Wedding invitation etiquette and invitation wording ideas
Wedding invitation etiquette offers you a useful and historical guide when wording your wedding invitations, but remember, wedding rules should make your life easier, not more difficult. Wedding etiquette is not around to bring anyone grief, and in this modern day and age, formal etiquette is treated as strong guidelines that can be broken if the situation demands it.
Are you looking for the most formal and elegant wedding invitation wording to create a very traditional invitation? Or are you looking for wording for a modern, one-of-a-kind unique wedding? Are you on a budget and need to include a web site card instead of a direction and accommodation card? Do you want to include your r.s.v.p. information on the wedding invitations? Do you need to figure out how to place both your parents and your fiancé's parents (who are divorced) on the wedding invitation? We can help (in a friendly way!).
We're here to answer whatever wedding etiquette and invitation wording questions that you have, so contact Bella Figura's wedding etiquette specialist if you have any questions about how to word your custom wedding invitations.
Wedding invitation wording variations & wedding invitation etiquette
Bride's parents are hosting // formal tone // held in a religious house of worship
If the ceremony is held at a place of worship, the request line (the 2nd line of our example) is "request the honour of your presence." If the ceremony is held at a non-religious, secular location, the request line is "request the pleasure of your company."
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Lewis Manning
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Amelia Rose
to
Mr. Liam Quinlan Cullen
Saturday, the fifth of June
two thousand and ten
at half after ten in the morning
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Syracuse, New York
* the British spelling "honour" is most traditional, but if you'd like to use the American spelling ("honor") it's still just as correct. Just make sure to be consistent throughout your wedding suite—i.e. if you use "honour" on your invitation, spell "favour" on the reply card the British way.
Bride's parents are hosting // formal tone // ceremony is not held in a religious house of worship (secular location)
If the ceremony is held at a place of worship, the request line (the 2nd line of our example) is "request the honour of your presence." If the ceremony is held at a non-religious, secular location, the request line is "request the pleasure of your company."
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Lewis Manning
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their daughter
Amelia Rose
to
Mr. Liam Quinlan Cullen
Saturday, the fifth of June
two thousand and ten
at three o'clock
Gilfillan's West Hill Country Club
Camillus, New York
Including the groom's parents names on the invitation // formal // secular location
It's most traditional to include the names of the groom's parents after the groom's name.
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Lewis Manning
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their daughter
Amelia Rose
to
Liam Quinlan
son of Mr. and Mrs. Riordan Timothy Cullen
Saturday, the fifth of June
two thousand and ten
at three o'clock
Gilfillan's West Hill Country Club
Camillus, New York
Groom's parents are co-hosting
When the groom's parents are contributing financially to the wedding, and both sets of parents are hosting, the groom's parents can be are added at the top of the invitation.
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Lewis Manning and
Mr. and Mrs. Riordan Scott Cullen
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their children
OR
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Lewis Manning
together with
Mr. and Mrs. Riordan Timothy Cullen
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their children
OR
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Lewis Manning
and
Mr. and Mrs. Riordan Timothy Cullen
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their children
The bride and groom are hosting // formal // religious location
The honor of your presence
is requested at the wedding of
Miss Amelia Rose Manning
to Mr. Liam Quinlan Cullen
Saturday, the fifth of June
two thousand and ten
at half after ten in the morning
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Syracuse, New York
The bride and groom are hosting // formal // secular location
The pleasure of your company
is requested at the wedding of
Miss Amelia Rose Manning
to Mr. Liam Quinlan Cullen
Saturday, the fifth of June
two thousand and ten
at half after ten in the morning
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Syracuse, New York
The bride and groom are hosting // formal // secular location
Amelia Rose Manning
and
Liam Quinlan Cullen
request the pleasure of your company
at their wedding
Saturday, the fifth of June
two thousand and ten
at three o'clock
Gilfillan's West Hill Country Club
Camillus, New York
The bride and groom are hosting // formal variation // secular location
Amelia Rose Manning
