Mr.
and Mrs. Alan P. Wright
request the honour of the presence
of
...............................................................
at the marriage of their daughter
Patricia Joann
to
Mr. Peter Phillip Sklar
Saturday, the tenth of September
at one o’clock
St. Mary Cathedral
High Street
Winchester
Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson Albrite
invite you to share in the joy
of the marriage uniting their daughter
Jennifer Leah
to
Mr. Paul Allan Phillips
Son of Mr. and Mrs. William Phillips
On Saturday, the sixteenth of July
at two o'clock in the afternoon
St. Etheldredas
Hatfield
Julia Harriton
and
Stephen Andrew Smith
request the honour of your presence
to share in the celebration
of their marriage
on
Sunday 28th March 2005
at two o'clock in the afternoon
St. Annes Church
London
Reception to follow
The Victorian at Heritage Square
Mr. and Mrs. Allan P. Thompson
invite you to share the joy
and wonder of growing love
as two special people become one
in marriage
Judith Claire Thompson
and
Mr. Charles Jackson Harrington
Sunday 8th of July
2008
at seven o'clock in the evening
at
St Peters Church
Edinburgh
And afterwards at the Royal Hotel
Two lives, two hearts
Joined together in friendship
United forever in love
It's with joy that we
Tiffany Amber Freeman
and
Adam Oliver Johnson
invite
________________________________________
To be with us
As we exchange our marriage vows
On the Twenty seventh of May, 2008
At four o'clock
At
Huntington Hotel
This day I will marry my best friend
The one I laugh with, live for, love
Jenny Alice McColl
and
Mark Geoffries
Invite you to join them as they
Begin their new life together
On Saturday 2nd of May
2005
At twelve o'clock
at
The Berystede Hotel
Ascot
So long as I can breathe or I can see
So long lives your love, which gives life to me.
It is with joy that we,
Anna Marie Booth
&
Oliver Jameson
Invite
...................................................................
To share
In our happiness
On Saturday 22nd October
2008
At 12.30
At St Catherine’s
Chipping Campden
Miss Sarah Louise West
and
Mr. Anthony James Edwards
request the pleaure of the company of
…………………………………………………………..
at the evening reception
to celebrate their marriage
Saturday, the sixth of June
Two thousand and two
at half after seven o' clock
The Welcombe Hotel
Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire
Rachel Hughes
and
Philip Johnson
would like you to join them
at an Evening Reception to be held at
The Royal Hotel, Harrogate, North Yorkshire
on Saturday, 24th July, 2004 at 7.30pm
to celebrate their marriage
R.S.V.P.
26 Hillside Gardens
Harrogate, North Yorkshire. HG2 2NX
Following the marriage of
Ali and Simon
You are invited to join them in celebrating
At….venue…
On …date…
RSVP….
Together with their parents
Jennifer Marie
and
Michael James
request the honour of your presence
at the reception following their marriage
on Saturday, the twenty-first of July
two thousand and one
at 7 o'clock in the evening
at …venue…
Two lives, two hearts
joined together in friendship
united forever in love.
It is with joy that we,
Jennifer Marie Taylor
and
Michael James Peterson
invite you to share
in a celebration of love
following our marriage
on Saturday, the twenty-first of July
Mr and Mrs Parents Name
request the pleasure of your company
at an evening reception
to celebrate the marriage of their daughter
Daughter's Name
to
Groom's Name
at time
on date, month, year
at
Name of Wedding Venue e.g church name
place name
R.S.V.P.
…………………………………………………………………
will be able / unable to attend
(delete as appropriate)
No. of persons…….
Please list any dietary requirements
........................................................…………………
………………………………………………………………….
R.S.V.P.
Name:
Would be delighted to accept
Unfortunately cannot accept
Thank You!
R.S.V.P.
M...........................................................
Would be delighted to accept ......
Unfortunately cannot accept ......
Thank you!
R.S.V.P.
..........................................................................
