Wedding Wording Etiquette

Learn wedding invitation etiquette.

Weddings are steeped in traditions, customs and etiquette. Wedding invitation wording is included with its own set of etiquette rules. If you're taking a traditional stance on creating and wording your wedding invitation, you may also want to learn the rules for putting the wedding invitation copy together.

Significance

The words used in the wedding invitation and the order in which the words flow all depend on who the invitation honors rather than who is hosting or paying for the wedding. The wording can get a bit tricky in more modern times with step families, divorced parents and blended families involved in the process.

Honor

The first rule of etiquette is that the first line of the wedding invitation is whom the bride and groom wishes to honor. More traditionally, the bride's parents pay for the wedding and therefore are part of the first line of the wedding invitation. For example, "Mr. and Mrs. John J. Smith request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their daughter."

In the case of divorced parents, notes the Invitation Consultants website, each parent may be listed as the host, such as "Mr. John J. Smith and Ms. Sara L. Jones request the honor of your presence."

Request

Wedding wording etiquette governs how the invitation should be extended to your guests. After the parents are honored, you then choose how you invite guests to attend the wedding. You may say, "Request the pleasure of your company. Another option is "Request the pleasure of your presence or "Would like you to help celebrate the marriage of." A final example is " Invite you to celebrate with them at the marriage of."

Time Frame

Wedding times on traditional invitations are spelled out completely rather than abbreviated. So instead of saying, "6:00 p.m.," you would write, "six o'clock in the evening."

Attire

If you are having a formal wedding, where formal or black tie attire is required by your wedding guests, the wedding invitation must include this information. You can say, "Black Tie Required," or "Formal Attire Required," or "Formal Attire." If you leave the dress requirements off of the invitation, then what guests can wear to the wedding is left to interpretation by the recipient.

References

• Beau Coup: Wedding Invitation Wording Etiquette
• Invitation Consultants: Sample Wording--Divorced Parents