INVITATION WORDINGS
| General Information | Formal Wordings | Contemporary | Wordings | Paragraph | Write Your Own |
Traditional wordings have invited guests to beautiful marriage ceremony for centuries. The following are examples of the most formal rules of invitation etiquette. We also have samples of contemporary wordings for you to choose from. You may choose to follow one of those wordings or create an invitation that expresses your feelings more personally.
General Information
If the reception is being held at the same location as the ceremony and the same people are invited to both, then add "Reception to immediately follow at the same location." If your reception and ceremony are at different locations, and everyone is invited to both, you have two choices. Mail invitation with the ceremony information (as above) and then add the reception location and time to the bottom left corner, or an invitation to the ceremony and a separate reception card.
Visit our Invitation Tips & Etiquette section for things you should be caution of.
Formal Wordings
The parent's of the bride usually issue the wedding invitations. If your parent's aren't alive, then the closest relative issues them. If your parents are divorced, the one that raised you issues the invitation. An easy way to remember this rule is that whomever is sponsoring the wedding gets their names on top of the invitation and those people are usually related to the bride.
All names are spelled out in full, no nicknames. Traditionally the bride's last name is not printed unless it's different to her parents. All dates and times and numbers are also spelled out in full. For a religious ceremony you can use the phrase "The honor of your presence ..." For the reception "The pleasure of your company ..."
Bride's Parents Hosting the Wedding
Church Ceremony:
Mr. and Mrs. David Phillip Anderson
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Anna Lisa
to
Mr. Bryan John Hanson
on Saturday, the sixteenth of August
two thousand and eight
at one o'clock in the afternoon
Alliance Church
13 Fisher Road
Montreal, QuebecCeremony at the Home of a Friends
Mr. and Mrs. David PHillip Anderson
request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their daughter
Anna Lisa
to
Mr. Bryan John Hanson
son of
Mr. and Mrs. Gary Tyler Hanson
on Friday, the fifteenth of August
two thousand and eight
at seven o'clock in the evening
at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Donald Lawson
Montreal, QuebecCouple Hosting
Anna Lisa Anderson
and
Bryan John Hanson
request the honor of your presence
at their marriage
etc.
Together with their families
Anna Lisa Anderson
and Bryan John Hanson
request the honor of your presence
at their marriage
etc.Groom's Parents Hosting
Mr. and Mrs. Gary Tyler Hanson
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of
Ms. Anna Lisa Anderson
to their son
Mr. Bryan John Hanson
etc.Both Parents Hosting
Mr. and Mrs. David Phillip Anderson
and
Mr. and Mrs. Gary Tyler Hanson
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their children
Anna Lisa Anderson
etc.Honor of a Deceased Parent
Mrs. Shanon Jane Anderson
requests the honor of your presence
at the marriage of her daughter
Ms. Anna Lisa
also daughter of the late Mr. David Philip Anderson
to
Mr. Bryan John Hanson
son of Mr. Gary Tyler Hanson and the late Mrs. Jane Hanson
etc.Honor of a Deceased Parent
Anna Lisa Anderson
daughter of Mrs. Shanon Jane Anderson and the late Mr. David Philip Anderson
and
Bryan John Hanson
son of Mr. and Gary Tyler Hanson and the late Mrs. Jane Hanson
etc.Mother Divorced or Widow
Not Remarried
(mother's maiden and married names)Mrs. Shanon Jane Anderson
requests the honor of your presence
at the marriage of her daughter
Anna Lisa
etc.Mother Divorced or Widow
Remarried
(mother's married and middle names)Mr. and Mrs. Shanon Jane Barber
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of her daughter
Anna Lisa Anderson
etc.Mother and Father Deceased
Married Brother or Sister as HostMr. and Mrs. Mark Allen Anderson
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of his sister
Anna Lisa
etc.Mrs. and Mrs. Howard Richard Thompson
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of her sister
Anna Lisa
etc.Double Wedding - Brides are Sisters
Older Sister mentioned firstMr. and Mrs. David Philip Anderson
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their daughters
Anna Lisa
to
Mr. Bryan John Hanson
and
Amy Lynn
to
Mr. James Richy Raman
etc.Invitation to the Reception Only
Used When the Ceremony is PrivateMr. and Mrs. David Philip Anderson
request the pleasure of your company
at the Wedding Reception
of their daughter
Anna Lisa
and
Mr. Bryan John Hanson
etc.
Recalling an Invitation
Wording Should Reflect CircumstancesMr. and Mrs. David Philip Anderson
regret that due to a sudden death in the family
the marriage of their daughter
Anna Lisa
to Mr. Bryan John Hanson
has been postponed.
Contemporary Wordings
A Timeless Celebration has complied a list of the most popular wordings for today's couples. Some of these samples are shown in our Invitation Collections.
If you would like to use one of the following wordings for your invitations, please specify the number on your order form and write the complete wording in the space provided.
