Traditionally wording wedding invitation would have the bride’s parents as the hosts, usually because they would be paying for the wedding & as such the wedding invitations would be from them.  But in modern times many couples will pay for the wedding themselves or jointly with either one or both sets of parents.  There is also the matter of complicated family situations where parents are divorced, re-married, seperated etc.  Little wonder that these days choosing the right wording for your invitation can be something of a headache!

When choosing the wording for their invitations many brides will stick to a traditional template, making some adjustments to allow for family situations at the wedding. Here are a few templates you could consider for your invitation wording:

Traditional template (bride’s parents as hosts)
Mr & Mrs John Davis request the pleasure of your company (or insert name of guest/s here if you haven’t written it in the top left hand corner of the invite)
at the marriage of their daughter Jennifer
to
Mr Mark Jones
at
The Village Church
On 5th August 2009
And afterwards at
The Village Hall

Replace with the following wording, if the hosts differ:

Bridal couple as hosts
Miss Jennifer Davis & Mr Mark Jones request the pleasure of…………at their marriage

Divorced parents as hosts
Mr John Davis & Mrs Liz Davis request the pleasure of………..at the marriage of their daughter Jennifer.

Remarried mother/father as host
Mr & Mrs Paul Morgan/ Mr & Mrs John Davis request the pleasure of…………
At the marriage of her/his daughter Jennifer

Widowed mother as host
Mrs John Davis requests the pleasure of………. at the marriage of her daughter Jennifer

Finding the Perfect Words for Your Invitations

Whatever your style of wedding stationery, you want to get your invitation word perfect. Like the rest of your wedding stationery, the wording on the invitations should reflect the overall style of your special day. Before deciding how you to word your invitation, you should to decide on the style of the wedding and the invitation itself. Typically, the more formal your wedding, the more formal the invitation should be. Increasingly, many brides are opting for more informal and modern ceremonies , rather than classic and traditional which means that the wording of the invitation is no longer held up to such strict rules of etiquette. Ultimately, the wording of the invitation is about what you want rather than what you think should be written so don’t be afraid to experiment with different wording styles! Our guide below will give you some ideas to get you started.

FORMAL WEDDING INVITATIONS

The number one rule for formal invitations, if you are sticking to convention, is that that invitations are written in the third person, referring to the hosts of the reception using their full names. There are no strict rules of etiquette but here are some guidelines to remember as a general rule (just remember simplicity and clarity are the most important considerations):
Here are some things to remember when you’re composing a formal invitation:

• Write out names in full, including middle names – do not write names as initials
• Spell out all words, including the hour, the date and the year. Spell out all words in the address, including Street, Road and Avenue. The two exceptions to this rule in an address are Saint (St.) and Mount (Mt.)
• Use Roman numerals in names, rather than “the second” or “2nd.”
• If the wedding is not going to be at a house of worship, then the phrase ‘honour of your presence’ should be replaced by ‘pleasure of your company’.
• When a Roman Catholic mass is part of the ceremony, invitations may include the phrase “and your participation in the offering of the Nuptial Mass” on a separate line below the groom’s name
• Etiquette says that the bride should be listed first before the groom, using first and middle names only. Then the groom should be listed, using both title and middle name.
• There is no punctuation except after abbreviations (Mr., Mrs.,) and when sentences requiring commas appear in one line (“on Saturday, the ninth of July”)
• Numbers in the street address mentioned on the invitation are written in numerals eg) “323 Windsor Street”. But when there is just one number, it is spelled out: “Thirty Windsor Street”.
• Half hours are written as “half after four o’clock” not “half past four” or “four thirty”

Formal invitations should be printed on formal heavyweight paper. Ivory, cream, and white are accepted colours for formal invitations. Classic font types, such as Roman, printed or engraved in black are traditionally used.

INFORMAL WEDDING INVITATIONS

For slightly less formal weddings you may wish to leave out Mr and Mrs and other titles and write the date and time in numbers rather than words. You can also print the invitation in coloured ink rather than black with modern fonts and add printed designs to the invitation. For very informal weddings, particularly those being hosted by the bridal couple, the wording and style of the invitation can be as creative as you wish – the only limit is your imagination!

