Figuring out your wedding invitation wording is all about figuring out what the rules are… and then figuring out how you want to strategically break them (kind of like all of wedding planning right?). Now, figuring out your wedding invitation wording in 2020… that’s just an added challenge.
Your job is to come up with wording that makes you and your partner happy and causes minimal family stress. Because for whatever reason, family (being family) sometimes use wedding invitations as a flashpoint to unpack allll the family drama.
Invitation Suite including Handmade Ornate Frame Invitation, Refined Save the Date, and Bad Dancing RSVP card. Photo by The Poffs.
In reality, wedding invitation wording is a place where you might want to get creative… but not TOO creative. No matter what beautiful form they come in (old fashioned post, email, on a balloon, sent by a flock of pigeons, unrolled as a poster), they still need to convey some basic information. Who are you? What are you doing? When and where are you doing it? How you share that information can express anything from your values to the kind of wedding you’re going to have to your artistic taste. But wedding invitation wording still is, in its most basic form, a simple means of passing along information. Nothing more, nothing less. (So tell your mom to calm down.)
2020 Tip: If you’re sending a Save the Date, Change the Date, or reissuing an invitation for a new plan… you don’t want to leave anything up to the imagination. So, feel free to be creative, but also ask someone to double check your work so that you know your guests are getting all the information they need.
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Because of that, the conventional structure of wedding invitations can be a helpful starting point. Here is a general outline of how the wedding invitation often breaks down, with specific examples to follow.
Black Tie Option invitation from Minted
What To Include In Your Wedding Invitation Wording, Line By Line
- The Host Line: The first line of the wedding invitation is where you list who’s hosting the wedding. In times past, the bride’s family always hosted (and paid for) the wedding. Thankfully, those days are done. Hosting the wedding is, in the end, a (mostly meaningless) honor that you get to choose how to pass out. Both (or all) your sets/singles of parents can be listed as hosts. If you have five sets of parents and you want to list them all—go for it. One set of parents might be listed as hosts. You can host the wedding yourself, in which case the lines are reversed “Terry and Renee invite you to…” or the host line is omitted entirely. You can also make the host line more general “Together with their families.” There are two issues worth noting here. Firstly, no matter who says what in the course of guilting you, the host line on the wedding invitation isn’t for sale; it’s an honor that you should bestow in a way that makes you feel comfortable. Names are not listed in order of who paid more (or who paid at all). And secondly, this particular honor is generally only used for the living (since these people are, ostensibly, inviting you to a party). A common way to honor the dead is to alongside a member of the couple’s name as “Renee Smith, daughter of Beth Smith,” or “Renee Smith, daughter of Iris Milfrid and the late Beth Smith.”
- The Invitation Line: This is where you actually invite people. “The honor of your presence” is traditionally used to denote a religious service while “The pleasure of your company” is used to denote a secular one, though you can use any phrasing you want. This is where you actually ask people to join you, so feel free to set the tone with anything from “Invite you to share their joy as…” to “Want you to come party with us when…”
- The Names: This line seems self-evident until you start thinking about the details. Whose name goes first? (That honor traditionally belongs to the bride, but what if there are two brides? Or all grooms? Or you just don’t want to do it that way?) Will you list both last names, or one last name, or no last names? Will the names be on the same line or different lines? There are no right or wrong answers (though I’m partial to listing everyone’s last name), but several good questions.
- The Action Line: What are you inviting people to share in? Traditionally, with the bride’s parent’s hosting, this line read something like “At the marriage of their daughter,” but your line might read “At the celebration of their marriage,” “As they exchange vows of love and commitment,” or “As they finally tie the knot.”
- The Information: This is the one line where I strongly advise you to stick to the basics, since you want people to actually come to this thing. Time, date, and location should all be listed (though the address does not have to be, assuming it’s otherwise easy to find, like on a details card).
