Wedding invitation wording for every kind of family

The order every invitation follows

1. Who is inviting. The parents, both families, or the couple.
2. The request. "Request the pleasure of your company" is formal; "invite you to celebrate" is warm.
3. The couple's names. First names alone are fine when the hosts' names above carry the surnames.
4. The day, the time and the place. Write the date out in full on a formal invitation.
5. What follows. "And afterwards at the reception" if there is one, then how to reply.

Traditional UK invitations say "request the pleasure of your company" for every wedding, a church service included. Keeping "the honour of your presence" for a place of worship is an American convention.

Wording when the bride's parents are hosting

Wording when both families are hosting

Wording when the couple are hosting

Short lines for the invitation itself

A digital invitation has room for one line above the names, so it needs to be short. These all fit on one line, and the full details sit on the page behind it.

When there is more than one event

If guests are invited to different parts of the day, the wording should only promise what each guest is invited to. Never put the whole day on an invitation that goes to evening guests.

On Our Guest List each event has its own guest list, so a guest only sees the events they are invited to, and replies to each one separately. See how to manage a multi-day guest list, or start free and try your own wording on a real invitation.

Lines for the end of the invitation

There are more ways to say the last one in how to say no children on a wedding invitation.

Questions people ask

Whose names go first on a wedding invitation?

Whoever is hosting. Traditionally that is the bride's parents, then the couple's names follow. If both families or the couple themselves are hosting, their names lead instead. On the couple's own line, the bride's name has traditionally come first, but either order is fine, and for two brides or two grooms, choose whichever order sounds best.

Should you put the gift list on a wedding invitation?

Traditionally the gift list isn't on the invitation itself. Put the details on your wedding website, and if you mention it at all, one gentle line at the end saying their company matters most and where to find the list is enough.

Do you write 'Mr and Mrs' on a wedding invitation?

On a formal invitation from the parents, yes, followed by the husband's first name or both first names. On a relaxed invitation, first names are fine.

What do you say instead of 'request the honour of your presence'?

"Request the pleasure of your company", which is the UK's formal wording for every wedding, in a church or anywhere else. For something warmer, try "invite you to celebrate their wedding" or "would love you to join them".