Wedding invitation wording you can copy

Wedding invitation wording you can copy, for every kind of wedding, traditional, relaxed, parents hosting, evening only and child-free, plus RSVP lines.

By Lou, founder of Make Our Memories · Updated 2026-10-24

Printed invitations in the Cherry Pop look, front and back

The short answer

  • Order: who's hosting, the invite line, your names, the date and time, the venue, then the reception and RSVP.
  • Formal: "request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of". Use "the honour of your presence" for a church service.
  • Relaxed: "Come and celebrate with us as we get married" works for most couples.
  • Always include: an RSVP date, about 6 to 8 weeks before the day.
Wedding invitation wording is easier than it looks. Every invitation answers the same five questions in the same order: who's inviting, who's getting married, when, where, and what to do next. Pick the example below that sounds like you, swap in your names, and you're done.

The parts of a wedding invitation, in order

  1. The host line.Who is inviting. Traditionally the bride's parents, today usually the couple themselves, or "together with their families".
  2. The request line."Request the pleasure of your company" (formal), "would love you to join them" (warm), or "invite you to celebrate" (simple).
  3. Your names.First names are fine. Use full names on a formal invitation.
  4. The date and time.Formal wording writes it out: "Saturday the fourteenth of August, two thousand and twenty-seven, at two o'clock". Relaxed wording can say "Saturday 14 August 2027, 2pm".
  5. The venue.The name, then the town. A full address and postcode belong on the details card or your website, not the front.
  6. What comes after."Followed by dinner and dancing", or "Reception to follow".
  7. The RSVP line.How and by when.

Everything else (dress code, gifts, children, parking, rooms) goes on a separate details card or your wedding page, so the invitation stays clean.

Wedding invitation wording examples to copy

Swap in your own names, date and venue. The names below are made up.

1. Traditional, the bride's parents hosting

Mr and Mrs David Hughes
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their daughter
Emily
to
Thomas Clarke
on Saturday the fourteenth of August, two thousand and twenty-seven
at two o'clock
at St Mary's Church, Ludlow
and afterwards at Oakly Park

2. Both families hosting

Together with their families
Emily Hughes and Thomas Clarke
request the pleasure of your company
at their marriage

3. The couple hosting, formal

Emily Hughes and Thomas Clarke
request the pleasure of your company
at their marriage
on Saturday 14 August 2027 at 2pm
at The Barn at Oakly Park, Ludlow
Dinner and dancing to follow

4. Relaxed

Emily and Tom are getting married!
Come and celebrate with us
Saturday 14 August 2027, 2pm
The Barn at Oakly Park, Ludlow
Food, drinks and dancing till late

Start your party, free · See a sample party

5. Short and modern

Emily & Tom
14.08.27
Oakly Park, Ludlow
Ceremony at 2pm, party till midnight

6. Church service

request the honour of your presence
at the celebration of their marriage
at St Mary's Church, Ludlow

Use "honour of your presence" for a religious ceremony and "pleasure of your company" for everything else.

7. Evening only

Emily and Tom
would love you to join them
for an evening of celebration
on Saturday 14 August 2027
from 7.30pm
at The Barn at Oakly Park, Ludlow

8. Small wedding, big party later

Emily and Tom are getting married in a small ceremony this summer,
and we'd love you to celebrate with us afterwards.
Saturday 4 September 2027, from 6pm
The Feathers, Ludlow

9. Second marriage or vow renewal

Emily and Tom
invite you to celebrate with them
as they renew their vows
on Saturday 14 August 2027 at 4pm

10. Same-sex couple

Together with their families
Sam Patel and Alex Morgan
invite you to celebrate their marriage

There's nothing special to change. "Together with their families" or the couple-hosting wording works for every couple. Put the names in whichever order sounds right to you.

11. Child-free

Don't put this on the front. Address the envelope or email to the adults by name, then add a kind line on the details card: "We love your little ones, but we've chosen to make our day adults only."

12. Hen do or birthday

Sophie's turning 30!
Join us for dinner, drinks and far too much dancing
Saturday 3 July 2027, from 7pm
The Lamb, Bristol

RSVP, dress code and gift wording

RSVP lines

  • "Kindly reply by Saturday 19 June 2027" (formal)
  • "Please let us know if you can come by 19 June" (relaxed)
  • "RSVP online at the link below" (digital)

Venues usually want final numbers 4 to 6 weeks before, so set the RSVP date 6 to 8 weeks out. That leaves time to chase the people who forget, and someone always forgets. Our invitation timeline has every date.

Dress code

  • "Black tie": dinner jackets and long or smart cocktail dresses
  • "Smart" or "Formal": suits and dresses
  • "Dress to dance": smart, with comfortable shoes
  • "Garden party": light colours, and heels that won't sink into the grass

Gifts

It's still polite to leave gifts off the invitation itself and put them on the details card or your wedding page. A gentle line:

Having you there is the best gift. If you'd like to give something, we'd be grateful for a contribution to our honeymoon fund.

Food and dietary needs

Please let us know about any allergies or dietary needs when you reply.

Plus-ones

Name everyone who's invited on the envelope or email. If a plus-one is welcome, write "and guest". If they're not, say nothing on the invitation, and the names make it clear.

Save the date and thank-you card wording

A save the date only needs your names, the date and the town. Leave out times and venue details until the invitation.

Save the date
Emily and Tom are getting married
14 August 2027 · Ludlow
Invitation to follow

For thank-you cards, mention the gift or the moment by name, and keep it to three lines:

Thank you so much for the beautiful vase and for travelling all that way.
It meant the world having you there.
Love, Emily and Tom

One email a month with new ideas. Send me ideas

Common wedding invitation wording mistakes

  • No RSVP date. Without one, replies drift in for months.
  • Too much on the front. Directions, gifts and the menu belong on a details card or your wedding page.
  • Mixing formal and casual. "Request the pleasure of your company" followed by "BYOB!" reads oddly. Pick one voice.
  • Wrong year words. It's "two thousand and twenty-seven", written out in full on formal invitations.
  • Forgetting the evening guests. If some people are invited only to the evening, they need their own wording with the evening time.
  • No proofread. Read it aloud, then ask someone who didn't write it to check names, dates and the venue.

Sending them digitally? The same wording works on a screen. See our UK guide to digital wedding invitations.

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