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Posts Tagged ‘wedding invitation wording’

About eight weeks ago, we received an invitation from a couple to attend their wedding reception only. This couple was planning to have a private wedding in Mexico followed by a formal and much bigger reception at home {for everyone else} a few weeks after the wedding date.  In other words, a destination wedding with an at-home reception. Fun!

Well, I’d love to tell you how much fun we had at their reception~ the food, the dancing, the socializing… but this post is about wording a reception invitation. So I’ll get to it! Reception only invitations are pretty much the same as typical wedding invitations – only they don’t include ceremony information. The important components still being: who’s hosting, date, time and location while design and wording will indicate style and formality.

Since their reception was only a few weeks after their ceremony, our couple chose to send invitations     approximately eight weeks before they were actually married. If you prefer a shorter length of time between announcing your marriage and sending out your invitations, mail your invites on the day of or soon after your wedding. Just plan accordingly for your reception date.

Sample Wording for an At-Home Reception

Mr. and Mrs. John Smith

have the honor of announcing
the marriage of their daughter
Heather B. Smith
to
Jack L. Johnson

on July 23, 2012
The couple were united in marriage
in a private ceremony in
Los Cabos, Mexico

Please join us for a reception
celebrating their marriage
on August 23, 2012
Time
Location
Address

Remember to include RSVP Cards and any additional details helpful to your guests (i.e. parking info, maps, hotel accommodations, etc.)

All the Best,

Passport to Love

Image: Half-fold wedding invitation from MagnetStreetWeddings

When life rocks, we roll. 

Craft your invitation with care. Wording can get a little sticky when trying to convey who is hosting~ when the hosts are divorced. Aside from communicating style and formality, the invite has the huge responsibility of communicating: who{the hosts}, what {wedding of b&g}, when, where, and time. Big responsibility!

Weddings are all about personalization. Below are four examples of invitation wording for four possible scenarios for divorced hosts. Choose wording that best reflects the formality of your wedding and pays the proper respect to the hosts.

When the Bride’s Mother is divorced and hosting:
Mrs. Barbara Johnson
requests the honor of your presence
at the marriage of her daughter

Both sets of divorced Parents AND Bride and Groom are hosting:
Together with their families
Ally Johnson
and
Paul Bernard

Divorced Parents of Bride are hosting:
Mrs. Barbara Johnson
and
Mr. James Johnson

Divorced Parent and Stepparent of Bride are hosting:
Mr. and Mrs. James Korman
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage
of Mrs. Korman’s daughter

 

Happy Planning!

Photo Below - Flat Rectangle Invitation INVC-11750: MagnetStreet Weddings

Know the rules~ then modify them!

From a foodie perspective~ if you’re making a grilled cheese sandwich, the basic ingredients should include cheese and bread. And from there, you add the personal touches that take your grilled cheese sandwich to a whole new level. For me, that means adding cilantro, onions and ranch dressing!

It’s the same idea with wording your wedding invitations. Once you know the basic guidelines, then you have the freedom to personalize according to your wedding style and formality.

Your wedding invitation is responsible for a great deal and will set the tone for your entire event! Not only must it be stylish and all that… it also needs to communicate very important wedding day information: who, when and where. Whether your style is classic, modern, or non-traditional, a less formal wedding will allow for more creativity and less formality. While there are no longer hard and fast rules, use this basic etiquette as a guide.

Basic Etiquette:

• All verbiage is in the third person
• Be consistent with spelling: honour/favour or honor/favor
• Dr. and military titles need to be spelled out: i.e. Doctor Marie Johnson
• Use Roman numerals in names instead of second or 2nd
• Punctuation is used to separate city, state or day, date or Mr. Mrs.
• All days, dates and times are typically spelled out: Saturday, the twenty-third of July, Two thousand and seven at two o’clock
• Avoid abbreviations: spell out Street, Boulevard, Avenue...

Mr. and Mrs. William Iverson

Request the honor

of your presence

at the marriage of

their daughter

Holly Iverson

&

Ben Johnson

on Saturday, the twenty-third of July

at two o’clock

Grace Fellowship

Lake City, Minnesota

Gate-fold wedding invitation via: MagnetStreet Weddings

Happy Planning!