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- Elements To Include In Your Wedding Invitation Wording
- Wedding Invitation Wording Ideas
- Formal Wedding Invitation Wording Examples
- Casual Wedding Invitation Wording Samples
Elements To Include In Your Wedding Invitation Wording

Host Names
The first line of your wedding invitations is dedicated to the host of the wedding, also known as the party covering the expenses. Traditionally, the bride’s parents pay for the wedding, but with the times changing, the groom’s parents, bride, and groom, or a combination of all three are contributing. There is no official order or requirement to list the names. It’s all up to personal preference.If your family has a non-traditional structure, don’t let the host name part of the invitation trip you up. It’s easy to accommodate situations such as step-parents or when the parents of the bride or groom are deceased. These situations just offer another opportunity for creative wording like these examples below:
Including step parents in your wedding invitation
Here is example wording for including step parents in wedding invitations:
Mr. & Mrs. Byrne and Mr. & Mrs. Lin
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of
Talia Flores
&
Stephen Byrne
Honoring deceased parents in your wedding invitation
Here is example wording for including deceased parents in wedding invitations:
Mr. Tom Byrne & the late Mrs. Nancy Byrne
request the honor of your company
at the marriage of their children
Talia Flores
&
Stephen Byrne
The Couple’s Names

The Details

- Date + time
- Location + address
- Dress code
- Any other pertinent information
Post Ceremony Plans
Let your guests know what to expect after the ceremony. It’s a great way to set the tone for your reception with clear expectations. If there’s a cocktail hour or dancing and dinner, it’s good to spell it all out here, or include your wedding website link that has all the information. You should also include the address if the reception will be held at a separate venue.Design Elements

- Monograms and symbols
- Borders and patterns
- Engagement photos
- Sweet phrases
- Getting hitched
- We do
- Love
- All we need is love
- We decided on forever
- Forever and Always
- To love and to cherish
- The future Mr. & Mrs. _____
- At Last
- Mr. & Mrs.
- Share in our love
Wedding Invitation Wording Ideas

Formal Greetings and Phrases
- The honor of your presence is requested at the marriage of _____
- _____ request the honor of your presence at the marriage of _____
- _____ invite you to celebrate the marriage of their children _____
- Together with their parents you are cordially invited to celebrate the marriage of _____
- _____ request the pleasure of your company at the celebration of their union
- _____ joyfully request the pleasure of your company as we exchange vows
- You are cordially invited to celebrate the marriage of _____
- You are cordially invited to attend the wedding of _____
- _____ request the pleasure of your company at their wedding
- _____ request your presence on the day of their marriage
- We invite you to share in our joy and request your presence at the wedding of _____
Informal Greetings and Phrases
- You are invited to the wedding of _____
- You are invited to celebrate the marriage of _____
- Your presence is requested at the wedding of _____
- _____ request the pleasure of your company at their wedding
- _____ joyfully invite you to share in a celebration of love and commitment
- _____ invite you to celebrate their marriage
- Together with our families we joyfully invite you to the wedding of _____
- _____ invite you to join them in the celebration of their union
- _____ invite you to join them at their wedding
- _____ invite you to share in their joy as they become husband and wife
- _____ invite you to their wedding on _____
- Join us for the wedding of _____
- Kindly join us at the wedding of _____
- Please join us for our wedding
- _____ will say “I do”
- _____ invite you to join them as they say “I do”
- Please come help us celebrate our love
- _____ request the pleasure of your company as they exchange vows
- With joyful hearts, _____ request your presence at their wedding
- The wedding day of _____
- We’re getting married, please join us
- _____ join together as husband and wife
- _____ are getting hitched
- _____ would be honored to have you present when we exchange vows
Post Ceremony Wording
If you are hosting a post ceremony celebration make sure to include that in your invitation. If your reception is at a different location, make sure that you include the additional address or direct guests to your wedding website for more information. Shutterfly offers coordinated enclosure cards to include in your invitations for any additional information you need to make sure guests know. For how to word a more casual reception, you could say something short and sweet such as, “Dinner and dancing to follow.” Options for a traditional reception include phrases such as, “An evening of celebration to follow” and “Reception to follow.”Here are some wording options to consider:
Informal Post Ceremony Wording
- Dinner and dancing to follow
- Merriment to follow
- Followed by dinner and dancing
- Drinks and dancing to follow
- Dinner, drinks and dancing to follow
- Cocktails, dinner and dancing to follow
- Adult reception to follow
Formal Post Ceremony Wording
- Reception to follow
- An evening of celebration to follow
- Followed by an evening of celebration
Different location reception wording
- Reception immediately following at _____
- Dinner to follow at _____
- Reception to follow at _____
- Reception to follow at the residence of _____
Formal Wedding Invitation Wording Examples

