How to Write Wedding Invitations

It’s important to keep the wording for your wedding invitation simple and clear. But keep in mind that a lot is conveyed in how you choose to compose the language. The most traditional format is to begin with the proper names of the hosts, followed by a line that requests the honor of your presence. The next line is reserved for the relationship of the bride to the host. It’s customary to list the bride’s first and middle names only if she shares the last name of the hosts. On the next line, the full name of the groom is listed. After the couple’s names appear, it is standard to list the time and place of the event followed by a line about the reception. Here’s how this standard wedding invitation might read:

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Salinger
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Eloise Ann
to Henry James Miller
Saturday the thirty-first of August
at 3 o’clock in the afternoon
Trinity Lutheran Church
New York, New York
Reception to follow

If, however, both sets of parents are jointly hosting, the wording is as follows:

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Salinger
And
Mr. and Mrs. Jennifer Miller
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their children
Eloise Ann Salinger
and
Henry James Miller

And if the couple is hosting their own wedding, the wording is as follows:

Ms. Eloise Ann Salinger
and
Mr. Henry James Miller
request the honor of your presence
at their marriage

If the bride and groom are hosting the wedding with their parents, the wording is like this:

Ms. Eloise Ann Salinger
and
Mr. Henry James Miller
together with their parents
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Salinger
And
Mr. and Mrs. Jennifer Miller
request the honor of your presence
at their marriage