Your Wedding Invitation Wording Guide
There is so much that goes into making your wedding invitation Absolutely Fabulous, not least of which would be your invitation wording itself. For the definitive authority on all things wedding-invitation-related, we always recommend Crane & Co’s Wedding Blue Book. However for general guidelines, below are quick and short answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about your wedding invitation wording.
Honour of your presence vs. Pleasure of your company
In invitation wording, the phrase “request the honour of your presence” is traditionally used when a ceremony takes place in a place of worship (church, synagogue, etc). The word “honor” is used to show deference to God when a wedding is held in a house of worship. When a ceremony takes place in a non-religious location, or venue, you may use the phrase, “Request the pleasure of your company.”
Honour vs. Honor, Favor vs. Favour
This applies to US weddings:
Either spelling may be used, however, we traditonally see the British usage of, “honour” on an invitation when the wedding leans toward the formal side.
But do remember to be consistent with your usage. If you use the spelling “honour” on the invitation (i.e. “…request the honour of your presence”), you should use the spelling “favour” on your reply card (“The favour of a reply is requested…”). And if you use the spelling “honor” on the invitation, you will want to use spelling “favor” on your RSVP.
Traditionally, the formal, British spelling with the “u” is used, however, it is not required.
Shop Amazon – The Wedding Shop
Catholic Ceremonies
Invitation wording for a Roman Catholic wedding, which will include a full Mass, the phrase “at the marriage of” may be expanded to “at the Nuptial Mass uniting {couples’ names} in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.”
Numbers
Numbers in the date are spelled out, but numerals may be used for street addresses.
Punctuation
Punctuation is not used at the ends of lines (i.e., commas, periods, colons.); however, commas are used within lines, as in dates, addresses, or a man’s surname (Jr./junior/II/III)
Time
Traditionally, abbreviations “a.m.” and “p.m.” are not used, therefore the phrases “in the morning” or “in the evening” are used when it is likely to cause confusion.
The proper reference to a half hour is, “half after,” not “half past.” So 7:30 should be written as “ half after seven o’clock.”
Quarter hours are not traditionally used on a wedding invitation.
Times between 12:00 noon and 5:30 pm are considered the afternoon. 6:00 pm or later is considered the evening.
The Date
When writing the date, days and numbers are traditionally spelled out. The day is written first, then the date and month.
The year is written on the following line, with the first letter capitalized.
When writing the year, if using the British spelling for honor, the year would be written using “and” as in “Two thousand and twenty-five.” If using American spelling, you would use “Two thousand twenty-five.”
For example, your date invitation wording should read:
Saturday, the fourth of September
Two thousand and twenty-five
Addresses on the Invitation
When listing the ceremony or reception addresses, spell out all words, (Street, Drive, etc.) as well as the state. Only the street address, city, and state should be listed. The zip code (or postal code) is not to be listed on the invitation, as a zip code is used by the post office for mailing.
Abbreviations
Traditionally, abbreviations in names are not used on the invitation. For example: Mark Taylor Richards or Mark Richards. But not Mark T. Richards.
Reverend, Doctor, and all military titles should be spelled out. The exceptions to abbreviations are, “Mr.” and “Mrs.”
Many etiquette references call for “junior” to be spelled out. When it is spelled out, the “j” is not capitalized.
Capitalization
Only words that would normally be capitalized (proper nouns) should be capitalized on the invitation; for example, a couple’s names, church name, etc.
Exceptions to the rule:
The year, when it begins a new line.
The beginning of a new sentence or thought: for example, “The favour of a reply is requested” or “Reception to follow”
No Children
It’s not considered socially proper to write, “no children please” on the invitation or the wedding ensemble. Ideally, it’s best to share that information word of mouth before the wedding via family members or members of the bridal party.
A more recent form of addressing this is to include a separate reception card in your invitation suite which includes the reception details and a line stating, “Adult Only Reception.” However, this also may not be quite acceptable upon in some circles.
Black Tie
If a wedding takes place after six o’clock, protocol has traditionally dictated that the wedding is a formal event. However, this is no longer common knowledge, and casual and more relaxed wedding receptions are gaining popularity.
In the event of formal wedding, it is the reception that is considered the formal event. “Black tie” or other attire may be noted on the reception card on the bottom right corner as a footnote on your reception card.
Note that the “B” is capitalized, but not the “t.” “Black tie” does not traditionally appear on the invitation.
Mentioning Registry and Gifts
Socially, when one extends an invitation to another, it’s still considered poor form and socially improper to request a gift in exchange.
Invitations are extended, in theory, that we should expect nothing from our friends except their presence.
Listing where you are registered, a name of a charity for donations, or your desire for money rather than presents, should never appear in any part of your invitation suite. Traditionally, this information is shared by word of mouth via family members or members of the bridal party.
In this Digital Era, we highly recommend listing this information on your wedding website, and simply adding the following verbiage to one of your insert cards:
For accommodations and additional information regarding our wedding, please visit: www.yourweddingwebsite.com
Ready to create a Wedding Registry on Amazon?
Including Reception Information
If not using reception cards, you may add a reception note on the last line of the invitation such as: “Reception immediately following”, “Reception to follow,” or “and afterwards at the reception.”
These phrases indicate that the reception will be held at the same location as the ceremony. If your reception will be held at a separate location, a reception card should be added into your invitation suite with the name and address of your reception venue.
Request For Response
R.s.v.p. is an abbreviation for the French phrase “Répondez s’il vous plaît” which means “Respond if you please.” “The favour of a reply is requested,”“R.s.v.p.” and, “R.S.V.P.” are all considered proper requests.
However in some regions of the southern United States, “The favour of a reply is requested,” is preferred, while “R.s.v.p.” is frowned upon.
“Please reply/respond,” and “Kindly reply/respond” are also used in less formal setting.
3 Comments
Rys Russo
This is such a great resource. I love seeing sites that understand the value of providing quality resources for free and not making you pay for this information. Much obliged.
Sylvia Leonte
Hello 🙂 nice information, I had been searching for how to write my invites and stumbled upon this just in time, thanks again!
Jennifer Ellen
had always wondered about that weird spelling of honor. thanx very helpful 😉