You may also wish to add your personal wedding website address and your email address to the invitation. Many couples are now choosing to complement their wedding invitations with their own custom-built wedding website. A wedding ‘wedsite’ is a great way to keep your wedding guests up to date with all of your wedding arrangements and you can also put your wedding photos online after your wedding for all to enjoy!

Have you set your heart on a classically beautiful traditional wedding? If so, you are in excellent company, since this is still one of the most popular styles of wedding around. One reason why brides like to tackle the traditional wedding style is because certain protocol has been laid out before them. This makes it much easier to go through the planning process by simply following these guidelines. This is true for every aspect of the traditional wedding; from planning the flowers to choosing the traditional wedding invitation wording.

What Traditional Wedding Invitation Wording is Not

If you are concerned that traditional wedding invitation wording does not leave room for customization or your own personal style to show through, think again. You can choose traditional wedding invitation wording that is romantic, poetic or completely formal. You can add your own verse or rearrange the order of the major players involved.

The best thing about traditional wedding invitation wording is that you can stick with the basic templates that can be found all over the Internet or revise one of these designs to suit your own personal needs and taste. Another misnomer about traditional weddings is the cost. While you can easily bust your budget with this style of wedding, you can also find ways to throw a traditional wedding at a bargain price.

For example, there are many selections of discount wedding invitations that will give you the same simple beauty at a fraction of the cost. The great thing about your wedding invites is that you can incorporate traditional wedding invitation wording to any type of invitation you choose.

Charactreristics of Traditional Wedding Invitation Wording

While most traditional wedding invitation wording begins with the names of the bride’s parents, this is because these folks are most often the hosts of the day. If the groom’s parents or the bride and groom are hosting the weddings, traditional wedding invitation wording allows for you to make these alterations.

You can also find options for families with divorce, second marriages or a couple that is involving their children in the ceremony. You can find numerous templates for traditional wedding invitation wording online that will help you choose the best text for your own invitation.

Traditional wedding invitation wording is the perfect beginning to an event filled with classic rituals and timeless elegance. Choose your wedding invitations early and set the mood for your special day right from the start.

There are hundreds of ways to address an invitation. The most important thing to remember is to include the full names of the bride and groom, the names of those hosting the event, and a “request line” — however formal, casual, or cool that may be. Now that you’ve learned how to word a wedding invitation, you can bend these rules to make your wedding invitation reflect who you are as a couple. Here are a few examples of what brides and grooms across the nation are doing today to put a small twist on the traditional.

Not-So-Proper Parents

• List the parents names without the proper surnames; it almost seems archaic to address everyone as a Mr. or a Mrs.
  Jason and Eliza Miller
  request the honor of your presence
  at the marriage of their daughter
  Katie Lynn
  to
  Robert Luke
  son of
  Randall and Meredith Richards
• Alter the “request line” to suit the style of your wedding. Many couples not marrying in a religious institution or marrying in a very casual setting, pen their invitations with “pleasure of your company.”
  Jason and Eliza Miller
  request the pleasure of your company
  at the marriage of their daughter
  Katie Lynn
  to
  Robert Luke
  son of
  Randall and Meredith Richards
• Other couples are forgoing the traditional “honor of your presence” or “pleasure of your company” altogether and are opting for a more relaxed and festive “request line.”
  Jason and Eliza Miller
  invite you to share and celebrate
  the marriage of their daughter
  Katie Lynn
  to
  Robert Luke Richards
• Many couples who are hosting the wedding alongside their parents, choose to eliminate their parents’ names and save space with a simple suggestion of their financial help and loving support.
  Katie Lynn Miller
  and
  Robert Luke Richards
  together with their parents
  request the pleasure of your company
  at their marriage
• For couples entirely hosting the wedding themselves, parents names are not included on the invitation. However, it is important to remember to thank each set of parents for their support with a toast at the reception.
  Katie Lynn Miller
  and
  Robert Luke Richards
  invite you to share in their joy
  as they exchange marriage vows