- The Party Line: What’s coming after the wedding? This is both your time to get celebratory and your time to give guests a solid idea of what to expect. If you’re not serving a full meal, this would be a great place to say “Cake, punch, and revelry to follow”; this line could also say “Dinner and dancing immediately following,” or inform them of a gap of time or location change, “Party to follow at 7 pm at Delfina.” You can also use this line to just get creative and set the tone for the celebration. “Wild celebration to follow,” “Confetti and magic to follow,” “Join us for an intimate dinner following…” Here, the sky really is the limit.
2020 Tips: We all know it’s a go with the flow kind of thing these days. Don’t be afraid to put “Invite you to join us onilne,” for the invitation line, or “An outdoor, socially distanced, but totally fun party to follow,” on the party information line. This is your event and your invitation, so you have to tell folx what to expect.
For more specifics, we’ve provided some wedding invitation wording samples that vary from classic to whimsical.
Wedding Invitation Wording Examples In Various Styles
Bolder Letterpress Invitations from Minted
Sweet And Simple Wedding Invitation Wording
Together with their families
Alexis Lee West
and
Taylor Eliot Keegan
request the pleasure of your company
at the celebration of their marriage
Saturday, the eighth of June
two thousand nineteen
at half-past four in the afternoon
The Prospect Pavilion
409 Ocean Parkway
Brooklyn, New York
Dinner and dancing to follow
———
With great pleasure
Alexis Lee West
&
Taylor Eliot Keegan
invite you to join them
at the celebration of their marriage
Saturday, the eighth of June
two thousand nineteen
at half-past four in the afternoon
The Prospect Pavilion
409 Ocean Parkway
Brooklyn, New York
Dinner and dancing to follow
———
The honor of your presence
is requested at the marriage of
Alexis Lee West
and
Taylor Eliot Keegan
Saturday, the eighth of June
two thousand nineteen
at half-past four in the afternoon
The Prospect Pavilion
409 Ocean Parkway
Brooklyn, New York
Reception immediately to follow
The Boathouse
163 Greenwood Avenue
———
With great joy
you are invited to
celebrate the marriage of
Alexis Lee West
and
Taylor Eliot Keegan
Saturday, the eighth of June
two thousand nineteen
at half-past four in the afternoon
The Prospect Pavilion
409 Ocean Parkway
Brooklyn, New York
Dinner, Dancing & Merriment to follow
———
Because you have shared in our lives
and supported our love, we
Alexis Lee West
and
Taylor Eliot Keegan
request the pleasure of your company
at our marriage
Saturday, the eighth of June
two thousand nineteen
at half-past four in the afternoon
The Prospect Pavilion
409 Ocean Parkway
Brooklyn, New York
Reception to immediately follow
———
We’re getting married!
Alexis & Taylor
06.08.2019
at 4:30 p.m.
The Prospect Pavilion
Cake and punch reception to follow
Chic Gold Luxury Wedding Invitation from Fab Lab Stationery on Etsy
Traditional Wedding Invitation Wording
Mom Name
Dad & Step-Mom Name
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their daughter
Alexis Lee West
to
Taylor Eliot Keegan
son of
Other Mom Name and Step-Dad Name
Other Dad Name
Saturday, the eighth of June
two thousand nineteen
at half-past four in the afternoon
The Prospect Pavilion
409 Ocean Parkway
Brooklyn, New York
Dinner and dancing to follow
———
Mom Name and Dad Name
Other Mom Name and Step-Dad Name
Step-Mom Name and Other Dad Name
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their children
Alexis Lee West
and
Taylor Eliot Keegan
Saturday, the eighth of June
two thousand nineteen
at half-past four in the afternoon
The Prospect Pavilion
409 Ocean Parkway
Brooklyn, New York
Reception to follow
———
Mom Name and Dad Name
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Alexis Lee West
to
Taylor Eliot Keegan
