Wedding Invitation Wording: 60 Examples for Every Host

Wedding invitation wording follows five lines: who is hosting, the request ("request the pleasure of your company"), the couple's names, the date and time, and the place. Adjust the first two lines to the hosts and the formality; the 60 examples below cover every host and tone, ready to copy.

Below: the etiquette behind each line, 60 examples labeled formal, modern or casual, wording for a phone screen, and seven common mistakes.

The short answer: the five lines of a wedding invitation

The correct wording for a wedding invitation names the hosts, makes the request, names the couple, then gives the date, time and place, in that order. Everything else is optional.

For the first announcement, see our save the date wording examples.

The anatomy of wedding invitation wording

Who is hosting

The first line names the hosts, and by tradition the hosts are whoever is paying for the wedding. That is why classic invitations begin with the bride's parents. Many couples now host themselves or share the hosting with both families.

The request line: 'honour' or 'pleasure'

Use "request the honour of your presence" for a ceremony in a house of worship, and "request the pleasure of your company" for any other venue. That is the long-standing rule in the Emily Post Institute's formal wedding invitation wording guide, which also keeps the British "u" in honour. "Honor" is correct in US English too; just be consistent.

Your names, and whose goes first

The bride's name comes first by tradition, because her family usually hosted. When her parents host and she shares their surname, only her first and middle names appear; the groom's name is written in full with a title. When the couple hosts, either order is correct. Formal invitations hosted by parents join the names with "to"; Jewish invitations use "and", as do most modern ones.

The date and time, written out

On a formal invitation, write the date, the year and the time in words: "Saturday, the twelfth of June, two thousand twenty-seven, at half after four o'clock." The day and month are capitalized, the year is not, and there is no "and" in the year. "Half after" replaces "half past", and "in the afternoon" is unnecessary.

The place

Give the venue's name, then the city and state, with the state spelled in full. If every guest is local, leave the state out.

The reception line

When the reception follows at the same venue, a single line is enough: "Reception to follow" or "and afterward at the reception". If it moves, name the second venue. A formal suite often puts the reception on its own card, which is also where "Black tie" appears, lower right.

Wedding invitation wording when the couple is hosting (6 examples)

When the couple hosts, their own names open the invitation and the request follows: "Héloïse Marchand and Raphaël Aubert request the pleasure of your company at their marriage."

1. Formal, secular venue

Héloïse Claire Marchand
and
Raphaël Jean Aubert
request the pleasure of your company
at their marriage
Saturday, the twelfth of June
two thousand twenty-seven
at half after four o'clock
Whitmore House
Charleston, South Carolina

2. Modern

Margaux Lefèvre and Henri Dubois
invite you to celebrate their marriage
Saturday, May 22, 2027, at 5 p.m.
Domaine des Rives, Loire Valley, France
Dinner and dancing to follow

3. Warm

We would love you to be there
when we marry.
Inés Navarro & Oliver Grant
Saturday, April 24, 2027 · 6 p.m.
Casa de las Flores, Seville

4. First person, modern

We're getting married, and it wouldn't be the same without you.
Amara & Kenji
Saturday, October 9, 2027
Villa Serrati, Florence

5. Short, for a phone screen (casual)

Simone & Kenji
are getting married
New Year's Eve, December 31, 2027
Manhattan

6. Couple hosting, thanking their parents (modern)

With gratitude to their parents,
Eleanor Hayes and Lucien Moreau
invite you to celebrate their marriage
Saturday, July 17, 2027, at 3 p.m.
Ashcombe Manor, Oxfordshire

When the bride's parents are hosting (5 examples)

When the bride's parents host (traditionally, when they are paying), the invitation opens with their names and "at the marriage of their daughter".

7. Most formal, house of worship

Mr. and Mrs. Laurent Marchand
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Héloïse Claire
to
Mr. Raphaël Jean Aubert
Saturday, the fifth of June
two thousand twenty-seven
at four o'clock
Saint Columba's Church
Savannah, Georgia

8. Formal, secular venue with reception

Mr. and Mrs. Laurent Marchand
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their daughter
Héloïse Claire
to
Mr. Raphaël Jean Aubert
Saturday, the nineteenth of June
two thousand twenty-seven
at half after five o'clock
and afterward at the reception
The Glasshouse at Fernleigh
Hudson, New York

9. Modern, parents' first names

Claire and Laurent Marchand
invite you to celebrate
the marriage of their daughter
Héloïse
and
Raphaël Aubert
Saturday, June 26, 2027, at 4 p.m.
Whitmore House, Charleston

10. Formal, naming the groom's parents

Mr. and Mrs. Laurent Marchand
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their daughter
Héloïse Claire
to
Mr. Raphaël Jean Aubert
son of Mr. and Mrs. Étienne Aubert
…date and venue as in example 8

11. Formal, a parent with a title

Doctor Claire Bisset
and Mr. Laurent Marchand
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their daughter
Héloïse Claire Marchand
to
Mr. Raphaël Jean Aubert
…date and venue as in example 8

"Doctor" is spelled out; Mr. and Mrs. are not.