Relaxed Request Line

Really Relaxed Request Line

Couples Come First

one of the most difficult decisions for wedding invitations, save the design of the invitation wording. There are many different circumstances, the marriage, then follow the proper etiquette for the wording of wedding invitation is important. Look up the correct wording for wedding invitations.

regular wedding invitation reception card with:

< , br Generally, the wedding invitation to give, who, what, when, where and why information. You can choose the parents of the bride invites you to have the guests, the parents of the bride and groom, the groom’s parents, if the woman has no living parents or the couple to ask guests come to the wedding.

wedding invitation example, parents:
;
Mr. and Mrs. John Smith request the honor of your presence at the wedding of their daughter, Lisa, Mr Richard Jones on Saturday, the tenth of June, two thousand and nine a clock in the afternoon, to St. Jew’s Church, Springfield, Arizona (to move out of the marriage “girl” with “son” and “man of the name” in the name of the bride, Miss or Ms Rachel Jones “).

bride and the groom calls his parents:
; / strong>
Beauty Mrs. John Smith and Mr. and Mrs. Richard Jones, two thousand and nine request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their children, Lisa Smith and Bill Jones Saturday, the tenth in June for a clock in the afternoon, the church of St Jew, Springfield, Arizona. < ; loading / P>

married # 1:
;
Miss Lisa Smith and Bill Jones request the honor of your presence two thousand and nine at her wedding on Saturday, June tenth at a clock afternoon, Jew St., Springfield, Arizona. < married Invite br />

# 2:

the honor of your presence at the wedding of Miss / Ms Lisa Smith and Bill Jones asked on Saturday, June tenth two thousand and nine a clock in the afternoon, the Saint Jew, Springfield, Arizona.

married Invite # 3:

<, br />

card input / strong>
,
reception after the ceremony, at seven in the evening on the Clock Golf and Country Club, 1234 Main Street, Springfield, Arizona.

wedding where the mother has remarried:
< br />

wedding where the mother remarried, my late father:
<, br />
wording for divorced parents Hosting # 1:

Mrs. John Smith (or Mrs. Evelyn Smith, if the mother is not married) and Joe Rodriguez request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their daughter Lisa Rodriguez Richard Jones on Saturday, June tenth two thousand and nine a clock in the afternoon, the church of St. Jew, Springfield, Arizona.

wording for divorced parents Hosting # 2:

< p> Mr. and Mrs. John Smith and Mr. and Mrs. Joe Rodriguez two thousand and nine request the pleasure of your company at the wedding of Lisa Marie Richard Jones on Saturday, the tenth in June for a clock in the afternoon, St. Jew’s Church, Springfield, Arizona.

formulation, if a parent

; Mr. Joe Rodriguez

request the honor of your presence at the wedding of his daughter Lisa Marie to Mr. Richard Jones on Saturday, June tenth two thousand and nine a clock in the afternoon, the church of St. Jew, Springfield, Arizona. < ,

Label

Other / strong>

wedding invitations

are more formal written primarily for religious marriages. Some label “Others” includes:

write the date and time in words rather than numbers.
including the names of spouses, parents (optional)

The choice of wedding invitation wording are endless … use some common phrases, the following:

request the honor of your presence
invite request the pleasure of your company <, br /> ; invite you to join in the celebration br
shares of the day />

working days

; for

The text of your reply card should also formally, the following options:

RSVP – which quite informal
Responder Si’l Vous plait tend to be – more formal
Please reply by
The favor of a reply will be by
Please reply by
requested

The bride and groom have many decisions to make during the wedding planning process. Once the major decisions are made, such as the date, location, and guest list, then the bride and groom should order their wedding invitations. It is a general rule that wedding invitations be sent to guests six to eight weeks prior to the wedding. This allows for the guests to make sure they have that day free and makes travel arrangements if necessary. In order to send out these invitations, the bride and groom need to choose the right wedding invitation wording.

