Wedding invitations are traditionally printed with black ink in an "engraved" or script type style. These more traditional type styles are also appropriate for use on invitations to other formal events. Here are some examples of type style (fonts) looks you might try:

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With so many different types of families out there, wedding invitation wording can be complicated. Below are several formal wedding invitation wording examples for different family situations. If you're composing a formal party invitation, include the names of those giving the party, the invitation phrase "request the pleasure of your company" in lieu of "request the honor of your presence", the type of party, the purpose of the party, the date, hour, place and RSVP information.

Wedding invitation wording examples for when the parents of the bride are issuing the invitation:

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Evans Smith request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their daughter Jane Elizabeth and Mr. Stephen James Richardson on Saturday, the ninth of June two thousand and four at two o'clock First Church of Christ 219 North Granby Road Granby, Connecticut

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Evans Smith request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their daughter Jane Elizabeth and Mr. Stephen James Richardson son of Mr. and Mrs. John Tyler Richardson on Saturday, the ninth of June two thousand and four at two o'clock First Church of Christ 219 North Granby Road Granby, Connecticut

Wedding invitation wording examples for when the couple is issuing the invitation:

Jane Elizabeth Smith and Stephen James Richardson request the honour of your presence at their marriage on Saturday, the ninth of June two thousand and four at two o'clock First Church of Christ 219 North Granby Road Granby, Connecticut

Together with their families Jane Elizabeth Smith and Stephen James Richardson request the honour of your presence at their marriage on Saturday, the ninth of June two thousand and four at two o'clock First Church of Christ 219 North Granby Road Granby, Connecticut

Wedding invitation wording examples for when the groom's parents host (left) and for when both sets of parents host (right).

Jane Elizabeth Smith and Stephen James Richardson request the honour of your presence at their marriage on Saturday, the ninth of June two thousand and four at two o'clock First Church of Christ 219 North Granby Road Granby, Connecticut

Together with their families Jane Elizabeth Smith and Stephen James Richardson request the honour of your presence at their marriage on Saturday, the ninth of June two thousand and four at two o'clock First Church of Christ 219 North Granby Road Granby, Connecticut

Wedding invitation wording examples for when the bride's divorced and remarried parents co-host (left) and for when the bride's remarried mother and husband host (right).

Mr. and Mrs. William Jones and Mr. and Mrs. Robert Evans Smith request the honour of your presence at the marriage of Jane Elizabeth Smith to Mr. Stephen James Richardson on Saturday, the ninth of June two thousand and four at two o'clock First Church of Christ 219 North Granby Road Granby, Connecticut

Mr. and Mrs. William Jones request the honour of your presence at the marriage of Mrs. Jones' daughter Jane Elizabeth Smith and Mr. Stephen James Richardson on Saturday, the ninth of June two thousand and four at two o'clock First Church of Christ 219 North Granby Road Granby, Connecticut

Wedding invitation wording examples for when the bride's divorced mother (not remarried) hosts (left) and for when the bride's widowed mother/father hosts (right).

Ms. Julia Franklin Smith (maiden and married surnames) or Ms. Julia Franklin (maiden name) requests the honour of your presence at the marriage of her daughter Jane Elizabeth Smith to Mr. Stephen James Richardson on Saturday, the ninth of June two thousand and four at two o'clock First Church of Christ 219 North Granby Road Granby, Connecticut

Mr. (or Mrs.) Robert Evans Smith request the honour of your presence at the marriage of his (or her) daughter Jane Elizabeth to Mr. Stephen James Richardson on Saturday, the ninth of June two thousand and four at two o'clock First Church of Christ 219 North Granby Road Granby, Connecticut

Here are two examples of Reception Cards. The example on the left is for a reception taking place immediately following the ceremony. The example on the right is for a reception taking place later in the day.

Reception immediately following the ceremony Hopkinton Country Club 1 Country Club Road Hopkinton, Massachusetts Reply card enclosed

Reception Dinner at seven o'clock Hopkinton Country Club 1 Country Club Road Hopkinton, Massachusetts Reply card enclosed

Your Response Card could read as follows:

M______________________________________ Accept__________________Regret___________ for the ninth of June

You can also include menu choices on the response card, if it's necessary to order the guests' meals in advance. You may also wish to include a separate sheet with a map or directios, if the ceremony or reception sites are difficult to find.

