Wedding Etiquette Today

For so many couples, the wedding invitations (and everything associated with the invitations) prove to be the most problematic part of the wedding planning process. Perhaps both sets of parents have remarried or the Bride and Groom have decided to host the wedding on their own. In this day and age, there is no standard definition of a wedding. So, to help you in your woes…here are some invitation etiquette rules made easy:

A traditional wedding invitation should be worded as follows:

Mr. and Mrs. Bride’s Father’s First Name / Last Name
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter

Bride First / Middle Name
To Mr. Groom First / Middle / Last Name

Day and Month of the wedding spelled out
year spelled out
at time spelled out

Location of the Ceremony
City, State

Or rather…

Mr. and Mrs. William McLucas
Request the pleasure of your company
At the wedding of

Abigail Dee
To
Tait Elliott Larson

Saturday, the twenty-seventh of August
Two thousand and seven
At half after five o’clock

Old South Church
Boston, Massachusetts

It’s good to use this as your template, then customize with your own unique details. For most couples, however, it simply isn’t this straight forward. Here are some ways to tackle the more unique situations:

Bride and Groom are Hosting the Wedding

Ms. Bride First Name / Last Name
and
Mr. Groom First Name / Last Name

request the honour of your presence
as they celebrate their marriage

Day and Month of the wedding spelled out
year spelled out
at time spelled out

Location of the Ceremony
City, State

Both Sets of Parents are Hosting the Wedding

Mr. and Mrs. Bride’s Father’s First Nam / Father’s Last Name
and
Mr. and Mrs. Groom’s Father’s First Name / Last Name

request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of

Bride First / Middle / Last
and
Groom First / Middle / Last

{etc}

Parents/Parent has Divorced or Remarried

Mr. and Mrs. Bride’s Mother {New Husband’s} First Name / Last Name
and
Mr. and Mrs. {New Wife} Groom’s Father First Name / Last Name
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Bride First / Middle / Last

{etc}

Small Wedding then Large Reception

…to the ceremony and reception

Mr. and Mrs. Bride’s Father’s First Name / Last Name
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Daughter first name / middle name
to
Mr. Groom First name / Last name

Day, Month spelled out
Year spelled out
at time spelled out

Location of Ceremony
and afterward at the reception
Location of Reception

…to the reception only

Mr. and Mrs. Bride’s Father’s First Name / Last Name
request the pleasure of your company
at the wedding reception for their daughter

Daughter’s First Name / Middle Name
and
Mr. Groom’s First Name / Last Name

Day, Month spelled out
year spelled out
at time spelled out
Location
City, State

When a Parent or Parents Have Passed

(It should be sent only from the living parent…)

Mr. (Mrs.) Father/Mother’s First Name / Last Name
requests the honour of your presence
at the marriage of his/her daughter

Bride First Name / Middle Name
To
Mr. Groom’s First Name / Middle / Last

{etc}

When the Groom’s family hosts the wedding

Mr. and Mrs. Groom’s Father’s First Name / Last Name
request the hour of your presence
at the marriage of

Miss Bride’s First Name / Middle / Last
To
their son
Groom’s first Name / Middle Name / Last

{etc}

Although these are many of the more common circumstances, they of course, barely crack the surface. There are so many ways to phrase a wedding invitation, depending on your own familial situation. What IS important is that you convey the tone of the wedding thru the invitation. Sometimes, proper etiquette isn’t the only element to consider.

For those of you that are more whimsical, and less inclined to follow tradition, here are some fun, quirky ways to phrase a wedding invitation…

Traditional…but Cheeky

Mr. and Mrs. Eric P. Brown
request the honour of your presence
as their daughter
Emily Cecilia
bids single life adieu
and makes an honest man out of
Mr. Tad Everett Jennings
Saturday, the fourth of May
two thousand and six
at half after five o’clock
St. Mary’s Church
Smithville, NY

Traditional…but Cute

Mr. and Mrs. Eric P. Brown
together with
Doctor and Mrs. Charles E. Jennings
would be honoured by your presence
as their children
Emily Cecilia
and
Tad Everett Jennings
promise to love, honour and
respectfully disagree with each other
{about the quickest way to get to 89th and 5th}
Saturday, the fourth of May
two thousand and six
at half after five o’clock
St. Mary’s Church
Smithville, NY

{customize to suit your personalities}

Traditional…With Personality

Mr. and Mrs. Eric P. Brown
together with
Doctor and Mrs. Charles E. Jennings
request the honour of your presence
as their children
Emily Cecilia
and
Tad Everett Jennings
tie the knot, take the plunge, and otherwise “seal the deal”
Saturday, the fourth of May
two thousand and six
at half after five o’clock
St. Mary’s Church
Smithville, NY

Casual and Sweet

Elissa and Eric Brown
and
Charles and Meredith Jennings
would be honoured
to share with you the moment at which the lives of their children
Emily Cecilia
and
Tad
will be forever—and most beautifully—changed
This celebration of love, new beginnings and {first date} that brought them together
will be held on
Saturday, the fourth of May
two thousand and six
at half after five o’clock
St. Mary’s Church
Smithville, NY

{personalize to suit your own moment}

Casual and Personal

The only thing that could make us happier than
the marriage of our {pragmatic} daughter
Emily Cecilia
to
the {adventurous} Mr. Tad Everett Jennings
is if you’d share in the occasion with us
The couple will wed on
Saturday, the fourth of May
two thousand and six
at half after five o’clock
St. Mary’s Church
12 Winding Way
Smithville, NY
After witnessing their vows
we invite you to join us for libations and merrymaking

(customize to suit your personalities)