and
Liam Quinlan Cullen
request the pleasure of your company
at the celebration of their wedding
Saturday, the fifth of June
two thousand and ten
at three o'clock
Gilfillan's West Hill Country Club
Camillus, New York
The bride and groom are hosting // less formal
In the celebration of love,
Amelia Rose Manning
and
Liam Quinlan Cullen
request the pleasure of your company
at their wedding
Saturday, the fifth of June
two thousand and ten
at three o'clock
Gilfillan's West Hill Country Club
Camillus, New York
OR
Amelia Manning
and
Liam Cullen
invite you to celebrate
their wedding
OR
Amelia Rose Manning
and
Liam Quinlan Cullen
invite you to share with them
in the joy of their wedding
The bride and groom are hosting with their families // formal // secular location
Together with their families
Amelia Rose Manning
and Liam Quinlan Cullen
request the pleasure of your company
at the celebration of their wedding
Saturday, the fifth of June
two thousand and ten
at half after ten in the morning
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Syracuse, New York
The bride and groom are hosting with their families // less formal
Together with their parents
Amelia Manning
and Liam Cullen
invite you to their wedding
Saturday, the fifth of June
two thousand and ten
at three o'clock
Gilfillan's West Hill Country Club
Camillus, New York
The bride and groom are hosting with their families // less formal
With joyous hearts
we invite you to attend
the wedding of
Amelia Manning
and
Liam Cullen
Saturday, June 5
two thousand and ten
at 3 o'clock
Gilfillan's West Hill Country Club
Camillus, New York
Dancing and merriment to follow
groom's parents hosting // formal wording // religious location
Mr. and Mrs. Riordan Scott Cullen
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of
Amelia Rose Manning
to their son
Liam Quinlan
Saturday, the fifth of June
two thousand and ten
at half after ten in the morning
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Syracuse, New York
groom's parents hosting // formal wording // secular location
Mr. and Mrs. Riordan Scott Cullen
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of
Amelia Rose Manning
to their son
Liam Quinlan
Saturday, the fifth of June
two thousand and ten
at three o'clock
Gilfillan's West Hill Country Club
Camillus, New York
Bride's parents hosting // formal wording // Nuptial mass
(if the ceremony will be a Nuptial Mass at a Roman Catholic Church)
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Lewis Manning
request the honour of your presence
at the Nuptial Mass uniting their daughter
Amelia Rose
and
Mr. Liam Quinlan Cullen
Saturday, the fifth of June
two thousand and ten
at half after ten in the morning
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Syracuse, New York
OR
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Lewis Manning
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Amelia Rose
and
Mr. Liam Quinlan Cullen
and your participation in the offering of the Nuptial Mass
Saturday, the fifth of June
two thousand and ten
at half after ten in the morning
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Syracuse, New York
Bride's divorced parents are hosting // divorced parents are not remarried // formal wording // religious location
Ms. Margo Luanne Manning
Mr. Patrick Lewis Manning
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Amelia Rose
to
Mr. Liam Quinlan Cullen
Saturday, the fifth of June
two thousand and ten
at half after ten in the morning
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Syracuse, New York
Bride's divorced parents are hosting // divorced parents are not remarried // formal wording // secular location
Ms. Margo Luanne Manning
Mr. Patrick Lewis Manning
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their daughter
Amelia Rose
to
Mr. Liam Quinlan Cullen
Saturday, the fifth of June
two thousand and ten
at half after ten in the morning
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Syracuse, New York
Bride's divorced parents are hosting // divorced parents are remarried // formal wording // religious location
Mr. and Mrs. Zachary Richard Bronson
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Lewis Manning
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Amelia Rose Manning
to
Mr. Liam Quinlan Cullen
Saturday, the fifth of June
two thousand and ten
at half after ten in the morning
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Syracuse, New York
OR
Mr. Zachary Bronson and Ms. Margo Timpano
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Lewis Manning
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Amelia Rose Manning
to
Mr. Liam Quinlan Cullen
Saturday, the fifth of June
two thousand and ten
at half after ten in the morning
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Syracuse, New York
Bride's divorced parents are hosting // divorced parents are remarried // formal wording // secular location
Mr. Zachary Bronson and Ms. Margo Timpano
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Lewis Manning
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their daughter
Amelia Rose Manning
to
