sons") is the natural plural for two brides or two grooms.
Tip: Write every set of parents in the same style, all with titles or all by first names, so no family looks more formal than the other.
When parents are divorced, each is named on a separate line, and in the strictly traditional form no "and" joins them, because "and" between two names suggests a married couple. The mother is customarily named first, with her husband if she has remarried and he is co-hosting. When a stepparent hosts, "her daughter" or "his son" tells guests whose child is marrying.
Separate lines with no "and" between them is the traditional sign that the parents are no longer married.
A small "and" on its own line is a common modern softening; leave it out for the strictly traditional form.
Mother and stepfather first. With four hosts, "their daughter" is dropped and her full name is used.
"Her daughter" shows the bride is Mrs. Navarro's daughter; her full name is used because her surname differs.
Each divorced parent keeps a line of their own; "together with" brings in the other family.
Tip: If deciding who goes where is causing strain, "Together with their families" names nobody and settles the question gracefully.
Strict tradition holds that an invitation is issued only by living hosts, so a late parent is remembered beside the host line ("daughter of the late...") rather than as a host. Many couples now write "and the late" right in the host block, and that form is widely accepted. Keep the remembrance to a line; the invitation announces a happy day, and a longer tribute fits the ceremony program better.
Widely accepted today; strict tradition prefers the form below, with only living hosts.
Print the last line smaller than the rest so it reads as a remembrance, not a host.
Tip: Show the wording to the surviving parent before you print, since it is their name on the card too.
For a ceremony in a church, chapel, synagogue, mosque or other house of worship, the traditional request is "the honour of your presence"; for any other venue it is "the pleasure of your company." Many traditions have their own phrasing for the ceremony itself, such as a Nuptial Mass or a Nikah, and your officiant or family can tell you the form they prefer. On formal cards the word "Saint" in a church's name is usually spelled out.
Many Catholic families use this phrasing; your parish can confirm the wording it prefers.
With both surnames in the host lines, many couples appear by first and middle names only.
Families commonly add their own opening line above the hosts; take its exact words from family or your imam.
Tip: Confirm the exact formal name of the house of worship with its office before printing; it often differs from the everyday name.
Every wording on this page works for two brides or two grooms; the real decisions are name order and the "daughter" or "son" line. Couples commonly list names alphabetically, in the order that sounds best aloud, or with the hosting family's child first. When one family hosts, "at the marriage of their daughter ... to ..." works exactly as it does for any couple, and Mx. is a correct title for a partner who uses it.
Names in alphabetical order by surname, one of the most common choices.
Mx. (pronounced "mix") is a correct formal title for anyone who uses it.
Tip: For no ordering signal at all, set both first names on one line with "&" or let a shared monogram lead the card.
A casual invitation still has to deliver the same facts as a formal one: both names, the date, the time, the place and what happens after. Everything around those facts can sound like you, with numerals in the date, first names and a line of humor. Keep the joke to one line so the details stay easy to find on the fridge.
Numerals and "p.m." are fine on a casual card.
At a home wedding the street address is the venue, so print it.
Tip: Read the card as a guest would: if a funny line could be mistaken for the dress code or the start time, rewrite it.
The polite way to say adults only begins on the envelope: address it only to the people invited, and the invitation itself never needs to mention children. A gentle line on the reply card or details card confirms it, and a "seats reserved in your honour" line on the RSVP does the arithmetic for guests. Many couples make exceptions for immediate family or the flower girl and ring bearer; tell those parents personally.
"Adults-only celebration" says it graciously; the envelope, addressed only to the guests invited, says the rest.
Fill in the number by hand before mailing, so each household sees exactly who is invited.
Tip: Never print "no children" on the invitation itself; a kind line on the details card or your wedding website does the same job.
Use reception wording when the ceremony is private, held far away or already happened, and everyone is invited to the celebration. Say plainly that the couple was married (or is marrying privately) so no one arrives expecting vows. A small reception card is also the traditional way to invite some guests to a ceremony and more to the party, or to send everyone on to a second location.
The traditional small card for a reception at a different place from the ceremony.
Reception invitations use "pleasure of your company", since there is no ceremony to attend.
Tip: Leave any mention of gifts or a registry off the card; guests who want it will find it on your wedding website.
For a second or later marriage the couple usually hosts, which suits wording in their own names, and the card can be as formal or as relaxed as the day itself. Grown or young children are often named with "Together with their children," and some families let the children issue the invitation. Titles are optional; many couples simply use first and last names.
A warm choice for a later-in-life wedding when grown children are helping plan.
Tip: If children will stand with you at the ceremony, naming them in the opening line tells guests this is a family beginning.
Destination invitations commonly go out ten to twelve weeks before the wedding, with save the dates eight to twelve months ahead so guests can plan flights and time off. Name the town and the country (or state) clearly, and send guests to your wedding website for travel, rooms and the weekend schedule. If a welcome dinner or farewell brunch is open to everyone, say so on the details card.
Mention passports early; renewals can take longer than the RSVP window.
Tip: Set the reply date before any room block releases its unbooked rooms, so guests who say yes can still get one.
A save the date needs only both names, the date and the town, plus "Invitation to follow," which tells guests a formal invitation is coming. Most couples mail them six to eight months ahead, or eight to twelve for a destination wedding. Send one only to people who will be invited, since a save the date cannot be taken back.
Tip: A wedding website link, printed as a QR code on these save the dates, lets guests start booking before the invitation arrives.
The reply card asks one question clearly: will you come. Formal cards read "The favour of a reply is requested by..." above an "M ____" line, where the guest completes Mr., Mrs., Ms. or Mx. and writes their name, then lines to accept or decline. Set the reply date three to four weeks before the wedding so your caterer gets final numbers on time, and add meal choices only if dinner is plated.
The guest completes "M" as Mr., Mrs., Ms. or Mx. and writes their names on the line.
Initials let the caterer match each plate to a place card.
Keep a phone number or a mailed card for guests who would rather not reply online.
Tip: Address and stamp every reply envelope; a card that needs nothing but a pen comes back sooner.
The details card (also called an insert or enclosure card) carries everything that would crowd the invitation: accommodations, travel, transportation, the dress code and your wedding website. Keep each section to two or three lines and send guests online for the rest. Registries belong on your wedding website rather than named by store on any card.
Pointing to the website is the gracious way to share registry details.
Tip: If the dress code is the one thing guests must know, it can also sit alone in the lower right corner of the invitation.
Spell it out and write it as a phrase: "Saturday, the twelfth of June" on one line and the year on the next. Only the day of the week and the month take capitals, and there are no numerals or abbreviations. On a modern or casual card "Saturday, June 12, 2027" is perfectly correct; just keep one style across the whole suite.
Write "two thousand twenty-seven" in lowercase on its own line. Most American stationers leave out the "and"; "two thousand and twenty-seven" is also seen, especially in British usage. Strictly speaking the year is optional on a wedding invitation, but most couples include it, and a save the date should always show it.
Spell it out and use "o'clock": "at four o'clock" or "at half past four o'clock." A formal card never uses "p.m." or "4:30". "Half after four o'clock" is an older engraving style and is also correct. Quarter hours read awkwardly in words, which is one reason ceremonies are usually set on the hour or the half hour.
Only when the hour could be misread, though many couples add it for rhythm. By custom "in the morning" runs until noon, "in the afternoon" for the hours before five, and "in the evening" from five or six on. Twelve o'clock is written "at twelve o'clock noon" or simply "at noon."
For most venues, the venue name with the city and state on the next line is enough; spell the state out ("Lexington, Kentucky", not "KY") and leave off the ZIP code. Include the street when the venue is a home or hard to find; short house numbers are often spelled out ("Two Harbor Street") and longer ones left as numerals. Maps and directions belong on the details card or your wedding website, and the reply envelope uses an ordinary postal address with the ZIP code.
Both spellings are correct. The British spellings are the long-standing convention on formal American invitations ("request the honour of your presence", "the favour of a reply"), and the American spellings are equally proper on any card. Choose one and use it on every piece of the suite. The choice between "honour of your presence" and "pleasure of your company" is separate: the first for a house of worship, the second for any other venue.
On formal cards use full names with middle names, and no nicknames or initials. Mr., Mrs. and Ms. are abbreviated; "Doctor" can be spelled out or written "Dr.", and a suffix can be written "Jr." or, more formally, "junior" in lowercase. Write "and" rather than "&" on traditional cards; the ampersand belongs to modern designs.
