Wedding Invitation Wording

There are as many wedding circumstances as there are brides and grooms, and how to express the nuances of your wedding in your invitation can be really tricky. Follow the guide below to create a properly worded wedding invitation that is both accurate and follow proper etiquette.

Jewish Wedding

Since the Jewish faith considers marriage the true joining of two families, the groom's parents' names also appear on the invitations, beneath the bride's parents' names, but with no joining word. The word "and" is used between the bride's and groom's names, however, because the Jewish faith believes that God brings a man and a woman together to be joined as partners for life, instead of a woman being married "to" a man.

Roman Catholic Wedding

The wording for a Roman Catholic wedding will vary slightly, and may include the phrase "Nuptial Mass" if the ceremony will be part of a Catholic service. It is helpful to guests to include this phrase since a Nuptial Mass lasts approximately one hour, longer than the typical marriage ceremony.

Hispanic Wedding

Invitations to Hispanic wedding celebrations may be issued in either English or Spanish, and many couples provide both, on the two inner pages of a folded invitation. Both sets of parents are usually included in the wording, with the bride's parents' names always listed first.

The Bridal Couple As Hosts

If the bride's parents are both deceased, or if the bride and groom are older or marrying for the second time, the couple may choose to issue the invitations themselves. The use of "Miss" versus "Ms." before the bride's name is based on personal preference and may depend on whether or not this is the bride's first marriage.

Including The Groom's Parents As Hosts

If the groom's parents assume a large portion of the wedding expenses, their names may be included, with both sets of parents' names at the very beginning of the invitation. This makes it clear that both families are issuing the invitation.

Including The Groom's Parents

If you simply wish to include the groom's parents' names on the invitation, no matter what the circumstances or financial contribution, the bride's parents are still noted first as the official hosts, with the groom's parents assuming the second position. If the groom's parents' names are short enough, the words "son of" can be included on the same line as their names so that the names of the bride and groom stand out more.

Including The Groom's Parents When Divorced

To include the groom's parents in a place of honor when they are divorced. The groom's mother's name appears first, using her remarried name (if appropriate) and the groom's father is second.

Divorced Parents of Bride Hosting Together

If the bride's parents are divorced but enjoy an amicable relationship (even if one has remarried), they may issue the invitations together. The mother's name always appears first.

Hosted By One Parent

A wedding may be hosted by only one parent if the other is deceased or if the parents are divorced. In this case, the parent issues the invitation alone and the word "his" or "her" is added in place of "their" in the request line.