Wedding invitation examples - getting the wording right

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It is customary to follow certain etiquette when writing your wedding invitations, whatever style wedding you are planning - from a beach wedding to the grandest dinner and dance. You can opt for professionally designed invitations, or create them yourself on a computer decorating them with petals, sequins, bows or whatever else takes your fancy!

A few basic tips on wording include using people’s full names rather than nicknames, don’t abbreviate addresses or dates, and use Mr, Mrs, Ms or Miss where appropriate for example.

A church wedding or similar usually requires the most formal kind of wedding invitation. Commonly sent by the bride’s parents, wedding invitations may include the names of the groom’s parents too. This will depend on their involvement in the planning of the wedding, or the preference of the engaged couple. A typical example of this formal invitation is:

Mr and Mrs Charles Higgason
Request the honour of

Mr & Mrs Richmond's
presence at the marriage of their daughter

Sophie Anne
with
Mr Thomas Brown

Saturday, the sixth of August
Two thousand and five
At one o’clock in the afternoon

St. Orwellian’s Church
York

There are less formal variations of wedding invitations, but the basic information remains the same. Your guests will need to know whom, when and where, but also the dress code of your wedding. This can vary from Black tie (men in tuxedos, women in cocktail or evening dresses) to ‘Lounge Suits and Party Dresses’ for a more relaxed wedding. It is also customary to include the time that your wedding will end, often written as ‘Carriages at 11 o’clock’. If you have opted for a gift list, you could also include details of where guests can purchase a wedding present for you.

To ensure that you receive confirmation on who will be attending, enclose a reply card and stamped envelope. This is a good opportunity for asking whether anyone is vegetarian or has any other special dietary requirements. Request that guests send the card back by a particular date, and you will hopefully avoid having to call round family and friends checking whether to include them in the seating plan or not! So many people are now connected to the Internet, some couples also set up a wedding e-mail address so guests can simply send an e-mail confirming their attendance. It is also useful for encouraging them to send you the digital photographs they took after the wedding!

Remember to send out your invitations around six to eight weeks before the event. For family or friends who are out of town, you might like to send a ‘save the date’ card with details of hotels in the area up to twelve weeks prior.

© The Pink Fridge Online Magazine 2008 - Wedding Invitations