Spunsilk

Wedding invitation etiquette is a thing of the past. You can word it how you want as long as everything you need is included then you are on the right tracks! However, sometimes we feel more comfortable sticking to tradition and if this is the case I have also covered some of the more formal wedding wording. I have spent a little time explaining ideas behind the wording below and then given a few examples, I hope it helps a little.

Who’s Hosting?

It’s traditional for the brides family to host a wedding, it used to be that they paid for everything, hence they were the hosts,

Mr. & Mrs. james Hennesey would like you to attend the wedding of their daughter Jane Olivia…..’

it’s not always the way anymore, often both couples parents will contribute

‘Dr. & Mrs. Jeremy Vance and Mr. & Mrs. Graham Mann would like to invite you to the wedding of their children….’

or the couple pay for themselves

‘We would love you to attend our wedding….’

or maybe everyone chips in

‘Together with their parents, Jason & Lily request the pleasure of your company….’

sometimes it’s required to add a deceased parent which can be done easily with a little rearranging of the wording

‘Ellen Haines, daughter of Mr. Adam Haines and the late Iris Haines…’

or maybe your parents are divorced and one of them remarried

‘Mr. & Mrs. James Landen, and Mr. & Mrs. Ken Graham and Mrs. John Harold and Jane Heston….’

your parents names can be written out with the formal Mr. and Mrs. or you can use their first names, it is entirely unto you and your parents.

If the hosting is held by the brides parents, the bride is usually referred to by first and middle name and her groom’s name in full including title.

If the couples names aren’t in the hosting then they of course, need to be mentioned later on in the wedding invitation, traditionally

the brides name is written first. In the case of same sex couples the names are perfectly acceptable whichever way round looks and sounds right to you.

Visit our wording ideas page for more.

Requesting attendance

This can be done in many ways and again is totally your preference, a few examples are:

‘….the pleasure of your company…..’

‘…..would love for you to join them…..’

‘…..at the marriage of their children…..’

‘…..honour of your presence…..’

‘…..invite you to celebrate with them…..’

Date/Time and Location

Formally, date and time would be written out in full with no numerals, the time of day would be spelled out using o’clock,

in a casual wedding invitation numerals are totally acceptable.

When entering locations, street addresses are not necessary unless omitting it will cause problems, orif the wedding is being held at a host’s home.

In the event a full address is needed there is often need for an information card or map and the full address can be entered here,

therefore the wedding invitation itself can just have the name of the venue and area

‘…..Hintlesham Hall, Suffolk…..’

The reception can also be added, if they are being held in the same place as the ceremony then

‘…..reception to follow….’ or ‘…..and afterwards at the reception…..’

if the reception is being held in a different place then the name of the venue and area would go on the line afterward.

Dress Code

If you want people to wear a specific type of clothing then it is always best to request it, some have special hopes that ‘….ladies wear a hat…..’

or ‘…..dress to impress…..’ but if nothing is states then the type of dress is generally indicated by the style of the invitation.

Very formal invites would be a black tie affair, a simpler invitation would guide guests to a smart casual dress.

Never presume people will know, if in doubt, and you want something special, then make sure it’s stated on your invitation.

Lettering Styles

Again, there really is no normal here, pick what you like best.

Don’t be afraid to mix those fonts, have something simpler and easy to read for the bulk text and a beautiful script for your names.

It can become part of your invitation design to mix the lettering styles and even the colours, you can often see the couples names in a foil

or maybe a date, time and location in a bold colour.This is up to you, use your imagination.

There are a few examples of possible mix font choices on the lettering styles page but this list is by no means exhaustive, and although we are showing

mixed fonts, you are forever welcome to stick with one if it suits you better, they are all as beautiful on their own as they are mixed together.

RSVP

Most couples like to include an RSVP for their guests to reply to by mail. There’s a variety of wording that can be used for these too,

just to complicate matters for you, but again, its down to preference. Keep in mind the type of invitation you have be it formal or casual.

A favour of a response is kindly requested by

the first of June

M…………………………………………..

▢ accepts with pleasure

▢ declines with regret

OR

▢ Joyfully accepts

▢ Regretfully declines

We kindly ask you to reply by the first of June

Names………………………………….

▢ wouldn’t miss it for the world

▢ will be there in spirit

Let us know before the 1st of June if you can make it

……………………………………………

▢ Cant wait to hit the dance floor

▢ will be tasting from afar

▢ are looking forward to dining, dancing and celebrating

▢ have to miss out on the fun

▢ have their bags packed

▢ will be thinking of you

Or maybe you feel theres no need to post the RSVP back and can put all the info on for guests to do whichever suits them best, it can be more likely to get quick responses if guests are given more contact options.

Response requested by 1st June

By mail: name and Name

14 Name Place

Name Street NA1 1ME

Email: Name&Name@gmail.com

Tel: Name 12345678 or Name: 23456789

Don’t forget to add other things you need to know to your RSVP, maybe dietary requirements, numbers attending, how many children, do you need a room, will you be getting on the arranged coach………….

If you are having a menu which guests need to choose from options this can also be added to rsvp’s with ease, just ask us about the options and we will happily send over some ideas, the options are endless and too many to list so we have tried to keep it as brief as possible.

Information Cards

Sometimes theres just too much information to put into the invitation and an information card is required. If you want to let your guests know about timings for the day, hotels nearby, taxi numbers and times to book them by, full address of the venue, directions or sat nav coordinates, the list is truly endless as weddings are all so unique now there is often need for further explanation for your guests to understand or do what is needed for the day.