Wedding Invitation Layouts
The traditional format for a wedding invitation where both parents are married is as follows:
Mr and Mrs John Standish
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their daughter
Caroline to Mr Christopher Herbert
at St Michael's Church, Knightsbridge
on Saturday 10th June 2017
at 1 o’clock
and afterwards at
The Mandarin Oriental, London SW1
 |
The RSVP address is then included in the bottom left hand corner of the invitation.
Many families, however, will not fit into this pattern, and there are a number of alternative styles of wording for different circumstances.
Invitations to the marriage of a same-sex couple can be altered depending on which, if either, parent or set of parents is hosting (see below for the wording where the couple is hosting the wedding themselves).
Note: the couple’s middle names may also be included.
If the bride’s mother is the hostess:
Mrs John Standish requests the pleasure of your company at the marriage of her daughter Caroline
If the bride’s father is the host:
Mr John Standish requests the pleasure of your company at the marriage of his daughter Caroline
If the bride’s mother and stepfather are the joint host/hostess:
Mr and Mrs Edgar Forsythe request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of her daughter Caroline
If the bride’s father and stepmother are the joint host/hostess:
Mr and Mrs John Standish request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of his daughter Caroline
Where the bride’s stepmother is the hostess:
Mrs John Standish requests the pleasure of your company at the marriage of her stepdaughter Caroline
If the bride’s parents are divorced, but are nevertheless co-hosting the wedding:
Mr John Standish and Mrs Edgar Forsythe* request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their daughter Caroline
*Mrs Jane Standish if she has not remarried
If the hosts are the bride’s relatives, guardians or godparents:
Mr and Mrs Robert Newton request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their ward Caroline Standish*
*The bride’s surname may be included if it is different from the host’s/hostess’s
If the bride is the hostess:
Miss Caroline Standish requests the pleasure of your company at her marriage to Mr Christopher Herbert
Where the bride and groom are the host and hostess:
Mr Christopher Herbert and Miss Caroline Standish request the pleasure of your company at their marriage
Where a same-sex couple are hosting:
Miss Sophie McMillan and Miss Lucy Brightman request the pleasure of your company at their marriage
In certain circumstances an invitation may be sent to the reception only – the same rules relating to the naming of the hosts will apply:
Mr and Mrs James Burton request the pleasure of your company at the reception following the marriage of their daughter Beatrice Jane
A note should be placed inside the envelope with the invitation to give a good reason, for example:
Owing to the small size of St John’s Church it is possible to ask only very few guests to the service. We hope you will forgive this invitation being to the reception only.
Second and subsequent marriages
In the case of a divorced bride embarking on a second marriage, whichever example above is applicable to the bride should be used. If the bride’s marriage has been dissolved, she is described as ‘Mrs Catriona Short’. If she has reverted to her maiden name, it is only necessary to list her forename, as in the standard invitations above.
If the bride is the hostess, the examples above should be followed, with her name as ‘Mrs Joseph Short’ or ‘Mrs Catriona Short’, as applicable. If the bride is a widow, she is described as ‘Catriona, widow of Mr Joseph Short’.
Mr and Mrs Hugh Berkeley and Mrs Catherine Berkeley request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of Charlotte
If the bride’s divorced parents co-hosting:
Mr Hugh Berkeley and Mrs Edgar Forsythe* request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their daughter Charlotte
* ‘Mrs Catherine Berkeley’ if she has not remarried
If the bridegroom’s parents are hosting:
Mr and Mrs George Debrett request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of Charlotte Berkeley to their son John
If the hosts are the bride’s relations, guardians or godparents:
Mr and Mrs Gregory Hill request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of [their ward] Charlotte Berkeley*
* The bride’s surname may be included if it is different from the host’s/hostess’s. The phrase ‘their ward’ is considered very formal.
If the bride is the hostess:
Miss Charlotte Berkeley requests the pleasure of your company at her marriage to Mr John Debrett
