Complete Guide To Wedding Invitations & Wording
What is a Wedding Invitation For
A wedding invitation is used to ask guests to attend a wedding. It should provide all the necessary details and the invitation should give your guests an indication of what to expect.
When To Send The Invitations Out
Wedding Invitations should be typically sent out four to six weeks before the wedding date. Invitations should be sent out eight weeks before the event to out of town guests or those who may require more time to prepare.
Response Card
As well as sending the wedding invitation you may wish to send a reply card and self addressed envelope. The reply card response can be used for supplying details to the caterer and to get a general indication of the number of guests attending. Guests should be asked to return the reply card two weeks before the actual wedding day or by the date indicated on the card.
Save The Date Card
Save the Date cards can be mailed out between 3 and 12 months before the event. They announce that the wedding date has been set and allows guests to prepare for the event. It should not be used in place of the wedding invitation and should also inform guests that a wedding invitation will follow.
Invitation Wording
- Times, dates and days are traditionally spelled out.
- Punctuation should not be used at the ends of lines (commas, periods, colons, etc.) Commas are used within lines to separate the day from the date, the city from the state and a man's surname from "Jr./junior/II/III," etc.
- Abbreviations should not be used. You should spell a name out or leave it out. E.g "Peter Edward Jones" would be used rather than "Peter E. Jones"
Also, "Road," "Street," "Avenue," "Reverend," "Doctor," and all military titles should be spelled out. The only exceptions are: "Mr." and "Mrs."
- Phrasing should be in the third person.
- Only proper nouns should be capitalized (names of people and places, cities, name of the day of the week, month name, etc.)
- If both Mr. and Mrs. Jones are doctors, they can be referred to as "The Doctors Jones."
- You should not mention gifts on the invitation as you should expect nothing from your friends other than their presence at the event.
- Many people considered it socially incorrect to include, "no children" on the invitation. Including "Black tie" on the invite is un-necessary. If the wedding takes place after six o'clock, your guests should assume that it is a formal event.
Points To Remember
- Name of parent(s), host(s) or sponsors
- Day/Date (spelled out - e.g. Sunday, the twenty-fifth of March)
- Does the day definitely correspond with the event date? (check a calendar)
- Year (two thousand and eight)
- Time (at six o'clock in the evening)
- Name of Place (Holywell Church)
- Name of bride and groom (Bar/Bat Mitzvah, graduate)
- Location of Place (city but no post code - street address is optional)
- Ask a friend to proof read your invitation.
For a wide range of wedding invitation templates and custom designs visit the following website: Wedding Invitations |
