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?).

I mean, 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.

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 an invitation 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.)

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.

What To Include In Your Wedding Invitation Wording, Line By Line

1. 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.”
2. 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…”
3. 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.
4. 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.”
5. 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).
6. 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 7pm 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.

For more specifics, we asked invitation expert (and no-nonsense none-too-traditional lady) Kimi Wert of Printable Press to provide some wedding invitation wording samples that vary from classic to whimsical.

Wedding Invitation Wording Examples In Various Styles

Botanic Wedding Invitations via Minted ($234 for 100)

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

Natures Greens Wedding Invitations via Minted ($234 for 100)

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

Bad Dancing Wedding Invitations via Minted ($234 for 100)

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

Desert Rocks Wedding Invitations via Minted ($234 for 100)

Non-Traditional Wedding Invitation Wording Samples

Please join
Alexis Lee West
to
Taylor Eliot Keegan
as they exchange vows
and together with their son,..