One you’ve selected most elements of your wedding, it’s time to choose your wedding invitation verbiage, aka wording. It’s not as tough as you think! Knowing what to write on wedding invitations is pretty straightforward when you know where to begin.
In this blog post, we’re sharing wedding invitation wording etiquette, along with invite examples, so you know exactly what to put for yours.
Why is wording important on an wedding invitation?
The verbiage of your wedding invitation is to inform your guests of the who, what, when, and where of your big day.
It should leave very little questions for guests to ponder and should explain who is hosting, where it is held, and what your wedding theme and color palette will be.
Some invitations even inform your guests what to wear with dress code as a separate enclosure.
Lastly, your invitation wording will give your guests insight into how formal or casual the event will be so they can plan accordingly.
In this article, we’ll outline:
► What to Include on a Wedding Invitation
► Wedding Invitation Verbiage Examples, Line-By-Line
► Wedding Invitation Wording Etiquette
Let’s get started.
What to Include on Your Wedding Invitations
A wedding invitation states the 5 W’s: who is getting married, who is hosting, what the event is, when the ceremony begins, and where it is held.
Another important item to include in wedding invites is 1 H: how to RSVP. You will include a method of responding to the invitation so you know if guests can attend or need to decline. You can do so with an RSVP card they return to you via postal mail or online, digitally, via your wedding website.
Host
Who is hosting the event? The first line of a wedding invitation opens with details on who is hosting. Is it you and your partner? Your parents? Your partner’s parents? Everyone? Include the names if you’d like. If you are hosting it yourselves, it can be left as, “Join us for…” since you won’t be mentioning your names twice.
In this example, there are multiple parties hosting so the wording is, “Together with their families…”
Formal Request to Attend
Whether your wedding is formal or informal, you’ll still want to specify the event and make it clear you’re inviting your guest to attend. It can be formal or informal, but some wording to invite the guest to attend should be mentioned.
Couple’s Names
The next line will include the names of the couple. Make sure the names stand out on the invitation card.
The Date and Time
If the wedding is formal, you will spell out the date and time on the invitations in your wording. Here is an example of a formally worded invitation:
On the other hand, if your wedding is casual, you can be a little more laid-back with the wording for the date and time, as shown in this example below.
The Location
Be specific in mentioning the location of your ceremony venue with the full address on your invitation card.
This is helpful for guests to use when inputting into GPS for easy navigation to the ceremony.
Reception
When the wedding ceremony and reception are held in the same venue, you can use the words, “Reception to follow” or “Dinner and dancing to follow”, etc.
If you have a separate location for the reception, you can include “reception to follow” but also include a separate enclosure card with the reception details.
Your reception enclosure card will look similar to this example, below.
Dress Code, Map, Other Details
If you’d like, a dress code can be expressed on a separate enclosure card. A map may also be included, although this isn’t as commonplace today with the ease of navigation on Smartphones. Furthermore, other details such as cocktail hour or hotel accommodations may be included separately on cards, but many couples are streamlining the process by listing these items on a wedding website instead.
You can include one enclosure card with the wedding website details and a QR code for guests to scan, like this, so they’ll easily scan the code and visit your wedding website for more information.
The words “reception to follow” typically follow the above details.
RSVP Card
You’ll include either a formal RSVP card, like this, for guests to send back by mail.
Alternatively, you can send a card like this with instructions for guests to respond online via your wedding website.
Now that you have some of the basics, let’s talk about more specific wording examples for your wedding invites. In this section, we’ll tackle how to word your invitations line by line.
Wedding Invitation Verbiage Examples, Line-By-Line
Take note before you begin whether you’re planning to use formal wording or informal. Formal wording spells everything out and does not have any abbreviations. The rules of informal wording is more laid-back and can be written out simply.
You’ll use the wording below based on who is hosting and formality of your wedding.
FORMAL
One Set of Parents Hosting
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas P. Cooper
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Elizabeth Ann Wilkins
to
Eric Philip Cooper
Friday, the twelfth of November
two thousand twenty-six
at five o’clock
Both Parents Hosting
Michelle A. Perkins and Francis W. Perkins
Kevin Miller and Judith Miller
request your company
at the marriage of their children
Veronica Anne
and
Jacob Paul
Saturday, the fourteenth of April
two thousand twenty-six
at four o’clock
Here is an excellent example of invitation verbiage for both parents hosting:
Hosting with Parents
Together with their families
kindly join us for the wedding of
Blake Taylor Perkins
and
Rory Quinn Smith
Couple Hosting
Join us as we celebrate
the marriage of
Lauren Marie Tuttle
to
Michael Arthur Smith
Saturday, the fifth of May
two thousand twenty-six
at five o’clock
Couple Hosting
You are invited to
the marriage of
Elizabeth Ann Smith
to
Jackson Richard Franklin
on Saturday, the fifteenth of June
six o’clock in the evening
Now let’s talk about more casual wording examples for wedding invitations.
INFORMAL
One Set of Parents Hosting
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas P. Cooper
invite you to celebrate the marriage of their daughter
Elizabeth Ann Wilkins
to
Eric Philip Cooper
Friday, November 12, 2026
5pm
Both Sets of Parents Hosting
Michelle A. Perkins and Francis W. Perkins
Kevin Miller and Judith Miller
request your company
at the marriage of their children
Veronica Anne
and
Jacob Paul
Saturday, April 14, 2026
4pm
Hosting with Parents
Together with their families
kindly join us for the wedding of
Blake Taylor Perkins
and
Rory Quinn Smith
Saturday, May 26, 2026
6pm
Couple Hosting
Join us as we celebrate
the marriage of
Lauren Marie Tuttle
to
Michael Arthur Smith
Saturday, May 5, 2026
5pm
Now that you know the components of the invitation and the proper invitation wording, let’s discuss some helpful tips and tricks to brush up on your invitation wording etiquette.
Wedding Invitation Wording Etiquette
→ Include all the necessary details.
A properly worded invitation leaves little questions to guests. They should know who is hosting, who is getting married, where it is held, what time it begins, and what the event is.
→ Choose an invitation that reflects the tone and theme of your wedding.
Guests frequently refer to the invitation design to choose what to wear based on how formal the event will be. Make sure your invitation mirrors the proper level of formality, the style, the colors, and the theme of your wedding.
→ Include your wedding website as an enclosure card.
Last but not least, make sure you are including your wedding website on a separate enclosure card. It is commonplace to have a wedding website in this day and age, and guests will look to it for up-to-date information if anything changes. In addition, they’ll be able to find helpful links including hotel accommodations, dress code, gift registry, and RSVP for your wedding digitally. (Don’t have a website? Get one for free here!)
• Not sure how to make a wedding website? Get the full tutorial: How to Make the Best Wedding Website.
That just about covers it! Now you’re an expert in wedding invitation wording. If you need to include anything “extra” for guests, be sure to update your wedding website accordingly. It is also helpful to include any last-minute changes that may impact travel, such as construction on a major highway, high-traffic due to an event in the area, limited parking, etc.
If you have any questions on your wedding invitation verbiage, let me know in the comment box below.
Hope it helps!
