- At the outset, it is necessary to identify who is giving the wedding celebration and who is paying for the reception. Generally, whomever is paying for the wedding reception will be stated as the first party on the invitation and the r.s.v.p. cards are sent back to that party. In addition, it is necessary to determine if the wedding will be a fancy, formal event or a more casual affair. This factor helps to determine how the language should be structured on the invitation. Finally, one should review who will be on the guest list, as this may influence how the language is written.
- In the instance that a bride or groom's parents are paying for the reception, the invitation usually reads with the parents' names first. For example, "Mr. and Mrs. John Doe request the honor of your presence at the wedding of their son/daughter, Jane/John Doe." In addition, the r.s.v.p. card should contain this party's address so that the party can plan accordingly.
- When the bride and/or groom are paying for the wedding reception, the invitation is written differently. Such an invitation reads with the couple's names first. For example, "Jane Doe and John Smith invite you to share in their exchange of wedding vows on January 1, 2010." Thus, the invitation signifies that the wedding and reception will be handled by the couple. Furthermore, the r.s.v.p. card should contain the bride or groom's address.
- The next information to be placed on the wedding invitation is the location, date and time of the wedding. The same information should be provided for the wedding reception. Usually, the month, date and year are spelled out in full words. For instance, for the date and time, the correct terminology would be "the first day of March, two thousand and ten" and "at one o'clock in the afternoon."
- Finally, when determining how to write the wedding announcement, one may wish to consider if the wedding will be formal or informal. If the wedding is formal, the wedding announcement should be limited to the details of the event. However, for an informal wedding, the announcement can contain additional details. For example, the announcement may include a poem or romantic quote, information about the couple or information about hotel reservations for traveling guests. When drafting an informal announcement, the sky is the limit and the announcement can be written to the taste of the author.
