Choosing the right wording for your wedding invitations

You've chosen your wedding invitations... now you just need to think what to say on them...

What to include

Although your wording can vary depending on how formal your celebration will be, make sure that the invitation includes the following:

• names of the bride's parents or other hosts
• first name of the bride
• first name and surname of the bridegroom and his title (Mr/Lieutenant/Sir etc)
• where the ceremony is taking place
• date, month and year of the wedding ceremony
• location of the wedding reception
• address to which guests should reply, and a reply date

You might also wish to include:

• details of any dress code/theme
• time guests can expect the day to come to an end
• whether children are invited

Who sends out the invitations?

Invitations are always sent from whoever is hosting the wedding -- traditionally the bride's parents. The wording becomes more complicated if parents are divorced or if the couple are holding the event themselves. The usual wording for a traditional invitation is: