Wedding Invitation Wording Etiquette

Welcome from Westlake Village, California

HANDMADE INVITATIONS AND FINE STATIONERY

Traditional wording of invitations has been in the third-person form for many years, with response cards written in the same style. The invitation is usually sent in the name of the bride's parents, but today there are many brides and grooms paying for their own weddings or are assisted by the groom's parents, so this tradition is less common.

With today's more informal life-style, the "rules" have eased, including the third-person tense. For example, some very beautiful and personal invitations use the present tense very effectively and are completely acceptable. "Our joy will be more complete if you will share in the marriage of our daughter...".

Here are some general rules regarding formal wedding invitations that are still followed, for the most part:

1. The invitation to a wedding in a church traditionally reads: "Mr. and Mrs. John Harold Smith request the honour of your presence" (honour spelled with a "u")

2. The invitation to a wedding held at a locaton other than a place of worship traditionally reads: "Mr. and Mrs. John Harold Smith request the pleasure of your company".

2. No punctuation is used, except after abbreviations, such as Mr. or Mrs. or when phrases requiring separation occur in the same line, as in the date.

3. Numbers in the date are spelled out, but long numbers in the street address may be written in numerals.

4. Half-hours are written as "half after five" or "half past five", not five-thirty. Note: Old time tradition indicates "half after" is the correct etiquette.

5. Although Mr. and Mrs. are abbreviated, the title "Doctor" is more properly written in full.

6. The invitation to just a wedding ceremony alone does not include an RSVP.

7. Traditionally, the date of the wedding on a formal invitation does not include the year, but today it is considered correct to include it spelled out with the first letter capitalized: Two thousand and nine.

8. Be consistent when using or not using titles. For multiple lines with parent's names, use Mr. and/or Mrs. on all parent's names or none of the parent's names.

9. MILITARY INVITATIONS

Noncommissioned officers and enlisted men often prefer to use their names with the branch of service immediately below (if the bride is in the military, no title, as in civilian invitations, is used before her name).

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Jones

request the honour of your presence

at the marriage of their daughter

Jane Melissa

Thomas John Devall [note, not "Mr."]

United States Marine Corps

Thomas John Devall Staff Sergeant,

United States Marine Corps

The title appears first when an officer's rank is captain or above in the Army, Air Force, or Marines, or commander or above in the Navy, Merchant Marine, or Coast Guard.

Captain Thomas John Devall

United States Navy

The rank of junior officer is placed below the name:

Thomas John Devall

Lieutenant, United States Army

Officers in the Reserves use their ranks on wedding invitations only when they are on active duty. Otherwise, they are "Mr."

Officer - Male who is active duty or retired from the service

General and Mrs. Barry Lynch

General and Mrs. Lynch

Officer - Female who is active duty or retired from the service

Captain Sandra Kellerman, U.S. Army

Mr. Anthony Giminiani