Wedding Invitation Wording & Layout Guide
The wording of your wedding invitation is an opportunity to reflect your style as a couple. Whether you're aiming for traditional, modern, or something more playful, the layout and wording are key to setting the tone for your wedding day. It’s important to remember though, that there is no right or wrong way to do this! While I’ve laid out some suggestions below, these are just guidelines rather than rules. Your wedding is your day, and if something feels right to you, as your stationer, I say go for it!
Top of the Invitation:
Host Names
Traditionally, the bride’s parents host the wedding, and so a formal invitation would read as follows
“Mr. And Mrs. John Smith request the honor of your presence at the wedding of their daughter”
If the couple is hosting the wedding, or hosting alongside their parents, we can opt for wording such as:
"Together with their families" or “We joyfully invite you”
Middle of the Invitation:
The names of the couple appear here, often in full, but again, lay it out in any way that feels right! If the parents’ names are listed as the hosts, the couples’ names might include middle names rather than last names.
Julia Marie
to
Justin James
The couples’ names are usually followed by the “invitation” line:
"request the honor of your presence” or “invite you to join them in celebration”
Date & Time:
If you’re opting for a more formal invitation, the date is written out in full, including the day of the week, and the time should be written in words (i.e., "half past four" or "five o'clock in the evening").
"Saturday, the seventh of June, two thousand twenty-five”
"at five o’clock in the evening"
You can keep the date and time in a more modern, straightforward format. If it’s a casual wedding, you could even use shorthand for the time.
"Saturday, June 5, 2023"
"At 5:00 PM"
Bottom of the Invitation:
Venue
The bottom of the invitation should include the venue, and any reception details.
For formal invitations, the name and address of the wedding venue is written as follows”
"at St. Mary’s Church"
"123 Wedding Lane, City, State"
If you want a less formal feel, you can simply list the venue name and address in a less structured way.
"The Barn on 5th Street"
"123 Celebration Lane, City, State"
*Including the venue address on the invitation can sometimes make the layout look a little tight and cluttered, so I usually opt to just say
“The Barn on 5th Street”
“New York, New York”
And then include the address on a separate details card.
Reception Details
If your reception is at a separate location, include that information here.
"Reception to follow at The Grand Ballroom, 456 Celebration Drive."
If your reception is at the same place, just say “Reception to follow.”
If you want a more casual vibe, some other fun options are:
“Festivities to follow” and “Drinks, dinner, and dancing to follow”
Some optional additions (if you want to include them)
If you’re having a themed wedding or want to let your guests know the attire expectations, feel free to add a dress code. This can go at the bottom of the invite.
“Black Tie or Cocktail Attire”
“Casual Chic”
“Bring Your Dancing Shoes!”