Wedding invitation wording: examples for every host, style and situation

The short answer: wedding invitation wording follows one order: who is hosting, the invitation line, the couple's names, the date and time, the venue, and what comes after (reception or celebration). The most used version today is "Together with their families, Emily Carter and James Smith request the pleasure of your company at their wedding." The RSVP date goes on a separate card when you have one.

Below are copy-ready examples for every kind of host and wedding. Swap in your own names, date and venue.

What order does wedding invitation wording follow?

Every wedding invitation, formal or casual, follows the same seven lines:

1. Host line: who is inviting (the couple, their parents, or both families)
2. Request line: "request the honour of your presence" or "invite you to celebrate"
3. The couple: traditionally the bride's name first in a heterosexual ceremony, otherwise any order you like
4. Date: day of the week, date, year
5. Time: "at four o'clock in the afternoon" or "4 PM"
6. Venue: name, then city and state (a full street address can go on a details card)
7. Reception line: "Dinner and dancing to follow" or "Reception immediately following"

Keep it to these lines and the invitation stays easy to read, even on a 5x7 card.

Formal wedding invitation wording

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Carter request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their daughter Emily Rose to Mr. James Michael Smith Saturday, the twelfth of June two thousand twenty-seven at four o'clock in the afternoon Saint Mary's Church Napa, California

Formal rules: spell out numbers, dates and times; use "honour" with a "u" if you want the traditional look; no punctuation at the ends of lines.

Modern wedding invitation wording

Together with their families Emily Carter & James Smith invite you to celebrate their wedding Saturday, June 12, 2027 · 4 PM Rosewood Estate · Napa, California Dinner and dancing to follow

Other modern request lines that work:

• joyfully invite you to their wedding
• would love for you to join them as they say "I do"
• are getting married and want you there

Wording when the parents are hosting

Bride's parents hosting:

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Carter request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their daughter Emily Carter to James Smith

Both sets of parents hosting:

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Carter and Mr. and Mrs. David Smith request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their children Emily Carter and James Smith

Wording when the couple is hosting

Emily Carter and James Smith request the pleasure of your company at their wedding

Or simply start with "Together with their families", which thanks the parents without naming them as hosts.

Wording for divorced or remarried parents

List each parent (and their spouse if they are co-hosting) on their own line:

Ms. Linda Carter and Mr. Robert Carter request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their daughter Emily Carter to James Smith

If a parent has remarried and the step-parent is co-hosting: "Mr. and Mrs. Robert Carter and Ms. Linda Hayes". When it's complicated, "Together with their families" avoids the question entirely.

Wording when a parent has passed away

A gentle way to include them:

Emily Rose Carter daughter of Linda Carter and the late Robert Carter and James Michael Smith son of Anne and David Smith invite you to celebrate their marriage

Reception-only and after-party invitation wording

For guests invited to the reception but not the ceremony (for example after a small ceremony or an elopement):

• Please join us for a reception celebrating the marriage of Emily Carter and James Smith
• We eloped! Join us for dinner and dancing to celebrate
• Emily and James were married in a private ceremony. Please join them for an evening of celebration

If some guests are invited to everything and some only to the reception, make two versions of the invitation. With InviteBatch you can add up to three events and choose which events each invitation shows.

Lines for dress code, adults-only and gifts

These go at the bottom of the invitation or on a details card:

• Dress code: Black tie optional · Cocktail attire · Garden party chic
• Adults only: We respectfully request an adults-only celebration
• Gifts: keep registry details off the invitation itself. Put them on your wedding website or a details card: Your presence is the greatest gift. For those who have asked, details are on our website.

Should you put the guest's name on the invitation?

Traditionally the guest's name goes only on the envelope. More couples now print each guest's name on the invitation itself, as a short line above the request line:

Dear Emily Carter, Together with their families Sarah Miller & James Smith invite you to celebrate their wedding

It makes it clear exactly who is invited, which avoids surprise plus-ones and children, and it turns the invitation into a keepsake. Writing 120 names by hand or editing 120 files is the hard part. InviteBatch does it in one step: paste your guest list and every guest gets an invitation with their name on it, printable and as a personal link with RSVP. For how to write each name (couples, families, plus-ones, doctors), see how to write guest names on wedding invitations.

Check your wording before you print

• Read the date and the day of the week together on a calendar. A wrong weekday is the most common invitation typo.
• Spell-check names with the people themselves, especially parents and step-parents.
• Make sure the time is the ceremony start, not when guests should arrive.
• Print one test copy at full size and read it out loud.

Related guides

• Wedding RSVP wording examples
• Wedding RSVP deadline: when RSVPs are due
• How to print 5x7 invitations at home