How to word a wedding invitation
By Ratko Ray Mladenovic · Published September 10, 2026
Every wedding invitation, printed or digital, says the same five things: who is inviting, who is getting married, when, where, and what to do next. Once you see those five lines, the wording writes itself. Here they are, with examples you can copy and make your own.
The five lines
An invitation is a short letter with a fixed shape. Keep these five in order and it will read correctly no matter how formal or relaxed your wording is.
- The host line: who is inviting. Parents, both families, or the two of you.
- The request line: the sentence that does the inviting. "request the pleasure of your company" or simply "invite you to celebrate".
- The names: the two of you, in the order you prefer.
- The date and time, written out in full for formal invitations, in numbers for relaxed ones.
- The place: the venue name and the town. The full address belongs on the details page, not on the invitation itself.
When parents are hosting
The traditional form names the hosts first. It still reads beautifully and it is the safest choice for a formal wedding.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hale request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their daughter Eleanor Grace to William James Carter, Saturday, the fourth of October, two thousand twenty-six, at four o'clock in the afternoon, Ashford Hall, Savannah, Georgia.
If both families are hosting, name both: "Together with their families" is the gentle modern version, and it lets you skip the question of whose name comes first.
When you are hosting
Most couples today host their own wedding, and the wording gets simpler and warmer.
Eleanor Hale and William Carter invite you to celebrate their wedding. Saturday, October 4, 2026, at 4 in the afternoon. Ashford Hall, Savannah, Georgia. Dinner and dancing to follow.
"Together with their families" works here too if you want to honor your parents without making them the hosts.
Formal, relaxed, and somewhere in between
Formality lives in three places: whether you spell out the date, whether you use full names and titles, and the verb you choose. "Request the honour of your presence" is the most formal (and traditionally used for a ceremony in a place of worship). "Request the pleasure of your company" is formal. "Invite you to celebrate" is warm. "Come celebrate with us" is relaxed.
Pick one register and keep it through the whole invitation. A formal host line with a relaxed request line reads like two people wrote it.
What to leave off the invitation
The invitation itself should stay short. Everything else has its own place on the details page: the full address and directions, the schedule of the day, where to stay, the dress code, the registry, and how to reply.
On a digital invitation those sections are already there, one scroll below your names, so the invitation line can stay as clean as an engraved card. Guests read the beautiful part first and find the practical part where they expect it.
Small things people ask about
Children: say it kindly and clearly on the details page. "We adore your little ones, and we kindly ask that our wedding be an adults-only celebration" is warm and leaves no doubt.
Plus ones: name the guests you are inviting. On a digital invitation the household is already on the reply form, so guests see exactly who is included.
Reply by: give a date about three to four weeks before the wedding. Your caterer will thank you.
Registry: never on the invitation line. A line on the details page is enough: "Your presence is more than enough. Should you wish to spoil us, you will find our registry below."
Questions
Do we have to spell out the date?
Only for a formal invitation. "Saturday, the fourth of October, two thousand twenty-six" is traditional; "Saturday, October 4, 2026" is perfectly correct for everything else.
Whose name goes first?
Traditionally the bride's, but it is your choice. Many couples simply use the order that sounds best to them.
Where does all of this go on a digital invitation?
The five lines are your first screen. The schedule, places, dress code, registry and reply each have their own section below, and you write them once in your dashboard.
The Digital Envelope makes digital wedding invitations. If you are choosing your invitation now, the collection is at thedigitalenvelope.com/wedding: six styles, one payment, sent as a link with the reply on the page.