Wedding invitation wording, with examples
Most couples stall on the first line. The structure underneath is always the same — who is inviting, who is marrying, when, where, and how to reply — so once you have picked a register, the words follow quickly. Here are three registers, with the lines that change between them.
Formal
The traditional form has the bride's parents as hosts, third person throughout, and dates written out in full. It is the right choice for a church wedding, a black-tie reception, or a family where this is simply how it is done.
"Mr and Mrs James Whitfield request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their daughter Emma Louise to Thomas Reid on Saturday, the twelfth of September, two thousand and twenty-six, at half past two o'clock, St Mary's Church, Bath." The reply line stays in the same register: "The favour of a reply is requested by 14 August."
Relaxed
Most couples now host themselves and write in the first person. It is warmer, shorter, and reads better on a phone.
"Emma and Thomas are getting married — and we would love you there. Saturday 12 September 2026, 2.30pm, Hillside Barn, Bath. Dinner, dancing and a late bar to follow. Please let us know by 14 August."
Modern and very short
A short invitation is not a lazy one. On a screen, four lines with air around them read better than a paragraph, and the detail sits below where people look for it.
"We are getting married. Emma & Thomas. 12 September 2026 · Bath. Come and celebrate with us." Everything else — times, address, parking, dress code — goes into the sections underneath, where a guest can find it without it crowding the front.
- Host line: "Together with their families" works when both sides are contributing
- Second marriage: name the couple directly, skip the parental host line
- Dress code: "Black tie", "Lounge suits", or plainly "Wear something you can dance in"
- Children: "We hope you understand that this is an adults-only day" — say it once, kindly, on the invitation
The lines people get wrong
Do not put gift wording on the front of the invitation. If you want to mention it at all, it belongs in its own quiet section further down, phrased as an option rather than an expectation.
Avoid "RSVP regrets only" unless you genuinely mean it. It reads as efficient and produces a guest count you cannot trust, because silence and "not seen it yet" look identical.
Frequently asked
Whose names go first on a wedding invitation?
Traditionally the bride's, when her parents are hosting. When the couple host themselves, use whichever order sounds right said out loud — there is no rule left to break.
How do we word an invitation when both families are hosting?
"Together with their families, Emma and Thomas invite you to..." covers it without listing four sets of parents, which on a phone screen pushes the actual date out of view.