How to Write Wedding Invitations
Planning your wedding can be a stressful time. You will be trying to attend to a million little details and you really want everything to be just so. Writing your wedding invitations doesn't have to be one of these tasks. There is a simple formula that will ensure that your guests have all of the information they need to enjoy your wedding.
Parents of the bridge and groom are usually listed first. Traditionally, the parents who are paying for the nuptials are listed first, but to avoid any negative feelings it is important to discuss this with all parents involved ahead of time. In the age of mixed marriages, you will want to pay particular attention to how names are listed if there are remarriages in the family or someone has gone back to their maiden name.
On the second line, the people getting married are usually listed. The most basic and traditional wording is usually: Mr. and Mrs. John E. Smith request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their daughter Mary Lynne to Bob Williams.
The groom's name should be followed by his parent's names, unless they have already been listed at the top.
The invitation should finish with the day, date, time, and place. All numerals should be spelled out, 2011 should be two thousand eleven.
Directions, response information, and lodging options should be listed on separate cards that will be included with the invitation.
Basic grammar rules should be followed and make sure that you check the spelling of everything on the invitation. The lines of the invitation should not end with a period. Have someone else proofread the text before the invites are ordered and again before they are mailed.