Saturday, the eighth of June
two thousand nineteen
at half-past four in the afternoon
The Prospect Pavilion
409 Ocean Parkway
Brooklyn, New York
Reception to follow
———
Mom Name
invites you to share in the celebration
of the marriage of her daughter
Alexis Lee West
to
Taylor Eliot Keegan
Saturday, the eighth of June
two thousand nineteen
at half-past four in the afternoon
The Prospect Pavilion
409 Ocean Parkway
Brooklyn, New York
Dinner and dancing to follow
———
Mom Name
Mom Name and Dad Name
invite you to share in their love and joy
at the marriage of their children
Alexis Lee West and Taylor Eliot Keegan
Saturday, the eighth of June
Two thousand nineteen
at four-thirty in the afternoon
The Prospect Pavilion
409 Ocean Parkway
Brooklyn, New York
Dinner and dancing to follow
Black tie encouraged
———
Together with their families (and cats)
Alexis Lee West
to
Taylor Eliot Keegan
Request the honor of your presence as they
Tie the knot
Saturday, June Eighth, Two Thousand Nineteen
At four-thirty in the afternoon
The Prospect Pavilion
409 Ocean Parkway
Brooklyn, New York
———
Mom Name and Dad Name
request your presence
at the wedding of their daughter
Alexis Lee
and
Taylor Eliot
son of
Mom Name and Dad Name
Saturday, the eighth of June
two thousand nineteen
at half-past four in the afternoon
The Prospect Pavilion
409 Ocean Parkway
Brooklyn, New York
Dinner and dancing to follow
Retro Invitation from Blush and Blossom Paper on Etsy
Fun Wedding Invitation Wording
Alexis Lee West
and
Taylor Eliot Keegan
Are Gettin’ Hitched!
Please join us
For a celebration of love, friendship,
laughter, and family
Saturday, June 7, 2019
at 4:30 in the afternoon
The Prospect Pavilion
409 Ocean Parkway
Brooklyn, New York
Fabulous food, fun, and festivities to follow
———
Alexis Lee West
and
Taylor Eliot Keegan
Invite you to join the fun
as they stand together
before family and friends
extending their friendship
to include the vows of marriage.
Saturday, June 8, 2019
at 4:30 in the afternoon
The Prospect Pavilion
409 Ocean Parkway
Brooklyn, New York
Dinner, dancing, and merriment to follow
———
Girl met Girl.
For the rest of the story join
Alexis Lee West
and
Taylor Eliot Keegan
Saturday, the eighth of June
two thousand nineteen
at half-past four in the afternoon
The Prospect Pavilion
409 Ocean Parkway
Brooklyn, New York
Dinner, Dancing & Merriment
It’s outside, so stiletto heels might be a problem!
———
Alexis Lee West
and
Taylor Eliot Keegan
are tying the knot!
Saturday, June 8, 2019
at four-thirty in the afternoon
The Prospect Pavilion
409 Ocean Parkway
Brooklyn, New York
Dinner, Dancing & Merriment to follow
Please bring an instrument if you have one
———
Because you have believed in them,
Celebrated with them,
Loved and encouraged them,
We, Ingrid West, Chad West, North West, Andrew Keegan, and Brad Keegan,
Invite you to join us in honoring our siblings
Alexis Lee West
and
Taylor Eliot Keegan
As they celebrate the beginning of their adventure together
Saturday, the eighth of June
two thousand nineteen
at half-past four in the afternoon
Dinner and dancing immediately following ceremony
Bring your dancing shoes
———
Alexis “It’ll be a cold day in hell” West
and
Taylor “Not in a million years” Keegan
invite you to join them
as they swallow their words
and join in marriage
Saturday, the eighth of June
two thousand nineteen
at half-past four in the afternoon
Frolicking and food immediately following the ceremony
———
What are you doing Saturday, June 8th at 4:30 PM?
Nothing? Wonderful!
Then get yourself to
The Prospect Pavilion!
Alexis and Taylor
with the support of their families
wish you to witness and
celebrate their wedding
reception to follow
———
Love truly, drink deeply, and dance badly
Alexis and Taylor are getting married
June 8, 2019
The Prospect Pavilion
409 Ocean Parkway
Brooklyn, New York
Open bar, so you know it’s on!