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Unsure of how to address wedding invitations? Below are various examples of the wording for formal wedding invitation outer and inner envelopes.

	Outer Envelope	Inner Envelope
Single Guests
Unmarried Woman over 18 or a Divorced Woman who retains her maiden name	Miss (or Ms.) Amy Smithers	Miss (or Ms.) Smithers and Guest
Divorced Woman who uses her married name	Mrs. Amy Carter	Mrs. Carter and Guest
Unmarried or Divorced Man	Mr. Howard Croft	Mr. Croft and Guest
Couples
Married Couples	Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Caldwell	Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell
Married Couple - when the woman kept maiden name	Mrs. Carol Thompson Mr. John Sigenthaler	Mrs. Thompson Mr. Sigenthaler
Unmarried couples who do not share the same residence. You should send the invitation to the closest friend	Miss (or Ms.) Amy Carter	Miss (or Ms.) Carter Mr. Stevenson
Unmarried couples who live together address alphabetically by last name	Miss (or Ms.) Amy Carter Mr. John Stevenson	Miss (or Ms.) Carter Mr. Stevenson
Same gender couples - alphabetically by last name	Miss (or Ms.) Melissa Franklyn Miss (or Ms.) Stella Ziegler	Miss (or Ms.) Franklyn Miss (or Ms.) Ziegler
Children over 18 years old should be considered adults and receive their own invitation, even if still at the home of their parents who will also be invited to your wedding	Miss Amy Carter or Mr. Brian Atwater	Miss Carter and Guest or Mr. Atwater and Guest
Other
Judge	The Honorable Thurgood Thompson (If Single) The Honorable and Mrs. Thurgood Thompson (If married)	Judge Thurgood Judge Thurgood and Mrs. Thompson
Doctor (Medical)	Doctor Michael Stokes (If Single) Doctor and Mrs. Michael Stokes (If married)/td>	Doctor Stokes and Guest Doctor and Mrs. Stokes
Doctor (Ph.D.)	Dr. Harry Keller	Dr. Keller and Guest
Married Woman Doctor	Doctor Patricia Neddles Mr. Charles Lyons	Doctor Neddles Mr. Lyons
Married Couple, Both Doctors	Doctors Sam and Mary Hepler	The Doctors Hepler
Clergy	The Reverend Jeremiah Whetheral	The Reverend Whetheral
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	Lieutenant Kellerman Mr. Giminiani

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Traditionally, there is a specific order for assembling invitations for mailing.

• With the back of the large envelope and the front of the invitation facing you, put the invitation and its protective tissue sheet in, folded edge first.
• On top of that, put in the reception invitation also facing up.
• Last, put in the response card, also printed side up. It should be lying within the flap of the small response envelope (which faces down).
• Any other insertions, such as a map or directions, should go in last.
• Address the outer envelope and the response envelope by hand. Use calligraphy if possible.
• Choose an attractive postage stamp that will complement the overall look of your invitations.
• Mail your invitations at least six to eight weeks in advance of your event so that your guests have ample time to make plans to attend.
• If you bring your invitations to the post office, you can request that they be hand cancelled that will minimize any unsightly marks or damage caused by machine cancelling.

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Announcement cards are sent on the day of or shortly after a wedding if there were no invitations sent. They are often sent instead of invitations to friends who live at too far a distance to easily attend the ceremony. Announcements require no acknowledgment although it is customary for the recipient to send either a brief note expressing their best wishes; a gift is always appropriate but not required. The announcement can either be made on a formal invitation card or on fine cotton-fiber wedding stationery. This is the preferred form for the announcement card:


When responding to a wedding announcement, you should first call the mother of the bride and then the bride herself to offer your good wishes.

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For more information, see Letitia Baldridge's Complete Guide to the New Manners for the '90s, Letitia Baldridge, Rawson Associates, 1990.

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