Christian Wedding Invitation Wording Samples: Sample Ideas & Examples

Okay so Christian wedding invitation wording

Right so you need help with Christian wedding invitation wording and honestly this is something I deal with constantly. Like literally had a bride last Tuesday who was stressed about whether to include a Bible verse or not and I’m gonna walk you through all the options because there’s actually way more flexibility than people think.

The traditional Christian wedding invitation follows a pretty specific format but you can totally adapt it. The most formal version goes like this: parents’ names at the top (usually the bride’s parents since they’re traditionally hosting), then “request the honour of your presence” – and yes it’s spelled honour with a u because that’s the formal British spelling that stuck around in wedding etiquette for some reason, then “at the marriage of their daughter” and so on.

Traditional formal Christian wording

Here’s the classic version that you see most often:

Mr. and Mrs. Robert James Anderson
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Elizabeth Anne
to
Mr. Michael David Thompson
Saturday, the fifteenth of June
two thousand twenty-five
at two o’clock in the afternoon
Grace Community Church
Portland, Oregon

This is your baseline. Super traditional, very formal, and honestly kinda boring but some families really want this exact format.

When both sets of parents are hosting

A lot of times now both families contribute financially so you’ll see something like:

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Anderson
and
Mr. and Mrs. David Thompson
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their children
Elizabeth Anne Anderson
and
Michael David Thompson

The rest stays the same. I had this situation back in spring 2023 where the groom’s parents were actually paying for like 70% of the wedding but the bride’s mom insisted her name come first because of “tradition” and it got so awkward. We eventually did both sets of parents but listed bride’s parents first and everyone survived.

Adding scripture verses

Okay so this is where it gets more personal and actually Christian-specific. You can add a Bible verse either at the top or bottom of the invitation. Some popular ones:

“Love is patient, love is kind” – 1 Corinthians 13:4

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” – 1 Corinthians 13:13

“Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate” – Mark 10:9

“Two are better than one” – Ecclesiastes 4:9

Here’s how you’d format it at the top:

“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things”
1 Corinthians 13:7

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Anderson
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Elizabeth Anne
to
Michael David Thompson

Or you can put the verse at the very bottom after all the ceremony details which I think looks cleaner honestly.

When the couple is hosting themselves

If you’re hosting your own wedding (which is super common now), the wording changes to something like:

Elizabeth Anne Anderson
and
Michael David Thompson
together with their families
invite you to celebrate their marriage

Or even simpler:

Elizabeth Anderson & Michael Thompson
request the pleasure of your company
at their wedding ceremony

Notice I said “pleasure of your company” instead of “honour of your presence” – that’s because honour is specifically for religious ceremonies and pleasure is for… wait actually I think you can use either now, things have gotten more relaxed. But traditionally honour = church, pleasure = non-religious venue. Though I’ve seen honour used for church ceremonies hosted by the couple themselves so honestly the rules are kinda flexible at this point.

Including deceased parents

This one comes up more than you’d think and it’s always emotional. If a parent has passed away, you can honor them like this:

Mrs. Sarah Anderson
and the late Mr. Robert Anderson
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter

Or if it’s the bride’s father who has passed:

Elizabeth Anne Anderson
daughter of Mrs. Sarah Anderson and the late Robert Anderson
and
Michael David Thompson
son of Mr. and Mrs. David Thompson
request the honour of your presence at their marriage

I worked with a bride in summer 2021 who lost her dad to COVID and we spent like an hour on the phone going through options because she wanted him included but didn’t want the invitation to feel sad, and we ended up putting a small tribute on a separate details card instead which worked perfectly.

Divorced parents situations

Ugh okay so this is where things get complicated and honestly what annoys me most about wedding invitations is when divorced parents can’t agree on how their names should appear. Like I get it, divorce is hard, but your kid is getting married can we please just figure out the wording without drama?

If the bride’s mother is hosting and has remarried:

Mrs. Sarah Mitchell
requests the honour of your presence
at the marriage of her daughter
Elizabeth Anne Anderson

If both divorced parents are hosting (and they’re being civil about it):

Mrs. Sarah Mitchell
and
Mr. Robert Anderson
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Elizabeth Anne

Keep them on separate lines, don’t use “and” between their names on the same line because that implies they’re married to each other.

Adding “together with their families”

This is a nice way to include everyone without getting into complicated family dynamics:

Elizabeth Anne Anderson
and
Michael David Thompson
together with their families
request the honour of your presence
as they unite in marriage

Super clean, drama-free, includes everyone. I recommend this for basically any complicated family situation.

