Wedding Invitations – Wording Samples and Etiquette Moultrie GA

Wedding invitations are the focal point of your wedding stationery, providing the first glimpse into the style and formality of the wedding. But ordering, wording, and addressing invitations can be confusing without a little guidance. Here are some tips to help you through it:

General Invitation Advice

When to send them - send wedding invitations 6-8 weeks before the big day. (if you think your guests will need more advanced notice, send save-the-date cards as well) Try to order invitations 3-4 months in advance to ensure they go out on time.

How many to order - Order about 25% more than the number of guests you're inviting - you're bound to make mistakes or make last minute additions.

Consider hiring a calligrapher for an added touch of elegance. Make sure to factor in the additional timing to ensure your invitations go out on time.

Wedding Invitation Wording Etiquette

Many rules apply to wording and addressing invitations. Here are some of the basics to ensure yours are faux pas-free:

- Dates and times should be spelled out (half after four o'clock in the evening, not 4:30pm, and the twenty-second of April, not April 22)

- Mr. and Mrs. are abbreviated and Jr. may be, but the title Doctor should be spelled out

- No punctuation is used, except after abbreviations and between the city and state.

- An invitation to just the wedding ceremony does not include an R.S.V.P

- "Hosting" the wedding can mean anything from a set of parents helping to plan the event, inviting the guests, or covering the costs:

- If there is one set of hosts, list their names at the beginning.

- If both sets are hosting, list on separate lines with bride's parents first.

- If one set is hosting but you want to include the other set as well, note their names under their son/daughter's name.

- If you are hosting your own wedding, begin with the request line and state parent's relationship under your name.

- If you and both sets of parents are hosting, list your names first followed by "together with their parents" before the request line.

Addressing Etiquette

- No abbreviations, except for Mr., Mrs., Ms., and Jr. States must also be spelled out.

- If one of your single guests is bringing a date that you know personally, send that person a separate invitation instead of including "& Guest" on the inner envelope.

- If you are unable to obtain the name of a single friend's guest - indicate on the inner envelope that they may bring a guest - NOT on the outer envelope. (this looks awkward)

- Unmarried couples who live together should receive one invitation, where their names are listed in alphabetical order and on their own lines.

- Invited guests who are living together as roommates, not couples, should each receive their own invitation.

- List the names of children under the age of 18 who still live at home on the inner envelope instead of "& Family" which can be very ambiguous and easily misinterpreted. Children over the age of 18 should receive their own invitation, regardless of their living situation.

- The traditional, married couple recipient should follow this format:

Mr. & Mrs. Ryan Parker
2211 First Street, Apartment 3
San Diego, California 92109

Wedding Invitation Wording Samples

Gone are the days when wedding etiquette mandated that the bride's parents, and the bride's parent's only, hosted the wedding. Today anyone can foot the bill, and with modern familial arrangements often anything but nuclear, there is no straightforward rule for wording invitations. We've sorted through the confusion to bring you wording samples for the most common arrangements:

Simple, Traditional Format

[proper names of those hosting] (official hosts line)

request the honor of your presence (request line)

at the marriage of their [relationship of the bride to the host]

[bride's first and middle names]

to

[groom's full name],

the [day of the week] of [day and month of wedding]

at [hour] o'clock in the [time of day] at

[name of wedding venue] in

[city, state]

Reception to follow

Divorced Parents

[proper name of host]

requests the honor of your presence

at the marriage of [his/her] [relationship of the bride to the host]

Or, if parent is remarried and hosting with new spouse:

[proper names of those hosting]

request the honor of your presence

at the marriage of [his/her] [relationship of the bride to the host]

Or, if divorced parents are mutually hosting:

[proper name of mother]

and

[proper name of father]

request the honor of your presence

at the marriage of their [relationship of the bride to the host]

You can find even more wedding invitation wording samples here, and this complete guide to wedding invitations and stationery will walk you through planning every piece of your wedding.

Author Bio:
Cori Russell is editor for Elegala.com and Gala Weddings Magazine. Elegala.com is a comprehensive wedding planning resource with a national directory of wedding venues and services, along with articles, expert advice, checklists and photo galleries to lead brides through every step of the planning process.

We know you have heard that your invitation sets the tone for your entire wedding. It is true... this is the first impression your guests will have of what is to come. Think of your wedding day. Imagine how it will be if you have the wedding of your dreams Then....begin to decide how you want to announce this important event. What kind of impression do you want to convey to your invited guests?

You can express your style by the decisions you make with the type of invitation you choose. There are many choices within the three basic styles of formal, contemporary, or informal invitations. The typestyle choices , the wording you select even the color of ink and choice of papers speaks to what your style is.Browsing online collections of wedding stationery gives you many ideas and is a great place to start. When you find a wedding invitation ensemble that you like , be sure to write down as much information as you can. Save the collection it is in ,as well as the item number for easy reference when we talk about customization and to answer questions you may have. I recommend narrowing your choices to your top three favorites at first. Decide what it is about each invitation that you like the most. Remember, when we customize we can change fonts,ink colors,add or take away motifs,add personalized couple's logo or monograms. Some invitations are available to be printed vertical or horizontal.

I have had conversations with brides who thought they would save money by printing their own. When they found out about some of the discounted prices offered for printed invitations, they felt like they would be wasting time and money to print their own.Most companies including mine, carry kits for printing your own if you truly like to craft and have the time to do it.

Whatever your style ,personalize your invitations to announce the style of wedding your guests will be attending.

We love Helping Brides

Until next time-Make happy memories.

Susan Michael Bartlett

Attribution: Since 1990 I have had the pleasure of helping brides to customize their unique wedding and make it very personalized. Beginning with the announcement (some formal and some casual save the dates) then the wedding invitations, reception, response sets, map cards, accomodation cards on to programs and the very important personalized bridal party gifts to informal thank you note cards with their new married names or monogram. We work to personalize all aspects of stationery from beginning to end at very affordable prices. Our signature indicates "We love helping brides!" and we do. Part of that process is takeing away some of the stress by providing advice and articles on our site. I believe the more knowledge brides have the easier the process is. That is the main reason I believe in writing articles and also my blog. I love being part of the process of helping others make happy memories especially on their wedding day!Our website Rebecca Wellings Weddings also contains a great deal of valuable information to help in the planning of your wedding.

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