———
He asked, and she said yes…
or was it the other way around?
However it happened
Alexis Lee
and
Taylor Eliot
are getting married
and ask you to join them
on Saturday, the eighth of June
Two thousand nineteen
at four-thirty in the afternoon
at The Prospect Pavilion
Brooklyn, New York
Marked Wedding Invitation from Minted
Non-Traditional Wedding Invitation Wording Samples
Please join
Alexis Lee West
and
Taylor Eliot Keegan
as they exchange vows
and together with their son, Michael, celebrate their family
Saturday, June 8, 2019
4:30 in the afternoon
The Prospect Pavilion
409 Ocean Parkway
Brooklyn, New York
———
Mom Name and Dad Name
Invite you to join the family for a reception honoring
Alexis and Taylor New Last Name
Saturday, June 8, 2019
4:30 in the afternoon
The Prospect Pavilion
409 Ocean Parkway
Brooklyn, New York
———
Please join us
As we celebrate new beginnings and new love
at the marriage of
Alexis Lee West
to
Taylor Eliot Keegan
Saturday, June 8, 2019
4:30 in the afternoon
The Prospect Pavilion
Cocktails, Dinner, and Dancing to follow
Digital Change the Date template from Paperly Canada on Etsy
Change the Dates
Due to unforeseen circumstances, we are changing our wedding date
Please save our new date
August 18, 2022
———
We’ve decided to postpone
New details coming soon
———
Please mark your calendars with our new wedding date!
We can’t wait to celebrate with you
———
Well, this stinks!
COVID tries to ruin the party again
Mandy & Paul won’t let that happen, and have decided to postpone their wedding
New date, same time:
Sunday, May 18, 2021
at Four O’clock pm
———
Due to the unforeseen circumstances, the wedding of Sam and Kyle has been postponed.
We have decided to have a small immediate family ceremony on September 25, 2020.
Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate our full guest list at this time.
We anticipate having a wedding celebration at a later date.
We will be sure to send you an invitation when we have a new date picked.
Please visit our website for more information.
www.weddingwebsitehere.com
Offbeat Wedding Announcement from Minted
Wedding and elopement announcements
Because your love and friendship have made us who we are, we are very happy to share the news.
With the love in our hearts, and just our families by our side, we exchanged vows in a private ceremony on the twenty-fifth of August two thousand twenty in Dallas, Texas.
Although you were not there in person, you were there in our hearts.
———
Love made us do it
and 2020 couldn’t stop us
We tied the knot with a private ceremony and all of you in our hearts on May 22, 2020
———
Although we couldn’t have you there in person, you were with us on our special day
We were married on Saturday, June 14 in Sacramento, California
Plain Paint Details Card from Minted
Details cards
Details cards have always had a place in a wedding invitation suite. They come in handy for sharing all the information from travel information to website links and venue addresses to attire information.
In 2020, they have become even more vital as weddings continue to happen, but require extra precautions and information be shared with guests. Your details card can be the perfect place to let guests know about your COVID precautions and changes to the overall plan. Don’t be afraid to add a zoom link for folx who will join from afar.
As we approach our reimagined wedding day
We want to thank you for considering joining us. We know that any gatherings outside your household pose a risk during these times, and while we want you with us, we respect your personal decision whether or not to attend.
To mitigate the risks, we have moved our wedding outside, will be requiring masks, will have individually packaged meals, and are limiting the party to 25 people who promise to maintain social distancing.
We request that each guest get a COVID-19 test no more than 72 hours before our wedding, and plan to quarantine and monitor their health for 14 days after. Please take your temperature before the party, plan to avoid hugging and handshaking, and keep your mask on at all times (except when you’re eating and drinking).
Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns leading up to the day. We cannot wait to safely celebrate our marriage with you.
What wedding invitation wording did you use? If you had to do it again, would you make any changes? Photos of your invitations for cute bonus points (we know y’all have good taste).