More casual Christian wording

Not every Christian wedding needs to be super formal. For a more relaxed vibe:

Join us as we celebrate
the love and commitment of
Elizabeth Anderson & Michael Thompson
as they exchange vows
and begin their journey as husband and wife

“A cord of three strands is not easily broken” – Ecclesiastes 4:12

Or:

With joy in our hearts
we invite you to witness
the marriage of
Elizabeth and Michael
as they become one in Christ

That “one in Christ” phrase is specifically Christian and makes it clear this is a religious ceremony without being too formal about it.

Including ceremony details

After the main invitation wording, you gotta include the actual details. Time should be spelled out for formal invitations:

Saturday, the fifteenth of June
two thousand twenty-five
at half after two o’clock
Grace Community Church
1234 Main Street
Portland, Oregon

For less formal you can just do:

Saturday, June 15, 2025
2:30 PM
Grace Community Church
Portland, OR

My cat just knocked over my coffee cup so give me a second… okay we’re good, nothing spilled on the invitations I’m working on thank god.

Reception wording on the same card

If reception immediately follows at the same location:

Reception to follow

Or:

Dinner and dancing to follow

If it’s at a different location:

Reception following the ceremony
The Grand Ballroom
Portland, Oregon

Some couples include “Adults only reception” if they’re not having kids which is totally fine, though I usually suggest putting that on a details card instead of the main invitation.

Dress code mentions

You can include dress code on the invitation itself:

Black tie optional

Or:

Semi-formal attire

Or:

Garden party attire

Though again, details cards are your friend for this stuff. Don’t overcrowd the main invitation.

Special religious elements

For a Christian ceremony you might want to emphasize certain elements. Like if you’re having a full Mass:

request the honour of your presence
at the Nuptial Mass uniting their daughter

Or if there’s communion offered to guests:

request the honour of your presence
at the celebration of the Sacrament of Marriage

Different denominations have different preferences here. Catholic weddings often use “Nuptial Mass” while Protestant churches might just say “wedding ceremony” or “marriage ceremony.”

Destination or small ceremony wording

If you’re having an intimate ceremony:

Elizabeth Anderson & Michael Thompson
invite you to share in their joy
as they exchange marriage vows
in an intimate ceremony
surrounded by close family and friends

For destination weddings I like to be upfront about it:

Please join us in Tuscany, Italy
as we celebrate the marriage of
Elizabeth and Michael

Sample with everything included

Here’s a complete example with all the elements:

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love”
1 Corinthians 13:13

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Anderson
and
Mr. and Mrs. David Thompson
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their children
Elizabeth Anne
and
Michael David
Saturday, the fifteenth of June
two thousand twenty-five
at two o’clock in the afternoon
Grace Community Church
Portland, Oregon

Reception immediately following
The Grand Ballroom

Modern Christian samples

Because not everyone wants traditional formal stuff:

Let love be genuine
Elizabeth & Michael
are getting married!
Join us for a celebration of faith, family, and forever
June 15, 2025 | 2:00 PM
Grace Community Church, Portland

Or:

Two hearts, one love, blessed by God above
Elizabeth Anderson and Michael Thompson
invite you to witness their vows
[date, time, location]

Things people mess up

Okay real quick – common mistakes I see all the time. Don’t use “and” between the bride and groom’s names on formal invitations, use “to” instead. Don’t forget to spell out everything on formal invites (no numbers except for addresses). Don’t use Mrs. with the bride’s name unless she’s been married before. Don’t mix formal and casual language – like don’t say “honour of your presence” and then put “2:00 PM” instead of “two o’clock.”

Also please please please proofread. I had a client once who printed 200 invitations before noticing they spelled the church name wrong and it cost them like $800 to reprint.

What to include on separate cards

Honestly I think the trend of keeping the main invitation simple and putting extra info on separate cards is gonna stick around because it just looks cleaner. Put your RSVP card, directions card, accommodations card, and website info on separate inserts. Keep the main invitation focused on the ceremony details and the spiritual aspect if that’s important to you.

You can have a whole separate card that says something like “Join us for a Christ-centered celebration” with more details about the ceremony style, whether there will be communion, expected length, whatever guests might need to know. This is especially helpful if you have non-Christian guests attending who might not be familiar with your church’s traditions.

The wording you choose really depends on your relationship with God, your families, and what feels authentic to you as a couple. Some couples want scripture front and center, others want just a subtle nod to their faith. Both are completely valid for a Christian wedding and honestly the most important thing is that the invitation reflects who you are as a couple, not what some etiquette book from 1952 says you should do