Traditional wedding invitation wording

Host line
The traditional format has the bride's parents
hosting and inviting the guests.

Mr. and Mrs. George Jeffreys

If the grooms parents are sharing expenses, both sets
of parents act as hosts, with the bride's listed first.

Mr. and Mrs. George Jefferys
Mr. and Mrs. Alex Cough

Many couples want to mention the groom's parents,
even if they're not throwing the wedding.
Mr. and Mrs. George Jeffreys
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter

Emily
to
Mr. Owen Cough
Son of Mr. and Mrs. Alex Cough

Divorced parents should be listed on separate lines
with the mother's name first.

Mrs. Brenda Anne Jeffreys
Mr. George Samuel Jeffreys

When either or both of the bride's parents has remarried,
it's most proper that only the natural parents are listed,
since they usually give the bride away; depending on your
family's situation, though, stepparents can be included.

Mrs. Brenda Anne Hamster
Mr. George Samuel Jeffreys

A good way not leave anyone out is to invite
the guests yourselves, and mention both families.

Together with their families
Emily Jeffreys and Owen Cough

More couples are paying for their own weddings
and playing hosts by themselves.

Emily Jeffreys
and
Owen Cough

Request line
By strict convention, "the honour of your presence" is
reserved for religious ceremonies. British spellings are still
used for all types of formal weddings.

request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their daughter

For weddings held at a hotel or a home, it's more
appropriate to use warmer, less solemn wording.

request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their daughter

Many families are opting to mix tradition (such as British spellings
and formal constructions) with their own sentiments.

would be honoured to have you share in the joy
of the marriage of their children

A reflection of the times:
The couple issues a simple request, emphasizing the celebration.

invite you to celebrate their marriage

Bride and groom line
Traditionally, a bride takes no title before her name.
Another option is to include titles for both
the bride and groom; this is useful when one
of you has an occupation that carries
an official title, such as Dr.
One way to put yourselves on equal footing is to
leave titles off altogether. This is also appropriate if
both sets of parents are serving as hosts.

Date and time lines
Spelling out the day, date, and year lends sophistication,
but you can also use a numeral for the year. Similarly, although
"half after six o'clock" is classic, it may not be right for a
less formal wedding. When stating the time, only the hour
is necessary; there's no need to note A.M. or P.M.
Where time of day may be unclear use
"in the morning" or "in the evening"

location line
Make sure you have the proper name of your church.
As with everything else, spell out "Saint" or any other abbreviations (except R.S.V.P.).
Direction cards have become a common way to direct your guests to both
the ceremony and reception site. Invitations are typically written without punctuation;
line breaks take the place of commas, except to separate city and state, or to avoid confusion.