Planning Guides, Style Guide
Marriage Invitation Sample: Sample Ideas & Examples
Apr
Okay So Marriage Invitation Samples
Right so you need invitation wording and you’re staring at a blank screen wondering what the hell to actually write. Been there. Like literally last week I had a bride send me seventeen different drafts because she couldn’t decide if “request the honour” was too stuffy or if leaving it out made the whole thing sound like a backyard BBQ announcement.
The thing about invitation wording is there’s this whole traditional format that people think they have to follow, but honestly you can mess with it way more than you think. Let me just give you the basic structure first and then we’ll get into actual samples because that’s probably what you came here for anyway.
The Traditional Format Everyone Starts With
Traditional invites follow this order and I still use it as my starting template even when clients want something modern:
- Host line (who’s hosting/paying traditionally)
- Request line (the actual invitation part)
- Couple’s names
- Date and time
- Location
- Reception details if it’s at a different spot
Here’s the most classic version, like the one your grandmother would approve of:
Mr. and Mrs. Robert James Thompson
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Catherine Marie
to
Mr. David Michael Chen
Saturday, the fifteenth of June
two thousand twenty-five
at two o’clock in the afternoon
St. Mary’s Cathedral
Portland, Oregon
See how formal that is? “Honour” is spelled the British way because apparently that makes it fancier, and everything’s spelled out including the year. No numerals anywhere. This is gonna be your most traditional route.
When Both Families Host
This one comes up ALL the time now because it’s 2024 and families split costs or both want recognition:
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Thompson
and
Mr. and Mrs. William Chen
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their children
Catherine Marie Thompson
and
David Michael Chen
Notice I switched to “pleasure of your company” instead of “honour of your presence” – that’s actually the correct traditional distinction. “Honour” is for religious ceremonies, “pleasure” is for non-religious. But honestly most people don’t know that anymore and just use whatever sounds better to them.
Couple Hosting Themselves
This is super common when people are older, been living together, or just paying for everything themselves. Had this situation back in spring 2023 with a couple who were both in their late thirties and their parents had… opinions about being left off the invitation entirely, which created this whole thing where we had to have a mediation call, but anyway:
Catherine Marie Thompson
and
David Michael Chen
invite you to celebrate their marriage
Saturday, June 15th, 2025
2:00 in the afternoon
The Greenhouse Loft
Brooklyn, New York
See how much simpler that got? No host line needed. You can also do “together with their families” if you want to acknowledge parents without giving them the top billing.
Modern Casual Versions That Actually Work
Okay so here’s where it gets fun because you can kinda do whatever as long as people understand when and where to show up.
Join us for wedding cake and terrible dancing
when
Kate Thompson & David Chen
finally make it official
June 15, 2025 at 2pm
The Greenhouse Loft, Brooklyn
I had a couple use almost exactly this last summer and it was perfect for them – they’d been engaged for like four years and everyone kept asking when the wedding was happening. Sometimes leaning into your specific situation makes the invitation way more personal.
Addressing Divorced or Remarried Parents
This is the part that honestly annoys me because it gets SO complicated and people have so many feelings. Like I get it, family dynamics are messy, but trying to figure out how to list four parents when two of them hate each other is not what I signed up for when I… wait, actually that’s exactly what I signed up for, nevermind.
If the bride’s parents are divorced and both remarried and both hosting:
Mrs. Linda Thompson-Garcia and Mr. Carlos Garcia
Mr. Robert Thompson and Mrs. Jennifer Thompson
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Catherine Marie
Mom gets listed first traditionally (if she raised the bride), then dad with his new wife. But honestly you can flip this however makes sense for your family situation. I’ve seen every possible combination.
If only one parent is hosting because the other is deceased or not involved:
Mrs. Linda Thompson
requests the honour of your presence
at the marriage of her daughter
You don’t mention the other parent at all in this case. Some people will add “daughter of Linda Thompson and the late Robert Thompson” in the couple’s name section if they want to honor a deceased parent.
Including Children From Previous Relationships
This one’s really sweet when done right:
Together with their families
and with much love from their children
Emma and Lucas
Catherine Thompson and David Chen
invite you to share in their joy
as they exchange marriage vows
I did an invitation in summer 2021 where the couple had five kids between them and we listed all their names – it took up like half the invitation but it mattered to them that the kids were included since they were all part of the ceremony.
Specific Wording Samples for Different Vibes
Romantic and Elegant
With hearts full of love and joy
Catherine Marie Thompson
and
David Michael Chen
invite you to witness their vows
as they begin their journey as husband and wife
Fun and Casual
Let’s party!
Kate and David are getting married
and they want you there
Saturday, June 15th
Ceremony at 2, drinks immediately after
The Greenhouse Loft
Destination Wedding
Escape to paradise with us
Catherine Thompson & David Chen
as we say “I do”
on the beaches of Tulum, Mexico
June 15-18, 2025
Ceremony details to follow
For destination weddings you usually need a separate details card anyway with hotel info and travel stuff, so the invitation itself can be simpler.