Would be delighted to accept ......
Unfortunately cannot accept ......
Please advise number of vegetarian meals required ......
Information on Invitation Wording
Below are some very useful articles all about wedding stationery and
invitations as well as wording suggestions Many thanks to all the
contributors
Courtesy of Rebecca Black of Etiquette Now!
Wedding invitations can be made by word of mouth, by telephone, or by
email. The main objective is to make sure that guests know the who,
what, when, and where of the event. And although wedding invitations are
much the same as any other invitation, they are more than just a simple
invitation; they are a visual statement before the guest even reads the
words. They convey the formality and tone of your event through the
formality of the paper, letter font, and style; the more formal your
wedding, the more formal the wedding invitations.
So it follows proper etiquette, that for a formal wedding you wouldn’t
invite your guests via email, phone, or word of mouth. Formal wedding
invitations are printed on heavyweight ivory, cream, or white paper
using a classic letter style such as Roman. These are usually engraved
and traditionally written in the third person style. If your wedding is
informal, you are free to customize your unique wedding invitations with
more informal language and style.
Note – Wedding Invitations: If you choose to invite guests for informal
weddings via email, it is best to list a land address for those
uncomfortable with email.
Typically the bride’s parents would issue the unique wedding
invitations, because traditionally they would host their daughter’s
wedding. However these days, more and more couples are paying for their
own weddings or the costs are split so everyone can help the couple in
the best way possible.
The reasoning behind couples paying for their own wedding is logical and
fair. Today’s couple is more financially able to cover the costs. No
longer does the bride live at home, taken care of by her father, until
the day she marries someone who can then take care of her. Women take
care of themselves--they should contribute.
Usually, wedding invitations will suggest who is considered the host;
the host issues the invitation. Although, it is not incorrect to use the
traditional style when the couple is covering the entire cost of the
wedding; some wish to use this style out of respect for their parents
and tradition.
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Wedding Invitation Wording
Traditional style used when the bride’s parents are hosting:
Doctor and Mrs. James Walker
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Cheryl Rae Walker
to
Mr. Timothy Earle Jones
etc.
When the bride’s parents are hosting and the groom’s parents are
included:
Mr. and Mrs. James Walker
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Cheryl Rae Walker
to
Mr. Timothy Earle Jones
son of Mr. and Mrs. Carroll Jones
etc
When both parents are hosting:
Mr. and Mrs. James Walker
and
Mr. and Mrs. Carroll Jones
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of
Cheryl Rae Walker
to
Mr. Timothy Earle Jones
etc.
The bride or groom wish to honor a deceased parent:
Mrs. James Walker
requests the honour of your presence
at the marriage of her daughter
Cheryl Rae Walker
also daughter of the late Mr. James Walker
to
Mr. Timothy Earle Jones
son of Mr. and Mrs. Carroll Jones or
(son of Mr. Carroll Jones and the late Mrs. Jane Jones)
etc.
Or,
Cheryl Rae Walker
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Walker
(or daughter of Mrs. Sharon Walker and the late Mr. James Walker)
and
Mr. Timothy Earle Jones
son of Mr. and Mrs. Carroll Jones
(or son of Mr. Carroll Jones and the late Mrs. Jane Jones)
request the honour of your presence
etc.
When the bride’s stepfather is hosting along with the mother:
Mr. and Mrs. James Walker
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of her daughter
Cheryl Rae Stone
to
Mr. Timothy Earle Jones
etc.
NOTE: If her stepmother were hosting with her father, “at the marriage
of ‘her’ daughter would be changed to ‘his’ daughter’’.
An invitation issued by the couple to the wedding and reception:
The honour of your presence is requested
at the marriage of
Cheryl Rae Walker
to
Mr. Timothy Earle Jones
Saturday, the fourth of March
at five o’clock
Veteran’s Memorial Center
Davis
And afterward at the reception
RSVP
For less formal weddings, the phrase: “is requested at the marriage of”
could be changed to “invite you to the wedding of.” It may begin with
“Please join us to celebrate” or “We hope you will join us” just to name
a few.