If the bride and groom have chosen a theme for their wedding, then this should be expressed through the wedding invitation. It will also help them to choose their wedding invitation wording. The bride and groom need to consider whether their wedding is going to be a formal event, a casual event, or something entirely different. This will need to be expressed through the invitation and the wedding invitation wording. This is important because it will convey to the guests what they can expect from the wedding as well as clue them in to a proper gift and so they dress appropriately as well.

Wedding invitation wording is not one of the more difficult decisions that the bride and groom will need to make. Luckily, every wedding invitation retailer has plenty of examples of the most popular wedding invitation wording. The bride and groom can use one of these examples and simply insert their personal information. They may also combine several examples to meet their needs. If they are creative, then the bride and groom may choose to write their own wedding invitation wording. Regardless of what they choose, the wedding invitation wording should mesh with the wedding atmosphere while providing all of the pertinent information.

The bride and groom need to make sure that all of this crucial information is included in the wedding invitation wording. The invitation generally begins with the names of the people who are hosting the wedding, unless the bride and groom are hosting it themselves. This is followed by the names of the bride and groom. This should be included so that distant relatives and family friends have the names of both bride and groom in order to address cards and gifts properly. The next information included should be the date, time, and location of the ceremony. If the reception will be held at a different location or is not directly following the ceremony, then this information should be included as well. If the bride and groom are not including reply cards with their invitations, then the reply information should be included as well. All of this information is necessary for the guests to have and should be included in the wedding invitation wording.

Wedding invitation wording is one of the more fun choices that the bride and groom will make during the wedding planning process. It should not be stressful like some of the other planning. It gives the brides and grooms the opportunity to express their personal style. Since guests need all of this information, the wedding invitation wording is crucial and should not be taken too lightly!

From the invitations, to the ceremony, to the reception, each couple tries to make their day as special, memorable and perfect for themselves and their guests.  Since guests expect and want certain things when attending a wedding, here are some inside dos and don’ts to ensure everyone enjoys the day.

Invitations.
When sending out your invitations to single individuals, try to include “and guest” with their wedding invite.  Just because an adult isn’t married, that doesn’t mean they don’t have someone special they’d like to bring.  For more and other ways to reduce your guest list properly read here.

Let there be no surprises to anyone who sees the invitations. Make sure to include all parents of the bride and the groom, regardless of who is paying the bill. If you have step-parents, discuss with them the invitation name arrangements.

Avoid specifying the type of gifts you’re looking for. For example, never demand that you’re only looking for cash gifts. It’s bad etiquette to assume they’ll all be giving gifts, even if it is standard to do so.  Instead use online registries and your bridal party to get the word out.

Always include directions to the wedding ceremony as well as to the reception. Relatives and friends come from all over and many may not know your area. Giving them a list of directions and possible hotel locations can make their stay much more organized and enjoyable.

Check out more invitation etiquette here.

The ceremony.
Timing is everything. Your service should run, on average, thirty to forty-five minutes, depending whether you’re having a full mass, synagogue wedding, or simply exchanging your vows. A long ceremony can dull the magic your guests want to feel during the moment you two become husband and wife.

Don’t have a large gap in time between the ceremony and the cocktail hour. For example, if your ceremony is at 3:00 pm and your cocktail hour doesn’t start until 6:00 pm, your guests will have at least two hours to wait in between events. While the bridal party has pictures, the bridal cocktail hour and other obligations, your guests need to be entertained as well.  It doesn’t need to include alcohol, but they should be given something nice.

Cocktail hour.
The cocktail hour is not the main event; some hors d’ouevres, drinks and socializing is all that’s necessary in preparation for the reception.  Remember, however, that guests will expect alcohol, so if you decide against it to spread that word in advance.  If you’re looking to nix the mix for budgetary reasons, a cash bar is not the answer: Guests should not be expected to open their wallets at your wedding.

Don’t have an overload of food; give your guests the chance to try a little bit of everything, but you don’t want them so stuffed that they have no room for the main course and, the best part… dessert!

