Wedding Planning: What to Write on Wedding Invitations

Last updated: February 12th, 2020 Published on: March 14, 2019

Finding the right wording for your wedding invitations can be tricky. With so many different family situations, traditional etiquette doesn’t always cover your needs. Here at Funky Pigeon, we have put together a range of wording options to help make your wedding planning less stressful.

lace wedding invitations

Bride’s Parents Hosting

Weddings were traditionally hosted and funded by the bride’s parents. Because of this, their names appear at the top of the wedding invitations. If this is the case for your wedding, then start with the parents’ names. Next, include key points like the date, ceremony venue and evening reception details. Because the parents are hosting, their address should be used for the RSVP. Or, if you want to keep track of guest correspondence personally, use your address instead.

Mr & Mrs Hickman
request the pleasure of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Nicola
to
Mr. James Brendan Owen
on Saturday 14th September 2019
at 1pm
St Mary’s Church, Bridgnorth
Followed by an evening reception
At Patshull Park Hotel, Pattingham
RSVP
By 2nd August 2019
Sample Address, Bridgnorth,
Shropshire, WV15 4BG

Hosting Your Own Wedding

Paying for your own wedding? Or don’t want to go down the traditional route of having the parents hosting? If so, address the wedding invitations from yourselves rather than your parents. This will inform guests that you are hosting your wedding, which avoids potential confusion. As both of your names are on the invites, the RSVP details will just be your address, keeping you in control of your big day.

Miss Nicola Hickman and Mr James Owen
request the pleasure of your presence
at their marriage
on Saturday 14th September 2019
at 1pm
St Mary’s Church, Bridgnorth
Followed by an evening reception
At Patshull Park Hotel, Pattingham
RSVP
By 2nd August 2019
Sample Address, Bridgnorth,
Shropshire.

Same Sex Couples

With same sex marriages, you can generally follow the traditional wedding invitation wording layout. You could put the hosts’ names first, whether that be your parents or yourselves. If you’re taking your partner’s name (or vice versa), perhaps write their full name and only use your first name. Alternatively, opt for something totally unique – just remember to include important details like times, dates, and locations! Here are some examples of how to start your wording below:

A) One set of parents hosting

Mr & Mrs Jones
request the pleasure of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Susan
to
Miss Louise Bethany Thomas

B) Both sets of parents hosting

Mr and Mrs Jones
&
Mr and Mrs Thomas
request the pleasure of your presence
at the marriage of their daughters
Miss Susan Emily Jones
and
Miss Louise Bethany Thomas

C) You are hosting

Miss Susan Emily Jones and Miss Louise Bethany Thomas
request the pleasure of your presence
at their marriage

D) General

You are invited to celebrate
the marriage of
Susan and Louise

marble and pink wedding invitations

Divorced Parents

If your parents are divorced and still share the same last name, you can start off the wedding invitations by separating their surnames with ‘Mr’ and ‘Mrs’, e.g. ‘Mr Hickman & Mrs Hickman’. But, if they have remarried, use their new surnames. RSVP details should also include both addresses if applicable to your wedding planning.

Mr Hickman and Mrs Hickman
request the pleasure of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Nicola
to
Mr James Brendan Owen
on Saturday 14th September 2019
at 1pm
St Mary’s Church, Bridgnorth
Followed by an evening reception
At Patshull Park Hotel, Pattingham

~~~

Mr Hickman and Mrs Evans
request the pleasure of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Nicola
to
Mr James Brendan Owen
on Saturday 14th September 2019
at 1pm
St Mary’s Church, Bridgnorth
Followed by an evening reception
At Patshull Park Hotel, Pattingham

Widowed Parent Hosting

If a widowed parent is hosting your wedding day, it can be hard to word your invitations. To show who is hosting your wedding, include the name of the parent at the top in full.

Mrs Jane Hickman
requests the pleasure of your presence
at the marriage of
Nicola and James
on 20th July, 2019 at half past two
at St Mary’s Church, Bridgnorth
Followed by an evening reception
At Whitburn Hall, Bridgnorth
RSVP
By 2nd August 2019
Sample Address, Bridgnorth,
Shropshire.

marble and pink wedding invitations

Step Parents

If both of your parents are remarried and you want to include these step parents in your big day, simply write both sets of names at the top of your invites. If you choose this option, it’s best to contact both parents beforehand to check if they’re okay with this decision.

Mr and Mrs Hickman
&
Mr and Mrs Evans
request the pleasure of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Nicola
to
Mr James Brendan Owen
on Saturday 14th September, 2019
at 1pm
St Mary’s Church, Bridgnorth
Followed by an evening reception
At Patshull Park Hotel, Pattingham
RSVP
By 2nd August 2019
Sample Address, Bridgnorth,
Shropshire.

For more ideas and inspiration, visit our range of unique wedding invitations.