Inspiration
So you’ve done the bulk of the organising, and you’re feeling pretty pleased with yourself…until it comes to writing the wedding invitations. Where on earth do you start? What wording do you need and what information needs to be included with the invitation?
Luckily, we’ve got you covered. In this post, we run through what you should write on your invitations, particularly if your parents are separated, and how to write formal and informal invitations.
What you will be writing on your wedding invitations depends on the kind of wedding you’re having and whether your parents are still together.
Below, we’ve written out the most traditional way you can write your invitations if you’re getting married in a church or having a formal ceremony:
“Dear…
Mr & Mrs [Surname of Brides parents] request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their Daughter, [Bride’s full name] to [Groom’s full name] on [Date] at [Venue]”
This is when it gets a little more complicated. Some people like to include the name of the parents that are putting money into the wedding. Therefore, there’s no reason that you can’t write it as:
“Dear…
Mr & Mrs [Surname of Brides parents] and Mr & Mrs [Surname of Groom’s parents] request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their Son and Daughter, [Bride’s full name] to [Groom’s full name] on [Date] at [Venue]”
For gay weddings, it’s relatively easy to change the wording.
For separated parents, it can be trickier to word the invitation. I’d recommend going with:
“Dear…
[Father of the Bride’s name] and [Mother of the Bride’s name] request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their Daughter…
If you’re hosting a more relaxed wording, you can play about with the wording until you’re happy. You could choose any of the below for your invites:
If you’d rather not mention your parents, and it’s you and your partner that wish to invite your guests, you can swap the parents’ names.
If you’re being traditional, then there is some set ideals to follow. However if you’re after a more informal invitation, don’t limit yourself! Just remember to put the date and the venue on there.
For guests that are invited to the evening, you may need to word your invitations slightly differently.
On traditional invitations, instead of your parents asking guests to join them for the ‘marriage of their daughter’, this should read ‘evening reception’, specifying the time they should arrive to avoid any confusion. Otherwise, your guests may turn up to the daytime when they don’t have a seat or any food.
There’s a lot of information that your guests might need about the day. Most couples choose to include extra details, such as where your guests can stay, a map pinpointing the venue, some local taxi companies and their telephone numbers, etc.
It’s a good idea to include an RSVP card that your guests can fill out and post back to you. You should include tick boxes in the design of the RSVP card for guests to tick Yes or No, and include a section where they can put any allergies or song requests. This is also a good place to mention a dress code, if you have one.
A map should be included along with directions showing your guests how to get from the church to the venue. If you aren’t getting married in a church, you should provide directions to the reception venue from multiple routes, as people may be approaching from various destinations.
Finally, you could put a list of hotels in the local area in with your invitation. This makes it easier for guests, as they won’t have to research local places themselves and they will likely trust your recommendations. It can be nice if some of your guests are staying together, too.
If you’d like some more ideas on what to include in your wedding invitations or would like to look at our designs, you can meet some stationary designers at any of our wedding shows. Alternatively, take a look at our recommended suppliers page!
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