A custom, informal invitation, reflecting the couple, could look like
this:
Cheryl Rae Walker
and
Mr. Timothy Earle Jones
invite you to share their joy
at their wedding
Etc.
The couple is issuing the invitation, but honoring their parents:
Cheryl Rae Walker
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Walker
and
Mr. Timothy Earle Jones
son of Mr. and Mrs. Carroll Jones
request the honour of your presence
etc.
Not all invitations must be formal or informal cards as mentioned above.
A nice handwritten letter could be an alternative if your wedding is a
small intimate affair. An email message could be very similar.
Handwritten (Email) Invitation
Dear John and Kathy,
Timothy Jones and I will be married on March 4, at three o’clock at our
home, with a buffet reception following the ceremony. Please come and
celebrate with us.
Warm regards,
Cheryl Walker
Wedding Reception Invitations
Many prefer to include their reception information on the wedding
invitation. However, there are times when a separate invitation to a
wedding reception just makes sense. Reception invitations are often used
when a reception is being held at a different time than the wedding, or
when some are invited to the reception but not to a wedding. Many times
divorced parents will split the invitations, with one issuing the
wedding invitation and the other issuing the reception invitation. This
is appropriate when both the mother and father of the bride are hosting
the wedding.
Additionally, the reception invitation can include information, not
mentioned on the wedding invitation, about formal attire, such as black
tie. Typically, no other dress code is mentioned.
The pleasure of your company
is requested at the
wedding reception of
Cheryl Rae Walker
and
Mr. Timothy Earle Jones
Friday, the fourth of May
at three o'clock
Location
(Optional: Black tie requested)
RSVP
Address
Note:
This example is also very useful for reception invitations for those who
wish to have a destination wedding and plan a reception in their
hometown after the wedding.
It is considered impolite to invite guests to a wedding and not to the
reception. This is implying that some guests are important enough to
entertain and some are not.
The Reply/Response Card
Did you know that a reply card is relatively new and is optional? Yes it
is. Actually, a formally handwritten guest's reply letter was the most
common way a guest would reply years ago. For expediency and convenience
we now include response cards in nearly all invitations. Plus,
unfortunately many people have lost the art of writing a formal response
letter today. In the past, it was considered impolite to assume your
guest didn't know how to write one. Now we assume that our guest
doesn’t.
Some guests may forget to write their names on the response card. In
order to keep track of who responds and who does not, make a list of
your guests with a number assigned to each name. Mark the corresponding
number in pencil on the back of each response card. You will know
quickly who has and has not replied.
If you choose not to use a reply card, which is also known as a RSVP
card, you would simply send a small card with your RSVP information
stating, “The favour of a reply is requested by June 20, 2005,” or write
it on your reception invitation. A formal response should be returned to
the bride on the guest’s personal stationary.
Note: Place a stamp on the response card envelope before assembling the
invitations and placing them into the envelopes.
A Formal Response
Ms. Shannon Pleasance
accepts with pleasure
your kind invitation
for Sunday, the twentieth of June
Or
regrets that she is unable
to accept
Note:
Using email responses is also relatively new and is appropriate for
informal (never formal) weddings.
Because it is so new and some may not be comfortable with sending emails
for a wedding reply, it would be best to include a land address to reply
to also.
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Assembling Invitations
You may have a number of enclosures, with which you will need to ‘stuff’
your envelopes—separate reception invitations, response cards, maps,
at-home cards, etc. Lay everything out in the order in which each will
be placed into the envelope, making sure that you have the same amount
of each item.
Enclosures can be placed on top of or inside of the traditional engraved
double sheet invitation, which folds like a book with the printing on
top. With the multi-fold invitation in which the printing is on the
inside, the enclosures are placed inside the first fold. All enclosures
would be placed facing the back flap of the envelope on top of the
invitation, so the guest can read each as she opens the invitation—most
important on the bottom to least important on top. For example:
Invitation
Tissue, if used
Reception invitation
Response card
Note
Usually the tissue paper is thrown away.
