October 29, 2026

Wedding invitation wording: examples for every kind of wedding

Who's hosting, the honor of your presence or the pleasure of your company, sample wording from formal to casual, bilingual lines, and the RSVP lines.

Wedding invitation wording follows a few old rules that still help: it says who’s inviting, who’s marrying, when and where, and how to reply, in that order. Once you know the rules, you can keep them or break them on purpose. Here’s the order, sample wording for every tone, and lines for a bilingual wedding.

The order of the lines

Most wedding invitations read top to bottom like this:

The hosts, the people inviting (parents, the couple, or both families).
The request line, which sets the tone.
The couple’s names.
The date and time, often written out on formal invitations.
The ceremony venue and its city.
The reception line, if it follows somewhere else or right after.
The RSVP, on a reply card or a line at the bottom.

Who’s hosting

Traditionally the bride’s parents hosted and their names went first. Today the line usually matches who’s actually inviting:

Her parents: “Mr. and Mrs. [Name] request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their daughter…”
Both families: “Together with their families, [Name] and [Name] invite you…”
The couple themselves: “[Name] and [Name] invite you to celebrate their marriage…”
Divorced or remarried parents: each parent’s name on its own line, in the order the family prefers.

“Together with their families” is the most common line now, because it includes everyone without deciding whose name goes first.

“The honor of your presence” or “the pleasure of your company”

A small rule many people still follow: “request the honor of your presence” is used for a ceremony in a house of worship, and “request the pleasure of your company” for a ceremony anywhere else. Very formal invitations sometimes spell it the British way, “honour.” Many couples simply pick the line they like, and nobody minds.

Sample wording: formal

Mr. and Mrs. [Name] request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their daughter [Full name] to [Full name], Saturday, the [date], at four o’clock in the afternoon, [Venue], [City].

Together with their families, [Full name] and [Full name] request the pleasure of your company at their wedding, Saturday, [date], at five o’clock, [Venue], [City]. Dinner and dancing to follow.

Sample wording: warm and simple

[Name] and [Name] invite you to celebrate their marriage on Saturday, [date], at [time], at [Venue]. Reception to follow.

With joy, [Name] and [Name] invite you to their wedding. [Date], [time], [Venue], [City].

Please join us as we say I do. [Date] at [time], [Venue].

Sample wording: casual and fun

We’re getting married! Come eat, drink and dance with us on [date] at [Venue].

[Name] and [Name] are tying the knot. Bring your appetite and your dancing shoes. [Date], [time].

After [number] years, a dog and one very long engagement, we’re making it official. [Date] at [Venue].

Bilingual wedding invitations

When the families read different languages, the invitation can carry both. Lead with the language of the hosts or the ceremony, and keep each version natural rather than translated word for word.

Together with their families, [Name] and [Name] invite you to celebrate their marriage, [date], [Venue]. Con la bendición de Dios y de nuestros padres, [Nombre] y [Nombre] tienen el honor de invitarlos a celebrar su matrimonio, el [fecha], en [lugar].

Join us as we say I do. / Acompáñennos a decir “sí, acepto”.

Reception to follow. / Después de la ceremonia, los esperamos en la recepción.

Some couples send two versions instead, each guest getting the one they read. letsparty can send invitations in Spanish to the households who read it and in English to everyone else, from the same guest list, with a language switch on every invite.

The reception line

If the reception follows at the same place: “Dinner and dancing to follow” or “Reception immediately following.” If it’s somewhere else, give it its own line and address: “Reception at [Venue], [address], at six o’clock.” A separate reception card keeps the main invitation clean.

RSVP wording

Give a specific date, usually three to four weeks before the wedding, so you have time for the seating chart and the caterer’s numbers.

“Kindly reply by [date].”
“The favor of a reply is requested by [date].” (formal)
“Please let us know by [date] if you can make it.”
Meal choices: “Kindly indicate your choice of beef, fish or vegetarian.”
Seats: “We have reserved [number] seats in your honor,” when you need to limit plus-ones politely.
Adults only: “We love your little ones, but our celebration is for adults only.” Put it on the details card or the website, not the main invitation.

What stays off the invitation

The registry traditionally stays off a wedding invitation; put it on your wedding website or let the shower invitation carry it. Hotel blocks, travel notes and the schedule belong on the website or a details card too.

Wording tips

Write the date and time in words on a formal invitation (“Saturday, the twelfth of June, at four o’clock”), numerals on a casual one.
Use full names on a formal invitation, first names on a casual one.
Read it aloud. If a line is hard to say, it’s hard to read.
Have someone outside the planning proofread the names and the date.

The free wording ideas tool has more lines for weddings and every event around them.