The Reception.
Everyone always dreads the seating arrangements. To keep the peace, try to seat guests with those relatives and friends they get along with. Think about having parents with small children sit with other parents and their children.

Keep the intros of the bridal party short and sweet, so that you have time for food, dancing and events. Make sure you serve dinner no later than 9:00 pm…guests don’t like to eat dinner after 10.

Make sure your table centerpieces are small enough that you can see everyone across, diagonally and next to you at the table. Big centerpieces, although pretty and dramatic, can take away from the personal affect your guests should feel with each other. A small flower arrangement or candle is just enough!

The beach is the most popular destination wedding theme these days and many brides want to start their wedding theme off right with a beautiful beach theme wedding invitation.

Many wedding invitation sites like http://www.rs2guru.com exist to offer hundreds of beach wedding invitations, but beach brides aren’t worried about finding the right beach invitation as much as they are worried about their beach wedding invitation wording.

Every bride wants her wedding to be unique and her wedding invitation is no different. Finding the perfect beach wedding invitation wording is as important as finding the perfect beach wedding invitation itself, so here are 5 beach wedding invitation wording tips.

1. Know yourself and your spouse to be – Your beach invitation wording should reflect you and your future spouses personalities, love and quirkiness … yes, quirkiness. Wedding invitations have been done for millions of years, if you want to be original, you are going to have to capture what makes you and your beach love different than other couples.

2. There is no wrong wording – Certain wedding invitation wording ethics exist, but most people don’t know them and wouldn’t notice if you went according to the rules or not. Besides, more and more brides and grooms are throwing the rules to the wind these days and just writing what they want. Don’t worry about trying to follow all the rules. The reason you’re probably having a beach wedding is because you didn’t want the traditional wedding ceremony anyway, so have your beach wedding invitation reflect the same free flowing spirit that the beach has.

3. Know your audience – Even though we just mentioned that your beach wedding invitation wording should be about you and your future beach spouse by placing your quirkiness in your beach invitation wording, remember who your audience is. If you are sending this invitation to an 80-year-old grandma, you probably don’t want to use profanity or other inappropriate language.

4. Beach phrases – Find a single beach phrase that fits you and your spouse but also suits the beach setting you will be married in. “Once upon a time on a beach …” or “What happens on the beach … stays in our hearts,” are just some examples. More examples can be found at http://www.rs2guru.com.

5. Match your wording to your invitation – Simple beach weddings with simple beach themes should have simple beach wedding invitation themes as well. A beach wedding with 10 – 50 people is an intimate setting and the invitations should reflect that. Don’t bog down the wording with a 20 line poem to begin the invitation. A beach wedding with over 500 people can be reason for the 20 line poem.

Good luck with your beach weddings, your beach wedding invitations, and your beach wedding invitation wording. To see the most beach wedding invitations in the world on one Web site go to: http://www.rs2guru.com.

Wedding invitations can say a lot about you as a couple. Your wedding invitation also makes a first impression on your invitees, and gives them an exciting glimpse into the big day ahead. With the right wording, everyone on your guests list will get a taste of your personality in addition to exciting information about the wedding. Depending on your wedding particulars, there are many different ways to word your wedding invitations.

If you are going for a formal wedding invitation, you should look back to conventional wedding etiquette. If your wedding is formal, you’ll want to stick with the more traditional wedding invitation wording. But if you’re having a more modern wedding, you can opt for a fun and modern approach to the wording.

About Host and Hostess

First, you have to know who is hosting (paying for) your wedding. Traditionally it is the bride’s parents so their names appear first on the wedding invitation. However, if both parents are hosting the wedding, or if the couple is hosting their own wedding, the couple’s name appears first on the invitation. Here are some examples:

About Bride’s Family Hosting:

“Mr. and Mrs. John Smith or (Jane and John Smith, less traditionally) request your presence at the wedding of their daughter….”