Intimate Ceremony Wording
In the presence of our closest family and friends
we invite you to an intimate celebration
of our marriage
Catherine and David
June 15, 2025
The word “intimate” is code for small guest list, which helps people understand why maybe their cousin’s boyfriend didn’t get invited.
What About Same-Sex Couples
Literally the same formats work, you just adjust pronouns. Like:
Mr. and Mrs. Thompson
and
Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their daughters
Catherine Marie Thompson
to
Sofia Grace Rodriguez
Or if you want to skip the gendered parent titles entirely:
The families of
Catherine Thompson and Sofia Rodriguez
invite you to celebrate their marriage
Including Dress Code Information
This doesn’t go on the main invitation usually – it goes on a details card or your wedding website. But if you’re doing a simpler invitation suite without extra cards, you can add it at the bottom:
Cocktail attire requested
or
Black tie optional
or my personal favorite I’ve seen:
Dress comfortably, we’re getting married in a barn
Religious Ceremony Wording
Different faiths have different traditional phrasings. For Catholic ceremonies you’ll often see:
request the honour of your presence
at the Nuptial Mass uniting their daughter
For Jewish ceremonies:
invite you to share in their simcha
at the marriage of their children
Hindu ceremonies often include:
invite you to the wedding celebration of their children
and request your blessings
I’m not an expert in all religious traditions so definitely check with your officiant or family members about specific wording that’s appropriate. I learned this the hard way when I suggested wording for a Muslim wedding that was totally wrong and the bride’s mom very politely corrected me over email.
Time and Date Formatting
Super traditional = everything spelled out:
Saturday, the fifteenth of June
two thousand twenty-five
at half after two o’clock in the afternoon
Modern casual = use numbers:
Saturday, June 15th, 2025
2:30pm
You can mix it too – spell out the date but use numerals for time. There’s no actual rule police who will show up if you do it “wrong.”
Reception Wording
If your ceremony and reception are at the same place:
Reception to follow
That’s it. That’s all you need.
If it’s at a different location:
Reception following the ceremony
The Plaza Hotel
Manhattan
If there’s a gap between ceremony and reception:
Dinner and dancing to follow at 6pm
The Plaza Hotel
This tells people they have time to go change or whatever between events.
Adults-Only Wedding Wording
This is tricky because you can’t actually write “no kids” on the invitation – that’s considered rude. The proper way is to address the invitation only to the adults:
Mr. and Mrs. John Smith (not “The Smith Family”)
Then on your website or details card you can say:
We love your little ones, but our wedding will be an adults-only celebration
People still won’t get the hint sometimes and you’ll have to make awkward phone calls, but that’s just how it goes.
Postponement or Date Change Wording
Ugh, had to do SO many of these during 2020-2021, you have no idea:
Catherine Thompson and David Chen
are pleased to announce
that their wedding celebration
previously scheduled for June 15, 2024
will now take place on
June 15, 2025
Keep it simple and don’t over-explain why you’re postponing.
Response Card Wording
Okay this isn’t technically the invitation but while we’re here:
Kindly respond by May 15th, 2025
M_________________
___accepts with pleasure
___declines with regret
Number of guests attending: ____
The “M” line is for guests to write their names with their title (Mr., Mrs., Ms., etc.). My cat just jumped on my keyboard so that was fun, anyway – you can also do checkboxes for meal choices if you’re doing plated dinner:
Please select your entrée:
___Filet Mignon
___Salmon
___Vegetarian Option
Things People Mess Up Constantly
Using “and guest” on the actual invitation – nah, don’t do this. If someone gets a plus one, you address the envelope to “Mr. John Smith and Guest” but the invitation itself should just have the invited person’s name or both names if you know who they’re bringing.
Forgetting to include the year – sounds obvious but I’ve seen it happen more times than you’d think.
Getting too cutesy with fonts – if people can’t read your invitation, they won’t know when to show up. I’ve gotten calls from confused guests who couldn’t read the address because it was in some elaborate script font.
Putting registry info on the invitation – this is still considered tacky traditionally. It goes on your website or you tell people through word of mouth.
Digital Invitation Wording
Email or website invitations follow the same format, you just maybe loosen up the language a bit:
You’re invited to celebrate
the marriage of
Kate & David
June 15, 2025
Click here for all the details
Then link to your wedding website with the full information. This is totally acceptable now for casual weddings, though some older family members might have feelings about it.
The main thing is just make sure your invitation includes the actual essential information – who’s getting married, when, where, and how to RSVP. Everything else is just style preference. I’ve been doing this for years and the invitations that work best are the ones that actually sound like the couple who’s getting married, not some generic template that could be for anyone’s wedding. So yeah, use these samples as starting points but make it yours.
