One of the biggest questions we get asked as wedding planners is about invitation wording.  What is the etiquette?  Whose name goes first?  Both of our parents are hosting the wedding, how do we word it? What information should be added into the invitation?  What information should we omit?  How do we handle inviting only certain people to a Welcome Reception?  And the list goes on…  We have written this blog post to help answer some of those questions.

Below we have written out some examples for each type of scenario for who is “hosting” the wedding.  When we say hosting, we are meaning who is paying for the wedding.  In the “old” days of planning a wedding, the bride’s family was mostly responsible to pay for the entire wedding.  The groom’s family would often host the rehearsal dinner.  These days, we often find the wedding being split by both families.  Often a 50/50 split, or maybe a 60/40 split between families.  Or even the couple is paying for their own wedding.  But whoever is paying for your wedding, it is always important to know proper etiquette for your wedding invitations.

Photo by Corinne Alexandra

First things first, whose name goes first:

Traditionally, the bride always precedes the groom. For a formal invite, we would always suggest the bride to be referred to by her first and middle names.  The groom is referred by his full name and title (optional).

Next, what is written on the invite?

1. The host (who is hosting)
2. The invite (request your presence, invite you to share, …)
3. Wedding date and time
4. Venue(s) and address(es)
5. Reception following (or if there is a gap, say “Reception to begin at ___ time”)
6. Optional: dress code

That’s it.

Do not put your RSVP information on the invite.  Do not add your registry on the invite.  Make separate insert cards for these.  We will discuss these below.

What’s the best way to write out the time:

1. Time should always be spelled out.
2. The time should never be capitalized.
3. If the time is on the hour, it should be followed by “o’clock”
4. Do not use “o’clock” if the time is not on the hour. (e.g. six-thirty in the evening)
5. Time, not on the hour, should be hyphenated (see above)
6. Time should always be followed by “in the morning”, “noon”, “in the afternoon”, “in the evening”, or “midnight”

Now, most importantly, here are some general examples for (most) case scenarios:

Both parents hosting wedding (two examples):

Bride OR Groom’s parent’s hosting wedding:

Divorced parent’s hosting (any situation):

Divorced Parent’s hosting (parent’s remarried):

Divorced Parent’s Hosting (neither parent remarried):

Bride and Groom hosting (traditional):

Bride and Groom hosting (contemporary):

Next, your insert cards:

Other Inserts:

Photo by Katie Bevereley

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