Bridal Invitations Wording
The bridal invitation is the first indicators of the tone and style of your wedding. The wording of the invitation gives guests an idea of how formal the wedding will be, so choosing how to word the invitation depends on the style of the wedding. There are stricter rules for traditional weddings than for less formal occasions. A wedding invitation has five parts: the request, the marriage announcement, the date, the location and reception information.
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Instructions
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Write the request. Traditionally, the bride's parents are the 'hosts' of the wedding, so the invitation should read, "Mr. and Mrs. John Doe request (the honor of) your presence..." If the ceremony is held in a place of worship, the word honor is included. For less formal weddings, it is acceptable to write, "Mr. and Mrs. John Doe invite you to attend..."
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Word the announcement. Following the parents' names, the bride and groom's names should follow: "Mr. and Mrs. John Doe request your presence at the marriage of their daughter Jane Louise to Joseph Luke Dunn." The bride's last name should not be included as their parents' name is already there.
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Give the date and time. For formal occasions, every part of the date should be spelled out, for example: Saturday, the fourteenth of October, two thousand and twelve, at four o'clock in the afternoon." For less formal ceremonies, abbreviations can be used.
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State the ceremony location. The name of the location is written on a line above the address. Again, for formal invitations, no abbreviations should be used.
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Give reception information. Below the date and time of the wedding, write, "Reception to follow at (place) at (time)."
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Tips & Warnings
If the wedding takes place at half past the hour, then it should be written as "half after" the hour.
RSVP and registry information should be included on separate cards.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit invitation mariage image by Christophe Thélisson from Fotolia.com
