Planning A Wedding? Use These Tips To Write Your Invitations

It’s no secret that wedding planning is stressful, after all, there are entire reality shows dedicated to the subject. Booking the venue, buying the perfect wedding dress, finding a professional caterer – so many things to check off your list it can make your head spin. One area that should not be overlooked are the wedding invitations because they are your announcement to your friends and family that you are going to tie the knot.

Match Your Theme

Choose invitations to match the overall theme of your wedding. To formulate the right wedding invitation wording consider the stationery that's being used and the kind of wedding that you are having. Will it be formal or casual, what kind of theme are you having, rustic, vintage, beach, or garden etc?

Who is Hosting

Traditional weddings are often hosted by the parents of the bride. Many couples choose to adapt this to include the parents of both the bride and groom. Many modern couples are now including the bride and groom as the host also. For example, "Together with their parents, Sarah and Matthew" This section showing who is hosting the wedding is usually shown at the top of the wedding invitation.

The Invitation Line

Traditional wording for the what, when, and where portion should begin with a invitation request, for example “Please honour us” or “Request the honour of your presence” or something similarly respectful. A more casual wedding may use wording such as "You are invited to celebrate"

Details of the Day:

Whatever style you decide to go with, there are certain details that you must not leave out to avoid confusion for your guests. If the names of the bride and groom were not included in the host section, this needs to be stated next.

You have told your guests who are getting married, so now you need to tell them where and when. State clearly the location of the wedding, the full address is not needed assuming it is easy to locate. Also include the date and time. A formal wedding invitation will have this written out in full.

Reception Information

Equally important is information about the after party; you can take care of this by printing “Reception to follow” on the invitation if the ceremony is at the same location as the reception. If the reception takes place at a different venue, include this location on a different line. Very formal weddings may include a separate card with details of the reception. This also gives you a chance to let guests know what kind of celebration you will be having, such as "Dinner and dancing to follow" or "Join us for a formal dinner at" If you are not having a dinner reception you could add details such as "Cake and champagne to follow."

Dress Code

Your invite often shows how formal or casual your wedding will be in the appearance and wording used on the invitation. However adding a dress code makes sure there is no misunderstanding, for example if your wedding is a black-tie, cocktail or casual event, do include details about this on the reception card in the invitation.

RSVP Details

You may choose to include a separate RSVP card for guests to fill in and return. Alternatively, you can give guests a phone number to RSVP. State a date that guests must RSVP by.