Wording library
Wedding invitation
wording.
The host line is where nearly every wedding invitation goes wrong, because modern weddings are paid for by more people than the traditional forms anticipated.
How do you word a wedding invitation?
Host line first, then the request, then the couple's names, then date, time and place. Who appears on the host line is who is inviting — traditionally whoever pays, in modern practice whoever is genuinely welcoming the guests. "Together with their families" is the standard solution when everyone contributes and nobody should be listed first.
01
By who is hosting.
The five situations that cover almost every wedding.
Mr and Mrs Charles Okonkworequest the honour of your presenceat the marriage of their daughterAmara ChineloaMr Daniel Reyes
The most formal form. "Honour of your presence" is conventionally reserved for a ceremony in a house of worship; "pleasure of your company" is used everywhere else.
Together with their familiesAmara OkonkwoeDaniel Reyesrequest the pleasure of your companyat their marriage
The commonest modern form, and the one that solves the who-comes-first problem without anyone having to raise it.
Amara OkonkwoeDaniel Reyesinvite you to celebratetheir wedding
Correct whenever the couple are paying, and increasingly the default. Nothing is lost in formality by it.
Mrs Adaeze OkonkwoeMr Charles Okonkworequest the honour of your presenceat the marriage of their daughter
Each parent on their own line, mother conventionally first, no "and" joining them as a couple. If a parent has remarried and the step-parent is hosting, name them on that parent's line.
Together with their childrenMarion WhitfieldeEverett Pomeroyinvite you to share in their joyas they marry
Naming the children is warm and common. There is no convention requiring anything to be omitted or downplayed at a second marriage.
02
The conventions that still matter.
| Convention | Formal | Modern |
|---|---|---|
| Dates | "Saturday, the fourteenth of June" | "Saturday 14 June" |
| Year | "two thousand and twenty-seven" | "2027" or omitted |
| Times | "at half after four o'clock" | "4.30pm" |
| Pedir | "honour of your presence" (house of worship) | "join us", "celebrate with us" |
| Titles | "Mr and Mrs", full names | First names alone are fine |
| Reception | Its own line or card | A line at the foot |
03
Common questions
Whose name goes first?
What if one set of parents paid more?
Do we have to say 'honour' or 'pleasure'?
Set your wording into a design made for it.
The same sentence reads differently engraved, letterpressed or set in a modern face. Evorrah designs the suite around your wedding and sets your words into it.
See how a suite is designed Generate wording