When the groom's parents are hosting (3 examples)

When the groom's parents host, the bride's full name comes first with "Miss" or "Ms.", and the groom is "their son".

12. Formal

Mr. and Mrs. Étienne Aubert
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of
Miss Héloïse Claire Marchand
to their son
Mr. Raphaël Jean Aubert
Saturday, the eleventh of September
two thousand twenty-seven
at four o'clock
Château Lafleur-Vallon, Bordeaux, France

13. Modern

Nadia and Samir Haddad
invite you to the wedding of their son
Karim
and
Ximena Ortega
Saturday, October 23, 2027, at 5 p.m.
Hacienda Los Olivos, San Miguel de Allende

14. Warm, destination

Ulla and Peter Brandt
would love for you to join them
on Lake Garda
for the marriage of their son Jonas
and Maëlle Girard
Saturday, September 4, 2027
Villa Le Ortensie, Gardone Riviera, Italy

Together with their families: wording for shared hosting (5 examples)

"Together with their families" opens an invitation hosted by the couple and both families, without listing who paid for what. It suits any family shape.

15. Classic

Together with their families
Yasmine Benali
and
Idris Amrani
request the pleasure of your company
at their marriage
Saturday, the twenty-ninth of May
two thousand twenty-seven
at five o'clock
Riad Dar Lila, Marrakech, Morocco

16. "Together with their parents" (modern)

Together with their parents
Linnea Berg and Elio Conti
invite you to celebrate their marriage
Saturday, June 5, 2027, at 4 p.m.
Podere San Lorenzo, Val d'Orcia, Italy

17. Both sets of parents as hosts (formal)

Mr. and Mrs. Paul Bennett
and
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Okafor
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their children
Grace Elizabeth Bennett
and
Samuel Chidi Okafor
…date and venue

18. Parents named beneath the couple (modern)

Grace Bennett
daughter of Ruth and Paul Bennett
and
Samuel Okafor
son of Ada and Daniel Okafor
invite you to celebrate their marriage
Saturday, August 14, 2027, at 3 p.m.
The Lindley Estate, Richmond, Virginia

19. Casual

Along with their families,
Linnea and Elio
would love you to join them
for a long lunch, a short ceremony and a late night
Saturday, June 5, 2027 · Val d'Orcia

Divorced, remarried and blended families (6 examples)

When divorced parents host together, each name sits on its own line with no "and" between them, because they are no longer a couple. When a new spouse co-hosts, "her daughter" or "his daughter" makes the relationship clear.

20. Divorced parents hosting together (formal)

Ms. Anne Carter
Mr. Robert Carter
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their daughter
Emma Louise
to
Mr. James Lowell
Saturday, the second of October
two thousand twenty-seven
at four o'clock
Larkspur Farm, Middleburg, Virginia

21. Mother and stepfather hosting (formal)

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Whitaker
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of her daughter
Emma Louise Carter
to
Mr. James Lowell
…date and venue as in example 20

22. Father and stepmother hosting (modern)

Robert and Diane Carter
invite you to celebrate
the marriage of Robert's daughter
Emma Louise Carter
and
James Lowell
Saturday, October 2, 2027, at 4 p.m.
Larkspur Farm, Middleburg, Virginia

23. Both parents remarried, all four hosting (formal)

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Whitaker
and Mr. and Mrs. Robert Carter
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their daughter
Emma Louise Carter
to
Mr. James Lowell
…date and venue as in example 20

The mother's line traditionally comes first. With two married couples, "and" joins the lines.

24. Together with their parents (modern)

Together with their parents
Emma Carter and James Lowell
invite you to celebrate their marriage
Saturday, October 2, 2027, at 4 p.m.
Larkspur Farm, Middleburg, Virginia

25. Mother, stepfather and father hosting (modern)

Anne and Thomas Whitaker
Robert Carter
invite you to celebrate
the marriage of their daughter
Emma Carter
and
James Lowell
…date and venue as in example 24

Remembering a parent who has died (4 examples)

Invitations are issued by living hosts, so a parent who has died is named beside their child's name ("daughter of the late Robert Carter"), not among the hosts.

