Having designed a few invitation suites myself, I know that there are many steps to the process and many pieces to keep in mind when thinking of your wedding stationery. A couple of big questions I always get are ‘When do I send everything out?’ and ‘What do I write on my wedding invitation?’ So, I’m beyond thrilled to have our very own LBBer and wedding invitation designer, Chelsey Emery here today with some fabulous invitation wording tips and a glittery timeline that you should totally print out and keep in your back pocket. How helpful is that?! Plus, we’ve got a whole pretty gallery full of our favorite designs from Chelsey.
[dotted]
From Chelsey… When ordering your wedding invitations with Chelsey Emery you have the option to completely customize the wording on your invitation to accurately reflect the style and tone of your event. While this is great if you know exactly what you want to say, if you don’t – it can also be completely overwhelming! We have put together some guidelines and etiquette tips for reference, but unless you are inviting Emily Post to your wedding, feel free to adjust and modify them to suit your personal event. Sometimes even the oldest rules are meant to be broken.
Step One: Identify the Host
Typically the name or names listed first identifies who is hosting (i.e. paying for) the event.
Step Two: Identify the Request
Formal wedding invitations have one of two requests. If the event is being held in a place of worship the phrase ‘request the honor of your presence, at the marriage of their daughter’ is used. ‘Request the pleasure of your company, at the marriage of their daughter’ is used for secular locations. If the couple is hosting, it is common to use ‘invite you to join us at the celebration of our marriage’.
Step Three: Identify the Bride and Groom
Traditionally the bride is listed first and if she shares a last name with her parents, only the first and middle names are included. The groom is identified with title (Mr. / Dr. / etc.), first, middle and last. A more modern interpretation often includes just the first and last names of both parties.
Step Four: Identify the Date and Time
The date and time are always spelled out, with the month and day being capitalized. Remember, there is no ‘and‘ when writing out the year, a correct example is two thousand thirteen, not two thousand and thirteen.
Step Five: Identify the Location
If the ceremony is at a well-known location the street address does not need to be included. Similarly, the zip code never needs to be included on the wedding invitation. If you are including a Directions card with your suite, list the directions and more specific address information on there.
For more detail on these steps, see Chelsey’s Etiquette guide.
[dotted]
Photography: Somerby Jones | Wedding Invitations: Chelsey Emery