Wedding & Invitation Wording Guide

There are many, many ways to word your wedding invitations, from traditional wording to fun and whimsical verses. There are traditional etiquette rules that many prefer to follow, but ultimately, your wording will reflect your personal style and preference. Below are some traditional wording guidelines. You may wish to follow one exactly or to use them as a starting point to create your own verse. In addition, many invitations will have numerous verses to choose from in the order form. For more invitation wording ideas, we recommend VerseIt.com.

Mother and Father LIVING

Use Conventional Invitation Format as Follows:

Mr. and Mrs. Norman Anderson
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Jennifer Mary
to
Mr. Brett Anthony McCoy
on Saturday, the fifth of June
two thousand and four
at four o'clock in the afternoon
St. Christopher Episcopal Church
Houston, TX

If the Wedding is held at the Home of a friend,
substitute in place of Church the following wording:

...at the residence of
Mr. and Mrs. Theodora Anderson

6420 Quail Run Court
Houston, Texas

Mother or Father DECEASED
and Living Parent has NOT REMARRIED

MOTHER Issuing Invitation:

Mrs. Norman Anderson
requests the honor of your presence
at the marriage of her daughter
Jennifer Mary
to
Mr. Brett Anthony McCoy

FATHER Issuing Invitation:

Mr. Norman Anderson
requests the honor of your presence
at the marriage of his daughter
Jennifer Mary
to
Mr. Brett Anthony McCoy

Mother or Father DECEASED
and Living Parent has REMARRIED

MOTHER REMARRIED Issuing Invitation
using her Present Husband's name:

Mr. and Mrs. Daniel King
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of her daughter
Jennifer Mary Anderson
to
Mr. Brett Anthony McCoy

FATHER REMARRIED Issuing Invitation:

Mr. and Mrs. Norman Anderson
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of his daughter
Jennifer Mary
to
Mr. Brett Anthony McCoy

(In either of these cases, if the Bride is close to her stepparent,
the phrase "at the marriage of their daughter" is acceptable.)

Mother and Father DECEASED
and Brother or Sister issues Invitation

Mr. and Mrs. Glen Truman
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of his sister
Jennifer Mary
to
Mr. Brett Anthony McCoy
or
Mr. and Mrs. Brian Kelley
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of her sister
Jennifer Mary Anderson
to
Mr. Brett Anthony McCoy

BRIDE'S Parents and GROOM'S Parents issuing Invitation

Mr. and Mrs. Norman Anderson
and
Mr. and Mrs. Sandra Fields
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their children
Jennifer Mary
and
Brett Anthony

BRIDE and GROOM issuing OWN Invitation

Miss Jennifer Mary Anderson
and
Mr. Brett Anthony McCoy
request the honor of your presence
at their marriage

The word "Ms." may be substituted for "Miss".

DIVORCED Parents issuing Invitation

DIVORCED Mother's Invitation:

Mrs. Gloria Radford
requests the honor of your presence
at the marriage of her daughter
Jennifer Mary
to
Mr. Brett Anthony McCoy

DIVORCED Father's Invitation:

Mr. Norman Anderson
requests the honor of your presence
at the marriage of his daughter
Jennifer Mary
to
Mr. Brett Antonym McCoy

DIVORCED Parents Both Issuing Invitation:

Mrs. Gloria Radford
and
Mr. Norman Anderson
requests the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Jennifer Mary
to
Mr. Brett Anthony McCoy

SECOND MARRIAGES

Invitations to the marriage of a young divorcee or widow do not differ from those of a first marriage
except that the Bride's married name and her title may be used:

Mr. and Mrs. Norman Anderson
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Ms. Jennifer Mary Anderson Shields
to
Mr. Brett Anthony McCoy
GROOM'S FAMILY Issuing Invitation:

Mr. and Mrs. Sandra Fields
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of
Miss Jennifer Mary Anderson
to their son
Mr. Brett Anthony McCoy

Either "Miss" or "Ms." are used when the sponsors of the wedding are not relatives.

DOUBLE WEDDINGS

When Brides are SISTERS:

Mr. and Mrs. Norman Anderson
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their daughters
Jennifer Mary
to
Mr. Brett Anthony McCoy
and
Yolanda Garner
to
Dr. Isaac Brown

When Brides are NOT SISTERS:

Mr. and Mrs. Norman Anderson
and Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Clemens
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their daughters
Jennifer Mary Anderson
to
Mr. Brett Anthony McCoy
and
Laura Clemens
to
Mr. William Stewart

RECEPTION Invitation Issued when Ceremony is PRIVATE:

Mr. and Mrs. Norman Anderson
request the pleasure of your company
at the wedding reception of their daughter
Jennifer Mary
and
Mr. Brett Anthony McCoy
Saturday, the fifth of June
two thousand and four
at six o'clock in the evening
St. Christopher Episcopal Church
Houston, TX

Correct Use of Military Rank on Wedding Invitations

NAVY

- ENSIGN and HIGHER RANK:

to
Brett Anthony McCoy
Ensign, United States Navy

- PETTY OFFICER and SEAMEN:

to
Brett Anthony McCoy
United States Navy

ARMY, AIR FORCE AND MARINES

- CAPTAIN or HIGHER RANK:

to
Captain Brett Anthony McCoy
United States Army

- LIEUTENANT:

to
Brett Anthony McCoy
Lieutenant, United States Army

- NON-COMS and PRIVATES:

to
Brett Anthony McCoy
United States Army

Children Not Invited

Printing "No Children" on an invitation is considered to be a breach of etiquette.
It is generally recommended that this request be passed on through word of mouth.
If that is not feasible, two gentler options are:

"Adult Reception" on reception card
"Number of adults___" on response card

Making Names Bigger on the Invitation

When ordering the invitations, enter your names like this:

Jane Doe (BIGGER)
And
John Smith (BIGGER)

Your names will not appear larger on the virtual proof,
but they will be printed in a larger font on the invitation.