26. Surviving parent hosting (formal)

Ms. Anne Carter
requests the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of her daughter
Emma Louise
daughter also of the late Robert Carter
to
Mr. James Lowell
…date and venue

27. Couple hosting, both parents named (modern)

Emma Louise Carter
daughter of Anne Carter and the late Robert Carter
and
James Lowell
son of Helen and Mark Lowell
invite you to celebrate their marriage
Saturday, October 2, 2027, at 4 p.m.
Larkspur Farm, Middleburg, Virginia

28. Remembering a parent in the opening (modern)

Together with their families,
and remembering Emma's father, Robert,
Emma Carter and James Lowell
invite you to celebrate their marriage
…date and venue

29. A line of memory at the foot (warm)

Emma & James
are getting married
Saturday, October 2, 2027
Larkspur Farm, Middleburg, Virginia

With Robert, always, in our hearts

Two brides, two grooms (4 examples)

Same-sex wedding invitation wording follows the same five lines; any name order you choose is correct.

30. Couple hosting (formal)

Charlotte Reyes
and
Amelia Brooks
request the pleasure of your company
at their marriage
Saturday, the eighteenth of September
two thousand twenty-seven
at half after four o'clock
The Boathouse at Pine Lake, Asheville, North Carolina

31. Both families hosting (formal)

Mr. and Mrs. Luis Moreno
and
Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Walsh
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their sons
Daniel Moreno
and
Thomas Walsh
…date and venue

32. One family hosting (modern)

Maureen and Hugh Walsh
invite you to celebrate the marriage of their son
Thomas
and
Daniel Moreno
Saturday, September 25, 2027, at 5 p.m.
Hotel Alameda, Santa Fe

33. Casual

Amelia and Charlotte are getting married,
and the dance floor needs you.
Saturday, September 18, 2027
The Boathouse at Pine Lake, Asheville

Second marriages and vow renewals (4 examples)

For a second marriage the couple usually hosts, and the wording is the same as for a first wedding. A vow renewal uses "the renewal of their wedding vows" in place of "their marriage".

34. Second marriage, small ceremony (modern)

Julia Snow and Michael Hale
are marrying in a small ceremony
and would love you to celebrate with them afterward
Saturday, April 17, 2027, from 7 p.m.
The Harbor Room, Newport

35. Second marriage, with children (warm)

Together with their children
Sophie, Max and Ella
Julia and Michael
invite you to celebrate their marriage
Saturday, May 15, 2027, at 6 p.m.
The Harbor Room, Newport

36. Vow renewal (formal)

Mr. and Mrs. Edward Lang
request the pleasure of your company
at the renewal of their wedding vows
in celebration of twenty-five years of marriage
Saturday, the thirteenth of November
two thousand twenty-seven
at five o'clock
The Oak Room, Lake Forest, Illinois

37. Vow renewal hosted by the children (modern)

The children of Ruth and Paul Bennett
invite you to celebrate forty years
and the renewal of their parents' vows
Saturday, July 24, 2027, at 4 p.m.
The Lindley Estate, Richmond, Virginia

Formal wedding invitation wording and black tie (5 examples)

Formal wedding invitation wording means full names with titles, every number in words, and no abbreviations other than Mr., Mrs. and Ms. "Black tie" belongs only on an invitation that includes the reception, or on the reception card, in the lower right corner. For formality on screen, see luxury digital wedding invitations.

38. Black-tie evening, couple hosting

Vivienne Marie Laurent
and
Maxime Antoine Roche
request the pleasure of your company
at the celebration of their marriage
Saturday, the sixteenth of October
two thousand twenty-seven
at seven o'clock
The Ashford Hotel
New York, New York
Dinner and dancing to follow

Black tie

39. Hosted by a grandparent

Mrs. Eleanor Whitfield Grant
requests the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of her granddaughter
Clara Louise
to
Mr. Theodore James Delaney
…date and venue as in example 38

Any relative who hosts follows the same pattern: "his sister", "their niece", "her granddaughter".

40. Without naming hosts

The honour of your presence is requested
at the marriage of
Héloïse Claire Marchand
and
Raphaël Jean Aubert
…date and church as in example 7

41. Formal reply line

The favour of a reply is requested
by the first of May
two thousand twenty-seven

42. Formal reception card

Reception
immediately following the ceremony
The Ashford Hotel
New York, New York

Black tie

CachetCotton stationery, an oxblood wax sealSee Cachet

EnluminureAn illuminated leaf, gilded and painted at a touchSee Enluminure

ChapitreA green morocco book, printed for your guestsSee Chapitre

Three designs made for formal wording: Cachet's letterpress card under an oxblood seal, Enluminure's gilded initials and Chapitre's book printed for each guest. For the quiet-luxury version of formal wording (ivory, black ink, a monogram and nothing that shouts), see our guide to old money wedding invitations.