Invitation Wordings WIN01
A life of sharing, caring
A love of endless giving together
Mr. and Mrs. David Philip Anderson
request the honor of your presence
etc.WIN02
Our joy will be more complete
if you can share in the marriage
of our daughter
Anna Lisa
etc.WIN03
With joyful hearts
we ask you to be present
at the ceremony uniting
Anna Lisa Anderson
and
Bryan John Hanson
on Saturday, sixteenth of August
etc.WIN04
Anna Lisa Anderson
and
Bryan John Hanson
invite you to share in the joy
when they exchange marriage vows
and begin their new life together
on Saturday, sixteenth of August
etc.WIN05
Because you share in their lives
by your friendship and love
you are invited to share
with our daughter
Anna Lisa
and
Bryan John Hanson
when they exchange marriage vows
and begin their new life together
on Saturday, sixteenth of August
etc.WIN06
Anna Lisa
and
Bryan John Hanson
will pledge their love as one
on Saturday, the sixteenth of August
etc.
Our joy will be more complete
if you can share
this celebration with usMr. and Mrs. David Philip Anderson
WIN07
This day of our hearts
are joined as one
Share with us this new beginning
the first day of our life together
on Saturday, the sixteenth of August
etc.Anna Lisa Anderson
and
Bryan John HansonWIN08
Before us lies the open road...
a future filled with adventure and love.
Please join us as we
Anna Lisa Anderson
and
Bryan John Hanson
join our lives in marriage
on Saturday, the sixteenth of August
etc.WIN09
You are my blue sky, my wind
and my rain;
to you I pledge my love undaunted.
Anna Lisa Anderson
and
Bryan John Hanson
invite you to share in the joy
when they exchange marriage vows
on Saturday, the sixteenth of August
etc.WIN10
A fresh new day, and it is ours
a day of happy beginnings
when we
Anna Lisa Anderson
and
Bryan John Hanson
pledge our love as one
on Saturday, the sixteenth of August
etc.
We joyfully ask you to
share this day with usWIN11
Love fills the moment
and the moment begins eternity
Love fills a lifetime
and a lifetime begins this hour
when the two of us
Anna Lisa Anderson
and
Bryan John Hanson
begin a new life together
on Saturday, the sixteenth of August
etc.WIN12
Love fills a lifetime
and a lifetime begins this hour
when the two of us
Anna Lisa Anderson
and
Bryan John Hanson
begin a new life together
Come celebrate with us
as we exchange marriage vows
on Saturday, the sixteenth of August
etc.WIN13
Two lives, two hearts
joined together in friendship
united forever in love.
It is with joy that we
Anna Lisa Anderson
and
Bryan John Hanson
invite you to share in a celebration of love
as we exchange our marriage vows
on Saturday, the sixteenth of August
etc.
WIN16
A fresh new day, and it is ours,
a day of happy beginnings when we,
Anna Lisa Anderson
and
Bryan John Hanson
pledge our love as one
on Saturday, sixteenth of August
etc.WIN14
Please join our families
on this special occasion
when our children
Anna Lisa Anderson
and
Bryan John Hanson
will be married
on Saturday, the sixteenth of August
etc.Mr. and Mrs. David Philip Anderson
Mr. and Mrs. Gary Tyler HansonWIN15
With a love and respect
for the completeness
we shall gain as a couple
and with the blessings of their parents
we will be joined in marriage
on Saturday, the sixteenth of August
etc.
You are invited to share this day of happy beginnings
Anna Lisa Anderson
and
Bryan John Hanson
Invitation Wordings - Religious WINR01
Believing that God has ordained
the institution of Holy Matrimony
Mr. and Mrs. David Philip Anderson
request the honor of your presence
etc.WINR02
In the spirit of Christian joy
Mr. and Mrs. David Philip Anderson
etc.WINR05
God has led two lives
to take one path
Anna Lisa Anderson
and
Bryan John Hanson
invite you to share in the joy
of their marriage
on Saturday, the sixteenth of August
etc.WINR03
Our joy will be more complete
if you can share in the marriage our daughter
Anna Lisa Anderson
etc.
We invite you
to worship with us and witness their vows
If you are unable to attend
we ask your presence in thought and in prayerMr. and Mrs. David Philip Anderson
WINR04
Two lives united in friendship,
Two friends united in love,
One love united in Christ.
Anna Lisa Anderson
and
Bryan John Hanson
request the honor of your presence
as Christ unites them to become one
on Saturday, the sixteenth of August
etc.WINR06
God gives life as a chance to give love
Mr. and Mrs. David Philip Anderson
request you share in their joy
as their daughter
Anna Lisa Anderson
unites for eternity in Christ with
Bryan John Hanson
on Saturday, the sixteenth of August
etc.
Paragraph Form
Our daughter, Anna Lisa, will be married to Bryan John Hanson on Saturday, the sixteenth of August, two thousand and eight at two o'clock in the afternoon. Their vows will be spoken at the Baptist Church, 254 North Fling Avenue, Montreal, Quebec.
We invite you to worship with us, witness their vows and be our guest at the buffet reception which follows in the Church Parlor.
If you are unable to attend, we ask your presence in thought and prayer.
Mr. and Mrs. John Allen Davis
Write your Own
Many couples also write their own invitation wording to add a personal touch to their invitations. If you choose to do so, please leave the number space blank on the order form and write the complete working in the space provided. We will print up to 14 lines of any acceptable wording at no extra charge. Please call our attention to unusual spellings by initialing the word or proper name with an "OK".
Here's a guide to help you get started:
An opening sentence
Your full name
and
Fiance's full name
An action sentence
The wedding date
Year
Time
Place
Address to place
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