Wedding Invitation Wording - What’s The Proper Etiquette?

Weddings are all about proper etiquette. I mean, you’d hate to insult your Great Aunt Gertrude on your father’s side by seating her at the wrong table, what a nightmare. But for some people, first impressions really are everything, and your wedding invitation is the first notice most people will receive of your upcoming event. So, if you don’t want all the old women at church talking about your manners, it’s best to follow a few simple rules of proper etiquette in order to make this impression a good one.

When it comes to wording your wedding invitations, it seems there are a different set of rules for every imaginable set of circumstances. It really depends on who is hosting the event and their marital status, which I didn’t know when I created my invitations. Below are some examples for each scenario:

If hosted by bride and groom
Laynee Jo Johnson
and Jack Lucas Warren
request the honor of your presence

If hosted by bride’s family
Mr. and Mrs. Hagen Johnson
request the honor of your presence
as their daughter, Laynee Jo
is united in marriage to
Jack Lucas Warren
son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Warren

If hosted by bride, groom, and both families
Laynee Jo Johnson
and Jack Lucas Warren
together with their parents
request the honor of your presence

If hosted by groom’s family
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Warren
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of
Laynee Jo Johnson
to their son, Jack Lucas Warren

If hosted by divorced parents:
Mrs. Martha Lovely
And Mr. Hagen Johnson
request the honour of your presence
as their daughter, Laynee Jo
is united in marriage to
Mr. Jack Lucas Warren
son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Warren

When one parent is deceased
Laynee Jo
Daughter of Martha Johnson and the late Hagen Johnson
and Jack Lucas Warren
request the honour of your presence

Whew, I bet you didn’t think there were so many ways to write your wedding invitations huh? There’s a few more general rules that apply to any situation, including:

• For ceremonies being held in a place of worship, it’s proper to use the phrase “request the honor of your presence”. For ceremonies held anywhere else, you should use “request the pleasure of your company.”
• Always spell out all words. Including the hour, date, year, and all the words in the address.
• The British spelling of the words “honour” and “favour” may be used to inspire a feeling of elegance.
• Use Roman numerals in names, such as Jack Lucas Warren the third (Jack Lucas Warren III)
• Always use full names. It is better to leave out a middle name than to put it as an initial.

Remember that the less formal your event is, the more flexible these rules become. In reality, you can write your invitations any way you like, but if your goal is to set a stage of elegance, class and sophistication, these rules should be followed.