Casual, modern and unique wedding invitation wording (6 examples)

Unique wedding invitation wording keeps the five facts and changes the voice: first person, a line of your story, or one plain sentence about the day.

43. Eat, drink and be married (casual)

Eat, drink and be married.
Capucine & Bastien
Saturday, May 8, 2027, from 4 p.m.
Le Jardin Clos, Paris

44. A line of your story (modern)

Twelve years after sharing an umbrella at a bus stop,
Valeria and Tomás are getting married.
Saturday, July 10, 2027, at 3 p.m.
San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica

45. Garden party (casual)

Bring an appetite and shoes you can dance on grass in.
Anouk & Félix are getting married
Saturday, June 19, 2027, at 5 p.m.
Mas des Lavandes, Provence

46. Minimal (modern)

Marisol + Teo
09.18.27
Barcelona
Come celebrate with us

47. Playful

We said yes.
Now it's your turn.
Marisol & Teo are getting married
Saturday, September 18, 2027 · Barcelona

48. Destination (casual)

Pack light, bring sunscreen and your dancing shoes.
Iris & Callum are getting married on Paxos
Saturday, September 11, 2027
Lakka Bay, Paxos, Greece

For a short quote, a poem or a Bible verse above your names, see our love quotes for wedding invitations; for wording with more tenderness, romantic wedding invitations. To tell more of your story than one line, as in example 44, start from our love story examples.

Religious and civil ceremonies (4 examples)

Religious wedding invitations follow the same structure, with the ceremony's own words added where the tradition calls for them; civil ones take "the pleasure of your company" or a modern line. Ask your officiant first, and see our religious wedding invitation wording for more faiths.

49. Catholic, with a Nuptial Mass (formal)

Mr. and Mrs. Laurent Marchand
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Héloïse Claire
to
Mr. Raphaël Jean Aubert
and your participation in the offering of a Nuptial Mass
…date and church as in example 7

50. Jewish (formal)

Rachel and David Levin
and
Miriam and Aaron Stern
invite you to share in their joy
at the marriage of their children
Talia
and
Noah
Sunday, the thirteenth of June
two thousand twenty-seven
at six o'clock
Temple Beth Ora, Scarsdale, New York

Note "and" between the names, as is customary on Jewish invitations; many couples also add the Hebrew date.

51. Civil ceremony (modern)

Clémence Roy and Gaspard Lenoir
invite you to witness their marriage
Friday, November 12, 2027, at 11 a.m.
The Rotunda, San Francisco City Hall
Lunch to follow at Bellweather, Hayes Valley

52. Interfaith (warm)

Together with their families
Anaya Mehta and Daniel Cohen
invite you to celebrate their marriage
bringing together two traditions and two families
Sunday, June 6, 2027, at 5 p.m.
The Willows, Princeton, New Jersey

Bilingual wedding invitation wording (4 examples)

A bilingual invitation gives each language its own complete block, written naturally rather than translated word for word. For layouts and more pairs, see bilingual wedding invitation wording.

53. English and Spanish

Ximena Ortega & Karim Haddad
invite you to celebrate their marriage
Saturday, October 23, 2027, at 5 p.m.

Ximena Ortega y Karim Haddad
tienen el gusto de invitarles a su boda
sábado, 23 de octubre de 2027, a las 17:00

Hacienda Los Olivos, San Miguel de Allende

54. English and French

Margaux Lefèvre & Henri Dubois
invite you to celebrate their marriage
Saturday, May 22, 2027, at 5 p.m.

Margaux Lefèvre et Henri Dubois
ont la joie de vous convier à leur mariage
le samedi 22 mai 2027 à 17 h

Domaine des Rives, Loire Valley

55. English and Italian

Sofia & Nico
are delighted to invite you to their wedding
Saturday, September 18, 2027, at 4 p.m.

Sofia e Nico
sono lieti di invitarvi al loro matrimonio
sabato 18 settembre 2027, alle ore 16:00

Villa Gelsomino, Camogli

56. English and Arabic

Laila Mansour & Youssef Khoury
request the pleasure of your company at their marriage
Saturday, June 12, 2027, at 8 p.m.

يتشرّف يوسف وليلى
بدعوتكم لحضور حفل زفافهما
مساء السبت ١٢ يونيو ٢٠٢٧، الساعة الثامنة

Qasr Al Yasmin, Muscat

The Arabic uses the dual for the couple (زفافهما). On a Veiloria invitation each language is its own complete version, and each guest reads it in theirs, right to left for Arabic. Our guide to bilingual wedding invitations covers layouts and guest lists in two languages.

