Wedding invitation wording: examples for every kind of wedding

Quick answer: good wedding invitation wording says who is hosting, who is marrying, when and where, and how to reply. Traditional invitations open with the hosts and “request the pleasure of your company”; relaxed ones can simply say “Join us as we get married”. Always finish with a clear reply date.

Wedding invitation wording is one of those jobs that looks small until you sit down to write it. Whose names go first? Is “honour” too formal? What if both families are paying, or you are paying for it all yourselves? Below you will find the parts every invitation needs, examples you can adapt for your own wedding, and a reply line that gets you answers on time.

What should a wedding invitation include?

Every invitation needs the same core details, whatever its tone:

• Who is hosting: traditionally the people paying, often parents, now very often the two of you.
• The request line: the words that invite your guest, from formal to relaxed.
• Your names, written in full on a formal invitation.
• The date and time of the ceremony.
• The venue, with the town, and the reception venue if it is somewhere else.
• How and when to reply, with a clear date.

Extras such as the dress code, travel notes or a gift list are optional. Keep the invitation itself clean and put longer details on a separate card or in a message nearer the time.

How do you word a traditional wedding invitation?

A traditional British invitation is written in the third person, with the hosts named first. London stationer Pemberly Fox’s guide to invitation wording etiquette (updated 13 March 2018) gives the classic form where the bride’s parents host: “Mr and Mrs” followed by the father’s full name, then “request the pleasure of your company” or “request the honour of your presence”. The same guide notes that the reply address traditionally sits in the bottom left-hand corner, and the dress code in the bottom right. A traditional version reads:

Mr and Mrs David Walsh
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their daughter
Emily
to
Mr Thomas Reid
at [ceremony venue], [town]
on Saturday the fourteenth of August
at two o’clock
and afterwards at [reception venue]

The guest’s name is usually handwritten in the top left-hand corner. If you would like your invitation to feel formal without the third person, the next examples keep the polish but put you at the centre.

What wording works if you are hosting yourselves?

If you are paying for the wedding, or simply prefer it, invite your guests yourselves. You can stay formal:

Emily Walsh and Thomas Reid
request the pleasure of your company
at their marriage
on Saturday the fourteenth of August
at two o’clock
at [ceremony venue], [town]

Or a little warmer:

Together with their families,
Emily Walsh and Thomas Reid
would love you to join them
as they get married
on Saturday 14 August at two o’clock
at [venue], [town]

“Together with their families” is a kind way to include parents without naming who paid for what, and it works for almost every family.

How do you word it when both families are hosting?

Name both sets of hosts, usually the bride’s family first in a traditional wedding, or in whichever order feels fair to you:

Mr and Mrs David Walsh
and Mr and Mrs Peter Reid
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their children
Emily and Thomas

If parents are separated or remarried, name each host on their own line rather than squeezing everyone into one. Pemberly Fox’s guide covers stepparents, separated parents and guardians in detail. When in doubt, “Together with their families” avoids the question entirely and nobody feels left out.

How do you word a relaxed or evening invitation?

For a relaxed wedding, write the way you talk. Short lines, first names and a little warmth go a long way:

Emily and Tom are getting married!
Join us on Saturday 14 August
at [venue], [town]
Ceremony at two, then food, dancing and far too much cake

For guests joining you later in the day, make it clear the invitation is for the evening, so nobody arrives for the ceremony by mistake:

Emily and Tom
would love you to join them
for their evening celebration
on Saturday 14 August
from half past seven
at [venue], [town]

If you are sending invitations digitally, the same wording works. Our guides to inviting guests by WhatsApp and choosing digital or paper invitations cover the etiquette.

How should you word the reply date?

Give one clear date and say it plainly. “Kindly reply by Saturday 1 May” is polite and impossible to misread. Avoid vague lines such as “as soon as you can”, which guests tend to read as “whenever”. To choose the date, work back from when your caterer needs final numbers; our guide to setting your RSVP deadline walks through it, and RSVP wording and etiquette has more lines you can use.

It also helps to say what you need in the reply: whether they are coming, who is coming with them, their meal choice and any dietary needs. Asking once saves you asking again.

Where do couples get stuck with replies?

Not with the wording, usually, but with what happens after the invitations go out. The time: replies drift in by text, email, card and conversation, and someone has to pull them into one list. The chasing: a handful of guests always go quiet, and nudging them falls to one of you. The money: a guessed headcount can mean paying for meals nobody eats, as we explain in the real cost of a late RSVP. And the last-minute pressure: the week your caterer needs final numbers is when the gaps show.

How does AisleReply take the job off you?

Once your invitations are out, AisleReply looks after the replies. Each guest gets a personal WhatsApp message and replies in the chat, in their own language. Meal choices and dietary needs come back in that same reply, so there is no second round of questions. Gentle reminders go out on their own to anyone who has gone quiet, and you can watch a live headcount build the whole way through. You choose the words; we make sure the answers come back. Our guide to collecting wedding RSVPs on WhatsApp explains more.

FAQs

Should we say “honour” or “pleasure” on our invitation?

Either is fine. “Request the pleasure of your company” is the classic British line, and “the honour of your presence” sounds a touch more formal. Pick the one that matches the tone of your day and use it consistently.

Do we have to include the year?

No. The year is optional, and most guests will not miss it. Include it if you are writing a formal invitation and want it to feel complete, or if your wedding is more than a year away.

Where do we put the dress code?

Traditionally it sits in the bottom right-hand corner, in a short line such as “Black tie” or “Smart and summery”. Only include one if it helps guests; otherwise leave it off.

Should children be named on the invitation?

Yes. Whoever is named on the invitation is invited, so list every child you are inviting by name. If an invitation is for adults only, naming just the adults makes that clear without any extra wording.

The short version

Say who is hosting, who is marrying, when, where and how to reply. Match the tone to your wedding: third person and “the pleasure of your company” for formal, first names and plain words for relaxed. Finish with one clear reply date. For more help with invitations and replies, browse the rest of our guides.