Welcome from Westlake Village, California
HANDMADE INVITATIONS AND FINE STATIONERY
Described below are the components and detailed explanation of composing a wedding invitation. The components are described in the order of traditional wording of a wedding invitation. While the order may be different with the wording variations used today, the components are the same.
Who Is Inviting the Guests?
The first line of the wedding invitation identifies the hosts of the wedding celebration - usually the bride's parents, sometimes the groom's parents, the bride and groom, step parents or others. These names have etiquette guidelines of how they should appear. Following are the guidelines with examples:
Bride's Parents
Married - use titles, use husband's full name
Mr. and Mrs. Henry John Smith
Medical doctor - can abbreviate Dr. or spell it out for any of these Doctor combinations
Bride's Father is a Dr.:
Dr. and Mrs. Henry John Smith
Bride's Mother is a Dr.:
Dr. Susan Ann Smith
and Mr. Henry John Smith
Both Parents are Dr.'s:
Doctor Susan Ann Smith
and Doctor Henry John Smith
or
Doctors Smith
Ministers - ordained ministers use their clerical title spelled out as The Reverend or The Reverend Doctor for any of these combinations
Bride's Father is a Minister:
The Reverend and Mrs.Henry John Smith
Bride's Mother is a Minister:
The Reverend Susan Ann Smith
and Mr. Henry John Smith
Both Parents are Ministers:
The Reverend Susan Ann Smith
and The Reverend Henry John Smith
or
The Reverends Smith
Judges - spelled out as Judge or The Honorable for any of these combinations
Bride's Father is a Judge:
Judge and Mrs. Henry John Smith
Bride's Mother is a Judge:
Judge Susan Ann Smith
and Mr. Henry John Smith
Both Parents are Judges:
Judge Susan Ann Smith
and Judge Henry John Smith
or
The Judges Smith
Both Parents of Bride and Groom
Bride's parents names are first:
Mr. and Mrs. Bride's Parents
Mr. and Mrs. Groom's Parents
Alternative when too many parent names would be listed due to remarrying:
Miss Bride, full name
and
Mr. Groom, full name
together with their parents
(or together with their families)
Wording Etiquette
Wedding Invitation Wording
Copyright 2001-2010 Affectionate Digitals, All Rights Reserved.
Please email here to report any problems with the website
[ 3 of 14 ]
805.494.6774
Favors
Other Wedding Essentials
and Optional Accessories
allery
hop
- All Products -
plus Do It Yourself Items
- Browse by Product -
- Browse by Event -
- Custom Designs -
- Shop Our Favorites -