Reception-only and evening invitations (4 examples)

A reception-only invitation replaces "at their marriage" with "at a reception in celebration of their marriage". In the UK, evening guests often receive their own invitation; see our guide to evening reception invitations.

57. After a private ceremony (formal)

Selma Alaoui and Idris Bennani
request the pleasure of your company
at a reception in celebration of their marriage
Saturday, the twenty-second of May
two thousand twenty-seven
at seven o'clock
Kasbah Assafar, Agafay, Marrakech

58. UK evening reception

Mr and Mrs Andrew Grant
invite you to join them
for the evening reception
following the marriage of their son
Edmund
and
Giulia Rossi
Saturday 10 July 2027, from 8pm
The Long Barn, Cirencester

UK style drops the full stop after Mr and Mrs.

59. After an elopement (casual)

We eloped.
Now let's celebrate properly.
Ebba & Hugo
Saturday, August 21, 2027, from 6 p.m.
The Old Mill, Stillwater, Minnesota

For the announcement itself, see our elopement and courthouse wedding announcement wording.

60. After a destination wedding (modern)

Anaya and Kabir were married in Udaipur this spring.
Join us to celebrate at home.
Saturday, July 24, 2027, at 7 p.m.
The Conservatory, Edison, New Jersey

Writing it for a digital invitation

On a digital invitation, the cover carries only the five lines; everything else moves into sections guests tap through. New to the format? Start with what a digital wedding invitation is.

Short lines for small screens

A phone shows a narrow column, so long lines wrap in awkward places. Our rule of thumb is no more than about 35 characters a line:

1. Give each name its own line, and break a long request in two ("request the pleasure / of your company").
2. Put the year on its own line, as in examples 1 and 7.
3. Put the venue and the city on separate lines.
4. Drop anything a section repeats: address, dress code, reply-by date.

At Veiloria a designer sets your wording into the design, line by line; you never wrestle with a template. Nothing is shared until you approve the proof, and wording can be changed free until the day, on the same link.

In Calligraphe, the wording is performed: a fountain pen writes your names live in iron-gall ink, and each guest signs their reply in the ink they choose.

Where the other details go

Everything else gets its own section, where guests look for it. For the full checklist, see what to include in a wedding invitation.

The message you send with the link is wording too: copy one from our WhatsApp wedding invitation messages. For SMS or email, use our wedding invitation text messages. Comparing services? See the best digital wedding invitation sites.

For more on tone, our designers' letter "Finding your words" is part of the welcome series of Letters from the atelier, followed by roughly one letter a month.

Seven common mistakes

Most of these come down to mixing registers: "honour" at a beach, or a written-out date beside "4:30 p.m." Check your draft against all seven:

1. "Honour" for a secular venue. A garden, hotel or vineyard takes "the pleasure of your company".
2. Mixing date styles. Spell everything out, or use numerals everywhere. Never "the twelfth of June, 2027".
3. "O'clock" with p.m. Write "four o'clock" or "4 p.m.", never "four o'clock p.m.".
4. Gifts on the invitation. Etiquette keeps registry and money requests off it; our cash gift wording shows how to phrase them elsewhere.
5. "Adults only" on the cover. It reads as a scolding; addressing each invitation by name, and listing those names on the reply, says it kindly. See adults-only wedding invitation wording.
6. No dress code where it matters. If you need black tie, say so in one line; our dress code wording has the phrases.
7. No reply-by date. Set one about four weeks before the wedding, and send the invitation 8 to 12 weeks ahead (see when to send wedding invitations). A digital invitation with RSVP collects each reply inside it.

If plans change after sending, see our change of date announcement wording.

More wording guides

• WhatsApp wedding invitation messages
• Wedding invitation text messages
• Religious wedding invitation wording
• Cash gift wording for a wedding invitation
• Adults-only wedding invitation wording
• Dress code wording for a wedding invitation
• Love quotes for wedding invitations
• Our love story examples
• Wedding change of date announcements
• Elopement and courthouse wedding announcements

Sources

• The Emily Post Institute, Formal Wedding Invitation Wording: honour and pleasure, titles, dates, reply lines, Jewish and Catholic wording, black tie (archived copy of 1 January 2026, checked 19 October 2026).
• The Emily Post Institute, Samples of Formal Wedding Invitation Wording: the bride's, groom's or both families hosting, divorced and remarried parents, a single living parent, the couple or another relative hosting (archived copy of 25 August 2026, checked 19 October 2026).

Frequently asked questions