Mr. Liam Quinlan Cullen
Saturday, the fifth of June
two thousand and ten
at three o'clock
Gilfillan's West Hill Country Club
Camillus, New York
Both bride's and groom's parents are hosting // both sets of parents have been divorced and remarried // formal wording // secular location
Mr. and Mrs. Zachary Richard Bronson
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Lewis Manning
and
Mr. and Mrs. Caleb Micah Coy
Mr. and Mrs. Riordan Scott Cullen
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of
Amelia Rose Manning
to
Liam Quinlan Cullen
Saturday, the fifth of June
two thousand and ten
at three o'clock
Gilfillan's West Hill Country Club
Camillus, New York
Bride's parent is hosting // bride's parent is widowed // formal wording // secular location
Mrs. Margo June Manning
requests the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of her daughter
Amelia Rose
to
Mr. Liam Quinlan Cullen
Saturday, the fifth of June
two thousand and ten
at three o'clock
Gilfillan's West Hill Country Club
Camillus, New York
Bride's parent is hosting // bride's parent is widowed and remarried, hosting with her spouse // formal wording // secular location
Mr. and Mrs. Zachary Frederick Bronson
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of Mrs. Bronson's daughter
Amelia Rose Manning
to
Liam Quinlan Cullen
Saturday, the fifth of June
two thousand and ten
at three o'clock
Gilfillan's West Hill Country Club
Camillus, New York
Including the deceased parent of the bride on the invitation // formal wording // religious location
Amelia Rose Manning
daughter of
Mrs. Margo Manning and the late Mr. Patrick Manning
and
Liam Quinlan Cullen
request the honour of your presence
at their wedding
Saturday, the fifth of June
two thousand and ten
at half after ten in the morning
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Syracuse, New York
Including the deceased parent of the groom on the invitation // both bride's and groom's parents are hosting // formal wording // religious location
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Lewis Manning
together with
Mrs. Tara Emma Cullen
request the honour of your presence
at the wedding of
Amelia Rose Manning
and
Liam Quinlan Cullen
son of
the late Mr. Riordan Scott Cullen
Saturday, the fifth of June
two thousand and ten
at half after ten in the morning
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Syracuse, New York
Bride's parents hosting // less traditional or alternate wedding invitation wording // secular location
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Lewis Manning
invite you to witness and celebrate
the marriage of their daughter
Amelia Rose
to
Liam Quinlan Cullen
Saturday, the fifth of June
two thousand and ten
at three o'clock
Gilfillan's West Hill Country Club
Camillus, New York
OR
In the celebration of love,
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Lewis Manning
request the pleasure of your company...
OR
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Lewis Manning
invite you to share
in the joy of the marriage of their daughter...
OR
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Lewis Manning
joyfully invite you to share
in the marriage of their daughter...
OR
Patrick and Margo Manning
invite you to share in the celebration
of the marriage of their daughter
Amelia
to Liam Cullen
June 5, 2010
at three o'clock
Gilfillan's West Hill Country Club
Camillus, New York
Dinner and dancing to follow
Bride's and groom's parents are both hosting // less traditional or alternate wedding invitation wording // secular location
Patrick and Margo Manning and
Riordan and Tara Cullen
invite you to the wedding of their children
Amelia Rose Manning
to Liam Quinlan Cullen
Saturday, June fifth
two thousand and ten
at 3 p.m.
Gilfillan's West Hill Country Club
Camillus, New York
Groom's parents are both hosting // less traditional or alternate wedding invitation wording // secular location
As we shall become one
to share all the days of our lives
Mr. and Mrs. Riordan Cullen
ask for the pleasure of your company
at the wedding of their son
Liam Quinlan
to
Amelia Rose Manning
Saturday, the fifth of June
two thousand and ten
at 3'clock in the afternoon
Gilfillan's West Hill Country Club
Camillus, New York
Adding reception information to your wedding invitation
If your reception is happening at the same location as the ceremony, you may decide not to use a reception card and want to include a reception line on your invitation instead. The reception line would be the final line on the invitation, and this reception line can be playful or straightforward, using such wording as:
and afterwards at the reception
OR
Dinner and dancing immediately following the ceremony
OR
Dancing and merriment to follow
Even if your reception is taking place at a different location—if you'd like to not use a reception card, it's still okay to put that reception information on the invitation—it's just less traditional. In this case, you would say:
Reception to follow
Gilfillan's West Hill Country Club
Camillus, New York
OR
Dinner and dancing at six o'clock
Gilfillan's West Hill Country Club
Camillus, New York