About Groom’s Family Hosting:

“Mr. and Mrs. Jack Jones (or Jill and Jack Jones, less formally) request your presence at the wedding of their son…”

About Bride and Groom’s Family Hosting:

“Mr. and Mrs. John Smith and Mr. and Mrs. Jack Jones request the honor of your presence at the wedding of their children…”

About Couple is Hosting:

“Mr. Joseph Jones and Miss Janice Smith request the honor of your presence at their wedding…”

About Wedding Invitation Request Line

The next step is to request their presence. Depending upon the venue of your wedding, the wording will vary. If you’re hosting your wedding at a place of worship such as a church, the wedding invitation should read “request the honor of your presence at the/their wedding of their children…”

However, if you’re holding your wedding at a different venue other than a church or place of worship, your wedding invitation should read, either, “request the pleasure of your company at the wedding of their daughter/son.”

If the couple is hosting, the request should read “invite you to join us at the celebration of our marriage….”

About Announcing the Date and Time

The next step on your invitation is to announce the date and time. Traditionally the words are all spelled out, such as, “Saturday, the fifteenth of June, two thousand and ten at two o’clock in the afternoon,” or, “Sunday, the second of December, two thousand and eleven and half after two o’clock in the afternoon.”

If you’re going for a more modern approach, you can just write, “Saturday, June 15, 2010 at 2 p.m.”

About Location, Location, Location

The next line of your invitation should be the location of you wedding. However, if your wedding is at a popular local location, you don’t need the address, but you do for smaller or lesser known locations.

If you are hosting your wedding at a vacation destination or a place outside of your local home city or town, you should include the full address, including the city and state/province, even country if necessary. If this is the case, you should also include an insert to your wedding invitation regarding the destination information and other information that will pertain to the venue.

About Reception

If you’re having a reception, the next line in your invitation should be about the party or reception afterwards. You can include this on your wedding invitation or you can put it on a separate card (especially if you are inviting more people to the reception than to the wedding, or vice versa, which is common in keeping the wedding costs down). The wording should read something like, “reception to follow at . . .”

If you’re not serving a full meal at your reception, you should inform the guests by writing something like, “and join us afterwards for cake and cocktails at…” or “dancing and dessert to follow at…”

You should include a separate reception card if you’re holding the reception at a different venue from the wedding, or if the reception isn’t immediately following the wedding ceremony. Your insert card should read, “reception at eight o’clock at the Grand Hotel…” complete with the address.

ABOUT Request a Reply

You should request a reply from your guests so you can finalize your plans. Include a reply card and self-addressed, stamped reply envelope. This will help you to get more responses to your invitations. Formally, your reply request should read “R.S.V.P.”

But you can also write, “the favor of a reply is requested before the fifth of June,” or “Please reply by…” You can also include a detailed reply card that requests whether they will or will not attend and the number of guests that they will be bringing.

Regardless of how formal your wedding is, your invitations should convey respect and appreciation for your guests, and let them know how much their presence means to you on your big day.

What Traditional Wedding Invitation Wording is Not
If you are concerned that traditional wedding invitation wording does not leave room for customization or your own personal style to show through, think again. You can choose traditional wedding invitation wording that is romantic, poetic or completely formal. You can add your own verse or rearrange the order of the major players involved.

The best thing about traditional wedding invitation wording is that you can stick with the basic templates that can be found all over the Internet or revise one of these designs to suit your own personal needs and taste. Another misnomer about traditional weddings is the cost.
For example, there are many selections of discount wedding invitations that will give you the same simple beauty at a fraction of the cost. The great thing about your wedding invites is that you can incorporate traditional wedding invitation wording to any type of invitation you choose.

While most traditional wedding invitation wording begins with the names of the bride’s parents, this is because these folks are most often the hosts of the day. If the groom’s parents or the bride and groom are hosting the weddings, traditional wedding invitation wording allows for you to make these alterations.

You can also find options for families with divorce, second marriages or a couple that is involving their children in the ceremony. You can find numerous templates for traditional wedding invitation wording online that will help you choose the best text for your own invitation.

Traditional wedding invitation wording is the perfect beginning to an event filled with classic rituals and timeless elegance. Choose your wedding invitations early and set the mood for your special day right from the start.