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By Forever Farrah Published 2026-09-17.
Wedding invitation wording for every kind of host, from parents to the couple themselves, divorced or remarried parents, with formal and casual examples.
Word a wedding invitation in a fixed order: who is hosting, the request ("request the honour of your presence" for a house of worship, "the pleasure of your company" elsewhere), the couple's names, the date and time, the place, and how to reply. The host line changes with who is hosting, whether that's one set of parents, both, the couple, or a blended family. Formal invitations spell everything out; casual ones drop titles and use plain, warm language.
The Emily Post Institute sums up what every invitation must say: who is hosting, what the event is, where and when it takes place, and how the guest should respond. Whatever your style, check your draft against this list:
| Formal | Casual | |
|---|---|---|
| Request | "request the honour of your presence" or "the pleasure of your company" | "invite you to celebrate", "hope you'll join us" |
| Names | Full names with titles and middle names | First and last names, no titles |
| Date | "Saturday, the tenth of June" | "Saturday, June 10" |
| Time | "at half after four o'clock" | "at 4:30pm" |
| Reply | Reply card or "The favour of a reply is requested" | "RSVP by May 1 at our website" |
The Emily Post Institute's formal wording guide says host names are spelled out in full, with middle names and titles, and that "the honour of your presence" is used for a ceremony in a house of worship while "the pleasure of your company" is traditional for other venues. Its casual wording guide says informal invitations can omit titles, word dates more simply and give an email or phone number for replies. Match the invitation to the day: the Institute's style advice is that a black-tie wedding calls for an equally formal invitation. For what that dress code means, see what does black tie mean at a wedding.
The examples below follow the patterns in the Emily Post Institute's samples of formal wording. Names are placeholders; swap in your own.
Mr. and Mrs. David Alan Morgan / request the honour of your presence / at the marriage of their daughter / Claire Elizabeth / to / Mr. Samuel James Okafor / Saturday, the tenth of June / at half after four o'clock / Saint Mark's Church / Chicago, Illinois
The hosts' own child is named by first and middle name only; the other partner gets a full name and title.
Mr. and Mrs. David Alan Morgan / and Mr. and Mrs. Peter Okafor / request the honour of your presence / at the marriage of their children / Claire Elizabeth Morgan / and / Samuel James Okafor / ...
A softer alternative keeps the couple's parents as a line under the names: "together with their families, Claire Morgan and Samuel Okafor invite you to..."
Ms. Claire Elizabeth Morgan / and / Mr. Samuel James Okafor / request the honour of your presence / at their marriage / ...
Or, more casually: "Claire Morgan and Sam Okafor invite you to celebrate their wedding." This is also the simplest choice when several people are contributing money, since nobody's name has to be weighed against anyone else's. If families are paying, have the conversation about the host line early; what if your parents are paying for the wedding covers it.
Mrs. Anne Morgan / and / Mr. David Morgan / request the honour of your presence / at the marriage of their daughter / Claire Elizabeth / ...
Each parent gets their own line. If either has remarried, their spouse can be included on that parent's line ("Mr. and Mrs. David Morgan").
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Hale / request the pleasure of your company / at the marriage of her daughter / Claire Elizabeth Morgan / ...
"Her daughter" or "his son" makes the relationship clear. Emily Post's sample for this situation uses exactly that construction.
Traditionally, invitations are issued by living hosts, so the Emily Post sample for a widowed parent simply reads "Mr. Arthur Driscoll requests the honour of your presence at the marriage of his daughter" with no mention of the late parent. Many couples prefer to include them anyway, for example "Claire Elizabeth, daughter of Anne Morgan and the late David Morgan". Choose what feels right for your family; a program or a toast is another place to honour them.
If you're writing replies and tracking them yourselves, a wedding website with online RSVPs saves a lot of chasing; what to do when wedding guests don't RSVP covers the rest. Timing is in when to send save-the-dates and invitations.
Traditionally, "the honour of your presence" is used for a ceremony in a house of worship and "the pleasure of your company" for any other venue. Many couples now choose whichever they prefer.
The hosts'. If your parents are hosting, their names open the invitation. If you're hosting yourselves, yours do.
No. Only hosts are named in the host line. Many couples use "together with their families" to include everyone without saying who paid.
Etiquette says no. The Emily Post Institute calls it poor taste; put registry details on your wedding website.
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