Navigating Wedding Invitation Wording in a Modern World
Long gone are the days where the bride’s parents are expected to host the wedding. Of course it still happens, but here in the 21st century, the host of the wedding is an anything goes sort of situation. Weddings have evolved in so many ways over the years, and thus have broken from tradition. As traditions and rules have begun to waiver, the only constant that remains is that it is a union of two people that are in love, that want to celebrate their commitment to love each other with their closest friends and family.
While there are a multitude of hosts, I am going to give only a few examples of the most common that come across my desk. I, or any other stationer, will be happy to help guide you through the verbiage that best fits you and your family. That is exactly what we are here for!
A few quick things to note before I get started with the examples. Full names should always be used for invitations. You can choose to omit a middle name, but you should not use an abbreviation. The phrase “the hono(u)r of your presence” is used when the ceremony is in a house of worship. For a ceremony performed outside of a house of worship, the phrase “request the pleasure of your company” is appropriate.
Please note that some wording can be altered, as these are just examples.
Hosts: Bride’s Parents
Mr. and Mrs. Brian Lee Gresham
Request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their daughter
Katherine June
to
Mr. William James Stuart
Hosts: Bride’s Parents and Step-Parents
Mr. and Mrs. John Michael Anderson
and
Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell Anderson O’Malley
Request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their daughter
Amelia Anne
to
Mr. Jacob Aaron Hatley
Hosts: Both sets of parents
Together with their families
Jordan Michaelson and Patrick Williams
Invite you to join them as they celebrate their marriage
Once you have the order of names down, there are a few options for wording to use to request that your guests attend.
Here are some suggestions, but this list is not limiting:
request the pleasure of your company
request the honor of your presence
wish for you to join them
invite you to celebrate with them
The time and date of the ceremony, and reception location(s) are next on the invitation. Traditionally, the time and date should be written out in full.
If your ceremony is in a place of worship, only the name should be mentioned. The address should be left out.
Hopefully this has given you some answers and guidance. Like I mentioned above, there are so many variations and it is impossible to answer every question, but any stationer will be happy to help tailor your invitations to your event.
xoxo,
Alexandra