Wedding Invitation Wording

Basic Wedding Invitation Wording Rules

You have the wedding day picked out, and the place and time of the wedding. The list of who is invited is finished. All you need to do now is work on the wedding invitations. Etiquette must be applied when creating the wedding invitations. Wording is as important in modern day society as it was for generations past. The wording for wedding invitations can not offend anyone and convey the tone and information needed to create a happy and memorable day for everyone.

The Proper Wording

Etiquette for wedding invitation wording will require advanced knowledge of relationships and associations of the guests you plan to invite. Some guidelines to use would include the following:
Do not send invitations to a person and their partner if the partner is no longer with them
Do not use prefixes such as Mr. and Mrs. for same sex couples
If you are inviting a single person, allow them to bring a date as a “guest”.

The wording “and family” on wedding invitations has fallen out of use because of efforts to limit the amount of unannounced guests showing up.

Formal Spelling And Grammar Rules

The formality of wedding invitation wording with spelling and grammar is a throwback to when more formal uses demanded everything be spelled out in exact detail. Etiquette for wedding invitation wording requires the following rules be applied:
All places, numbers and streets must be spelled out completely. An example would be “third” instead of 3rd; as well as the full spelling of Street or Avenue.
Times, dates and the year are written out completely without using numbers.
If numbers must be used, the rule is to use Roman numerals.
Names must be spelled out completely, including middle names if they are known.

These rules also apply for addressing the envelopes.

When In Doubt, Go Formal

Conveying the tone of the day is sometimes difficult with the many differences between the informal and formal styles of wedding invitation wording. The guidelines for wedding invitation wording are made simpler by using the more formal methods. Using the formal rules will help you create a more uniform message in regards to the information and type of celebration you are having. Your guests will feel that they are more a part of the day; and a more formal tone gives the impression of a more thought out process. The most basic requirement is that when having a formal wedding, the use of formal wedding invitation wording must be used. Double check the invitations before sending them out.