(Stationery from our friends at Mr. Boddington)

One of the things we get asked pretty regularly is “How should I word my invitations?” These days there are so many answers to that question that it’s nearly impossible to answer without a whole slew of other questions, but here are some general guidelines to help start the process:

1) If you and your fiance are taking on the majority of the expenses for the wedding, it is perfectly appropriate to only include your names on the invitation, i.e “Together with their families, Miss Jane Doe and Mr. Robert Smith request the pleasure of your company at the celebration of their wedding,” as opposed to: “Doctor and Mrs. Doe request the pleasure of your company at the wedding of their daughter, Jane to Mr. Robert Smith, etc, etc”

2) If you’re getting married in a church or synagogue the traditional wording is: “. . .request the honour of your presence.” Anywhere other than a religious building and you may use “. . .request the pleasure of your company.”

3) There are all kinds of dress codes these days and it’s very rare that people have a true understanding of black tie, white tie, black tie optional, etc. If you’d like your wedding to adhere to a specific aesthetic, it’s acceptable to print your chosen wording in the bottom right corner of the invitation. On your wedding website, feel free to explain what your dress code means to you!

4) Please do not include your registry information on your save the dates or invitation. Emails, word of mouth, or your wedding website are the appropriate place for that.

5) Even if you don’t want children to attend, it’s not especially polite to say something like “no children, please.” By addressing the envelope only to the adults, you are explicitly excluding children. If you still think it might be a problem, a few well placed phone calls will probably nip the problem in the bud!

Back to All Posts