Jump to a specific section to see formal wedding wording invitation according to who the host is going to be:
- Couple Hosting
- Couple & Parents Hosting
- Bride’s Parents Hosting
- Groom’s Parent Hosting
- Couple’s Parents Hosting
Couple Hosting
If the bridal couple is hosting the ceremony, here’s an example of the wedding invitation wording for a formal wedding:
The honor of your presence is requested at
the marriage of
Talia Camila Flores
and
Stephen Anthony Byrne
Saturday, the eleventh of June
two thousand and twenty three
at twelve o’clock in the afternoon
Arctic Club Hotel
700 Third Avenue
Seattle, Washington
Reception to follow
Couple & Parents Hosting
Sometimes weddings are hosted by both the couple and the bride and groom’s parents. Here’s an example of how to word formal wedding invitations when the ceremony is being hosted by the couple and parents:
Talia Camila Flores
&
Stephen Anthony Byrne
request the honor of your company
at the celebration of their union
Saturday, the eleventh of June
two thousand and twenty three
at twelve o’clock in the afternoon
Arctic Club Hotel
700 Third Avenue
Seattle, Washington
Reception to follow
Bride’s Parents Hosting
If your wedding is being hosted by the bride’s parents, here’s an example of the wording to use in formal wedding invitations so guests know whom their hosts are.
Mr. & Mrs. Jon Flores
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Talia Camila Flores
to
Stephen Anthony Byrne
Saturday, the eleventh of June
two thousand and twenty three
at twelve o’clock in the afternoon
Arctic Club Hotel
700 Third Avenue
Seattle, Washington
Reception to follow
Groom’s Parents Hosting
If the groom’s parents are hosting the wedding, here’s an example of how to word formal wedding invitations so guests know to thank the parents of the groom for the ceremony.
Mr. & Mrs. Tom Byrne
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of
Talia Camila Flores
to their son
Stephen Anthony Byrne
Saturday, the eleventh of June
two thousand and twenty three
at twelve o’clock in the afternoon
Arctic Club Hotel
700 Third Avenue
Seattle, Washington
Reception to follow
Couple’s Parents Hosting
Mr. & Mrs. Flores
and Mr. & Mrs. Byrne
request the honor of your company
at the marriage of their children
Talia Camila Flores
&
Stephen Anthony Byrne
Saturday, the eleventh of June
two thousand and twenty three
at twelve o’clock in the afternoon
Arctic Club Hotel
700 Third Avenue
Seattle, Washington
Reception to follow
Casual Wedding Invitation Wording Samples

- Couple Hosting
- Couple & Parents Hosting
- Bride’s Parents Hosting
- Groom’s Parent Hosting
- Couple’s Parents Hosting
Couple Hosting
If you’re hosting your own wedding, here’s how to word casual invitations that specify that the couple is hosting:
Talia Flores
and
Stephen Byrne
invite you to a celebration of their
love and commitment
June 11, 2023
12:00 pm
Arctic Club Hotel
700 Third Avenue
Seattle, Washington
Dinner and dancing to follow
Couple & Parents Hosting
If the wedding is being hosted by both the couple and the parents, here’s how to word casual invitations to reflect that:
Together with their parents
Talia Flores
&
Stephen Byrne
invite you to share in their joy
as they tie the knot
June 11, 2023
12:00 pm
Arctic Club Hotel
700 Third Avenue
Seattle, Washington
Dinner and dancing to follow
Bride’s Parents Hosting
Mr. & Mrs. Flores
would love your company
at the marriage of their daughter
Talia Flores
to
Stephen Byrne
June 11, 2023
12:00 pm
Arctic Club Hotel
700 Third Avenue
Seattle, Washington
Dinner and dancing to follow
Groom’s Parents Hosting
Mr & Mrs. Byrne
joyfully invite you to
the marriage of
Talia Flores
to their son
Stephen Byrne
June 11, 2023
12:00 pm
Arctic Club Hotel
700 Third Avenue
Seattle, Washington
Dinner and dancing to follow
Couple’s Parents Hosting
When the both sets of parents are hosting the wedding, here’s an example of how to word a casual invitation:
The Flores and Byrne families
joyfully invite you to the marriage of
Talia Flores
&
Stephen Byrne
June 11, 2023
12:00 pm
Arctic Club Hotel
700 Third Avenue
Seattle, Washington
Dinner and dancing to follow
Closing Thoughts
Sending out your custom wedding invitations is an exciting step in the wedding planning process. Don’t forget to include RSVP cards and to take advantage of RSVP functions on your wedding website in case any RSVPs get lost in the mail. Remember to hold on to a couple of invitations — they are perfect for scrapbooking, crafting, and including in a shadow box or photo book.
After the wedding, make sure to send your attendees wedding thank you cards to show them how much you value their love and support.
Additional Wedding Invitation Resources: