Wedding Invitation Etiquette and Wording

So you've drawn up a guest list and chosen your stationery, now the time has come to decide on the wording of your invitations. Invitations will go out from whoever is hosting the wedding, whether that is the bride's parents, a parent and step-parent, or the couple themselves.

Many people panic at the thought of having to word invitations when their parents are divorced, separated, remarried or widowed, but as long as the wording makes clear the relationship of the individuals mentioned, it should be quite simple.

In the case of divorced parents, it really depends on who has brought the child up. If the bride lives with or has normally lived with her mother, the invitation will usually come from her. The same applies to the father of the bride. However, whatever their current marital status, divorced parents will often decide to host the reception together anyway.

Here are some of the most commonly used wordings, which should cover most people's situations:

Traditional Version One

Alternative Traditional

Separated, Same Surname

Divorced, Remarried, Hosting Together

Mother Absent, Father Remarried

Father Absent, Mother Remarried

Father Absent

Relative or Friend

Hosted by Bride

Hosted by Couple

Civil Ceremony

Blessing

Evening Party

Invitation Etiquette FAQs

Find the most commonly encountered questions about here in our invitation wording FAQ section ...

Click here to read more from InterWedding.co.uk