How do I word my wedding invitation?  There are a few things to keep in mind.

You know your need your name on it, right?  Your wedding invitation.  Is there anything else?  I mean, it can’t be that hard, can it?

It’s trickier than you may think.  In fact, it’s one of the most common questions I get.  So here three things to consider when wording your wedding invitation.

1. Are your parents being included on the wedding invitation?

Traditionally, the bride’s parents were the ONLY parents on a wedding invitation.  Today, more and more couples are adding the groom’s parents to the invite.  Why?  Traditionally, the bride’s parents were the only people paying for the wedding thus, it was their invitation to their daughter’s wedding (aka to their party they are throwing).  More and more groom’s parents are putting their financial stake into the wedding and thus, getting props on the invite.

So parent’s names are all about who is paying?  Well, yes and no.  Traditionally, yes.  But lots of wedding traditions get thrown out the door today.  Many couples are paying for their own wedding.  And if that’s the case, parents’ names are not needed on the wedding invitation.  Having parents’ names on a wedding invitation is also a great way to recognize the parents, paying or not.

2. Do I need to include my middle name?

How you want your name on your wedding invitation can be tricky as well.  But you have a few options, so let’s narrow this now.

You can have just your first names:

Jennifer and John

This is simple and to the point.  A warning with this though: if you do not have parents names on your wedding invitation, make sure you have your last name SOMEWHERE within your wedding invitation suite (think details card or even return address on the envelope).  Will everyone know who Jennifer and John are?  For smaller weddings, probably yes.  Larger weddings, lean on the side of no.

Include middle names:

Jennifer Ann and John William

To be a bit more formal, add middle names.  These are your given names at birth and being a momentous event in your life, it’s nice to break those out again.  But consider the same rule above about last names.

Include last names:

Jennifer Ann Johnson and John William Scott

This is a formal and well-known way to have your names on a wedding invitation.  Again, we’re being a bit more formal with the middle names involved.  Plus, having your last names gets rid of any confusion of who these people are, regardless of having your parents names or not on the invite.

3. What other information do guests need?

Give your guests the essential information for your wedding.  Simple?  Sometimes.  The little things are easy to overlook. Such as the time of your wedding.  It’s one of those small details you may get 100 phone calls about if you don’t put it on your invitation.  Also, give people the address of the wedding venue.  The address can be on the invitation itself or the details card, whatever you feel fits better for your design.

 

That should give you a basic start on wording your wedding invitation.  Check out  my other blog posts for wording information as well!