Response envelope is placed behind the response card, printing of the
names facing up toward the back of the outer envelope.
If there are other enclosures such as maps, at-home cards, or name
cards, these are placed in order of size inside the envelope.
If using an inner envelope, the printing would be facing the back of the
outer envelope.
Addressing Envelopes
Addressing your envelope is just as important as your invitations and is
wrought with its own set of etiquette. Your envelopes should be
handwritten unless your printer can duplicate handwriting. These need to
‘look’ handwritten. Please refrain from computer generated labels. Many
couples choose to hire a calligrapher for an elegant appearance.
Current addresses, including zip codes, is particularly important as all
of your invitations should be mailed, even those addressed to parents.
These should be mailed six to eight weeks before your wedding date—at
least eight weeks for out of town guests. However, before mailing all of
your invitations assemble a test sample, including all of your
enclosures. Have it weighed for correct postage.
Traditional address for married couple
Outer Envelope Inner Envelope
Mr. and Mrs. James Maurice Mr. and Mrs. Maurice
3790 Happy Lane *(Joshua, Aaron, and Cole if children are invited)
Davis, California 95616
*This is the best method to inform your guest that their children are
invited.
Children are listed by age, older to younger.
Children over the age of 18 should be sent their own invitation.
Children are not mentioned on outer envelope.
A couple who live together, but have different last names:
Outer Envelope Inner Envelope
Mr. James Maurice Mr. Maurice and Ms. Stone
Ms. Shannon Stone
Note
If the couple is married, there would be an “and” between the names on
the outer envelope.
Notice also that the names are written in alphabetical order—gender is
not an issue.
Siblings or other adults living at the same address
Outer Envelope Inner Envelope
Mr. James Maurice Mr. Maurice (and guest)
Ms. Shannon Stone Ms. Stone (and guest)
List names alphabetically.
Unmarried females can be listed as Ms. or Miss.
Divorced women can be listed as Ms. or Mrs.
All men over the age of 18 should be addressed as Mr.
Married woman using a professional title
Outer Envelope Inner Envelope
Dr. Shannon Maurice Dr. Maurice and Mr. Maurice
Mr. James Maurice
Note
The ‘and’ is not used on the outer envelope.
If they are both doctors, the outer and inner envelopes would read, The
Doctors Maurice.
Close Family and Friends
Outer Envelope Inner Envelope
Mr. and Mrs. James Maurice Shannon and James Maurice
Note - You may use familiar titles or nicknames on the inner envelope,
such as Auntie, or Tim instead of Timothy.
Don’t
Use labels
Use nicknames on the outer envelope
Use abbreviations for cities, states, and streets
Write first name and addresses on the inner envelope
Glue the inner envelope
Hand deliver invitations
Do
Handwrite envelopes
Use an initial if you do not know the full name.
Use only these abbreviations: Mr, Mrs, Ms, Jr, Dr.
Write titles and last names on the inner envelope
Mail children over the age of 18 their own invitation
Forms of Address
Outer Envelope Inner Envelope
Clergy member The Reverend Carroll Smith The Reverend Smith
(With degree) The Reverend Doctor Carroll Smith The Reverend Doctor The
Reverend Carroll Smith, Ph.D. Smith
Rabbi Rabbi Carroll Smith Rabbi Smith
(With degree) Rabbi Carroll Smith, D.D. Dr. Smith
Physician Shannon Stone, M.D. Dr. Stone
Professor Professor Shannon Stone Professor Stone
(With degree) Shannon Stone, Ph.D. Dr. Stone or Professor …
Judge The Honorable Carroll Smith Judge Smith
Army Officer Captain Shannon Stone, Captain Stone
United States Army
Navy Officer Commander Carroll Smith, Commander Smith
United States Navy
