Wedding and Reception Invitation Wording

You’ve chosen the date, found your venue, and made your guest list. Now it’s time to start thinking about your save-the-dates and wedding invitations. You probably have a ton of questions, so read on for our tips and tricks to wedding and reception invitation wording, which will help you to handle this task correctly while also capturing your perfect style.

Start Early

• With so many options, you should begin exploring & gather inspiration 4 to 6 months before your wedding so you have plenty of time.
• Start early enough so you have time to research, design and assemble all your stationary.
• When ordering invitations, it can take a few weeks, possibly even longer, to have them printed.
• Before placing your order, be sure to request free samples to see the design and quality of the invitations.

Find Your Style

• Before you start shopping around for your whole wedding stationary suite, define your style and figure out the overall aesthetic of your big day. Is your wedding casual or elegant? Modern or vintage? Keep this in mind when browsing so you choose invitations that reflect the formality and feel of your big day.
• Think about your wedding colors and theme, and carry those throughout your stationary to create a single, cohesive look.
• For a more traditional and classic look, opt for a light neutral card stock (white, ivory, cream or pale grey) paired with type in a black, gold or silver font.
• If you want your invitations to stand out, go ahead and brighten them by adding a pop of color, décor accents, or with glitter and metallic elements.

Save The Dates

• Your ‘Save The Dates’ are the first things your guests will receive. Be sure to send them 6 to 8 months before your wedding.
• If you’re planning a destination wedding, have lots of guests who live far away, or are getting married on a holiday weekend, you may want to send these out even earlier.
• Include wording that formal invitations will follow.
• If you have a wedding website, your ‘Save The Dates’ are a great time to share your URL!

Make Sure Invitations are Informative

• When it comes to wording, make sure your invitations are easy to read and informative.
• All essential information should be included: who’s getting married, who’s hosting the wedding (if different), and when & where the ceremony is taking place.
• Directions to your venue, and any additional information should be included on a separate, enclosed card or on your wedding website.
• Wedding registry information should be posted on your wedding website, not on your invitation.

  Wording & Etiquette

• Proper etiquette is to address the outer envelope with proper salutations (Mr. and Mrs., Miss).
• For the invitation, wedding invitations typically begin with the name(s) of the wedding hosts (i.e. whoever is paying) followed by the request to attend the event. For example, if the bride’s parents are hosting, the invitations would start with the names of the bride’s parents, followed by the request.
• If you’re paying for your wedding yourselves, the greeting begins with the request line.
• If your wedding is more modern, feel free to break a few rules. At the end of the day, while you want your invitations to be informative, you want them to sound like you!

When to Send Your Invitations

• It’s customary for wedding invitations to be sent 6 to 8 weeks before your wedding date.
• When thinking about an RSVP date, check with your caterer and vendors first to see when they need your final head count.
• While you don’t want to give your guests too little time to RSVP, you want to give yourself enough time to create a seating chart, inform your caterer of the final number, and finalize any centerpieces or other décor that would be affected by your head count.

Other Helpful Tips  

• To make things easier and consistent, order all your wedding stationary from the same vendor.
• It’s considerate (and smart!) to send ‘Save The Dates’ to your wedding party and your vendors.
• Order extra invitations to account for any last-minute changes, mistakes, and as keepsakes. Don’t forget extra envelopes too!
• Proofread EVERYTHING, and then proofread it again! You don’t want to get your invitations and realize there is a typo, grammatical error, or worse, a wrong date.
• Weigh one complete invitation before ordering and affixing postage. In most cases, wedding invitations will weigh more than standard postage will cover.
• Include stamped, self-addressed envelopes for guests to mail back RSVPs.
• To help you easily track your RSVPs, you can number them in an inconspicuous place. As they come back, simply add them to your guest list spreadsheet to keep everything organized.

Your wedding invitations are your guests’ first glimpse into your wedding, so make them shine! While the options can be overwhelming, trust your instincts and work with the designer or vendor to achieve your vision of the perfect visual representation for your big day.

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