Wedding Invitations
December 10th, 2008 by Karen WhiteNo doubt the wedding invitations will be beautiful printed, checked for errors and have a snazzy hand picked design but it’s not that simple – wedding invitations like all formal invites have to follow certain etiquette.
Firstly, if you are marrying in peak season, then you should order some ‘save the date’ cards well in advance to let people know you are getting married on a certain day. Closer to the date, around two months beforehand, send out your formal invitations. Wording your invites politely means that you can keep things as civil and pleasant as possible.
If you are hosting the wedding yourselves put, ‘Sarah Smith and Joe Bloggs request the pleasure of your company for their marriage at…’
If the brides’ parent’s are hosting the wedding, then follow the format of, ‘Mr and Mrs Smith request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their daughter, Sarah, to Mr Joe Bloggs at [insert venue] on [insert date] at [insert time], then afterwards at [insert reception venue]. ‘ This applies if the bride’s parents are still married; if they are divorced and remarried, the begin the invitation with ‘Mr John Smith and Mrs Patrick Jones…’ in other words, using the bride’s new husbands name in lieu of her own.
If the bride’s mother hasn’t remarried, it can be worded is ‘Mr John Smith and Mrs Mary Cook…’ If however the bride’s mother has remarried and is holding the wedding alongside the step father, it should be worded as ‘Mr and Mrs Patrick Jones request the please of your company at the marriage of her daughter Sarah Smith’.
Remember to put the guests names, handwritten on the top left hand corner. For family, you can put ‘ Mr and Mrs Clarke, Michael and Pam’ for example.
If you have any dress requirements remember to have this printed on your invitation (i.e., Black Tie in the bottom right hand corner). Putting a RSVP card inside the envelope ensures a prompt response.
It is also fine to include a little note with the invitation regarding your gift list, stating ‘A gift list has been placed at…’ including the website address and the contact number as well you as any reference information. Alternatively, they can contact the mother of the bride with enquiries about the gift list.
Leave a Comment