Your invitations are the first glimpse your guests will have of your wedding, and so the most important thing is that they reflect the feel, style and personality of the big day to come. Although there are strict guidelines in place, there really is no right or wrong way of wording your wedding stationery.
SAVE THE DATES
DETAILS TO INCLUDE:
First Names - Bride’s name always first.
Wedding Date - Of course!
Invitation to Follow - To let them know to expect an invitation soon.
OPTIONAL EXTRAS:
Location - Especially for destination weddings, or if guests will have to travel.
Middle & Last names - For more formal weddings.
Wedding Website - Ideal for guests to find out any additional details.
Examples:
—
Olivia Smith
and
George Mason
are getting married!
October 28, 2017
Caswell House, Oxfordshire
formal invitation to follow
—
Please Save the Date
of October 28, 2017
for the wedding of
Olivia and George
Caswell House, Oxforshire
details to follow
—
Save the Date!
28.10.17
Olivia
and
George
are getting married
Caswell House, Oxfordshire
invitation to follow
INVITATIONS
DETAILS TO INCLUDE:
Host Line - Denotes who is hosting/paying for the bulk of the wedding.
Request Line - This is where you invite your guests to join you.
Bride & Groom Lines - The bride always precedes the groom. For more formal weddings, if the bride’s parents are hosting then she will be referred to by her first & middle names only and the groom by his first, middle and last names.
Date & Time Lines- The order is as follows: Day, Date, Time. Traditionally everything is written out in full.
Venue Line - Venue location, name of hotel/house and general location. Full address not usually used unless it is a private address.
Reception Line - If the reception is being held at the same location as the ceremony then ‘reception to follow’ can be used. If at a separate venue then the location goes on a second line.
OPTIONAL EXTRAS:
Dress Code - If you would like to give guests an idea of how formal your wedding will be.
Wedding Website - If you decide not to use detail cards then a wedding website is a great way of sharing more information with your guests.
Examples:
—
THE COUPLE IS HOSTING:
Together with their families
Olivia Mary Smith
and
George Samuel Mason
request the pleasure of your company
at the celebration of their wedding
Saturday, the twenty-eighth of October
two thousand and seventeen
at half after four in the afternoon
Caswell House
Oxfordshire
reception to follow
—
Olivia Mary Smith
and
George Samuel Mason
warmly invite you to celebrate with them
as they unite in marriage
Saturday, the twenty-eighth of October
two thousand and seventeen
at half past four in the afternoon
Caswell House
Oxfordshire
—
Olivia Smith
and
George Mason
would love for you to join them
in celebrating their wedding
October 28, 2017
at 4:30pm
Caswell House
Oxforshire
—
BRIDE'S PARENTS ARE HOSTING:
Mr. and Mrs. James Noah Smith
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Olivia Mary
to
George Samuel Mason
…
—
BRIDE'S PARENTS ARE HOSTING BUT GROOM'S PARENTS' NAMES ARE INCLUDED:
Mr. and Mrs. James Noah Smith
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Olivia Smith
to
George Mason
…
—
BRIDE AND GROOM'S PARENTS ARE HOSTING:
Mr. and Mrs. James Noah Smith
and Mr. and Mrs. Michael Oscar Mason
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their children
Olivia Smith
to
George Mason
…
—
DIVORCED PARENTS:
Ms. Evelyn Myra Angelou
Mr. James Noah Smith
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their daughter
Olivia Mary
to
George Samuel Mason
…
EVENING INVITES
The wording for daytime invitations can be amended slightly for your evening invitations. The invite line can be replaced with ‘to an evening reception to celebrate the marriage of’. An arrival time can then be included, for example ‘at 7pm’ or ‘from seven o’clock in the evening’ or ‘for the cake cutting at 7 o’clock’. It is important to communicate very clearly that this is an invitation exclusively to the reception.
REPLY CARDS
DETAILS TO INCLUDE:
RSVP Line - To request reply.
RSVP Date - Normally 1-2 months prior to the wedding date.
Line for guests' names - the ‘M’ line is traditionally used but is completely optional.
Yes/No Options.
OPTIONAL EXTRAS:
Dietary Requirement Line
Menu Options
Examples:
Please reply by (insert date)
The favour of a reply is requested by (insert date)
The kindness of a response is requested by (insert date)
YES / NO Options :
joyfully accept / regretfully decline
will be there / will be there in spirit
will attend / will not attend
wouldn’t miss it / sorry to miss it
DETAIL CARDS
DIRECTIONS
Directions to the church/venue and reception, and details of local train stations and airports. Never assume that guests know their way. Details of parking at the ceremony and reception, and any transport provided.
ACCOMMODATION
Local hotels and B&Bs covering all price ranges. Local taxi firms. Where the evening reception is being held in a hotel, reduced rates should be negotiated.
DRESS CODE
If no reference has been made to dress code, then formal dress should be worn. If the dress code is important to you, detail cards are the perfect place to mention this. Black tie should be specifically stated.
Examples:
Black Tie (tuxedos for men and elegant gown for ladies)
Formal Dress /Cocktail Attire (smart suit and long or cocktail dress for ladies)
Smart Casual (shirt and ties for men but not necessarily a jacket, smart skirt/trousers or dress for ladies)
CHILDREN
If you are unable to accommodate or would prefer children not to attend, it is a good idea to mention this in your detail card. If children are invited, it is useful to mention if there are babysitting facilities available, and to let parents know whether they should supply booster seats, highchairs, travel cots, etc.
Examples:
—
We regret that we are unable to accommodate children at our wedding. We are very sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you.
—
Unfortunately, due to venue restrictions we are unable to invite children.
—
Children and babies are more than welcome at our wedding. Please let us know in advance if you will be bringing your children.
GIFTS / REGISTRY / MONEY
Including info about gifts, or your wedding registry on your main invitation or save the dates is not considered polite. However, your detail cards are the perfect place to let your guests know this important info.
Examples:
—
Please do not feel obliged to buy us a gift, your presence on our wedding day is the most important gift that you could give us. However, if you would like to spoil us, we have a wedding list at (name of list and details of how to buy).
—
Please do not feel obliged to buy us a gift, your presence is present enough. However, if you would like to buy us something, we would be most grateful to receive (name of shop) vouchers or a contribution towards (details e.g., our honeymoon or appliances for our new home).
—
What really matters to us is having you there on our big day. However, if you do want to buy us a gift we have a wedding list at (name of list and details of how to buy).
—
Please do not buy us a gift, we would prefer a donation to (name or charity or organisation and details of how to donate).
EXTRAS TO INCLUDE IF NEEDED
The time the events will draw to a close - often referred to as ‘carriages’.
Contact number/email address of the host(s) in case of questions.
The date by which guests should reply, usually two months before the day.
Welcome drinks / brunches / other events.