Formal Invitation Wording
Formal wording follows a structure: the host is named first, the request comes next, then the names, the date, the hour, the place, and finally the reply. Once you know the order, the wording stops feeling like a rulebook and starts being a way of saying exactly who is inviting whom.
The examples below are complete and ready to use, in the style printed cards have used for a long time. Some are written for parents who are hosting, some for a couple hosting their own wedding, and one is the short formal message you send with a digital invitation when a full card structure would be too long for a chat. If you are still choosing between formal, modern and relaxed wording, the wording guide works through that decision first.
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- FormalPrinted wordingWedding
Traditional wording, parents hosting (English-language card convention)
[Host names] request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of [Couple's names] on [Event date] at [Event time], at [Venue]. R.S.V.P. by [RSVP deadline] at [Invitation link]
Still to fill: Host names, Couple's names, Event date, Event time, Venue, RSVP deadline, Invitation link
- FormalPrinted wordingWedding
Wording hosted by the couple themselves
[Couple's names] request the pleasure of your company at their wedding on [Event date] at [Event time]. The ceremony will be held at [Venue], with a reception on the same premises afterwards. R.S.V.P. by [RSVP deadline] at [Invitation link]
Still to fill: Couple's names, Event date, Event time, Venue, RSVP deadline, Invitation link
- FormalWhatsAppWedding
Short formal message for a digital invitation
Dear [Guest's name], [Couple's names] request the pleasure of your company on [Event date]. The invitation at [Invitation link] holds the full programme, the venue and the reply form; kindly respond by [RSVP deadline].
Still to fill: Guest's name, Couple's names, Event date, Invitation link, RSVP deadline
- FormalPrinted wordingWedding
The reply line on its own
The favour of a reply is requested by [RSVP deadline]. Please reply at [Invitation link] and mention any dietary requirements at the same time.
Still to fill: RSVP deadline, Invitation link
- FormalPrinted wordingWedding
Formal dinner with a dress code
[Couple's names] request the pleasure of your company at a formal dinner to celebrate their marriage on [Event date] at [Event time], at [Venue]. Dress: black tie. R.S.V.P. by [RSVP deadline] at [Invitation link]
Still to fill: Couple's names, Event date, Event time, Venue, RSVP deadline, Invitation link
- FormalPrinted wordingEngagement
Engagement party, parents hosting
[Host names] request the pleasure of your company at a party to celebrate the engagement of [Couple's names] on [Event date] at [Event time], at [Venue]. R.S.V.P. by [RSVP deadline] at [Invitation link]
Still to fill: Host names, Couple's names, Event date, Event time, Venue, RSVP deadline, Invitation link
- FormalEmailWedding
Formal invitation addressed to one named guest
Dear [Guest's name], it is a great pleasure to invite you to the wedding of [Couple's names] on [Event date] at [Event time], at [Venue]. A reply by [RSVP deadline] would help us complete our arrangements: [Invitation link]
Still to fill: Guest's name, Couple's names, Event date, Event time, Venue, RSVP deadline, Invitation link
The parts of a formal invitation
Read a formal invitation from the top and each line answers one question. The first line says who is inviting. The second says what the occasion is and asks for the guest's company. The names of the couple follow, then the date, the hour and the place. The last line asks for a reply, and gives the deadline and the address to send it to.
- Host line — who is sending the invitation (parents, the couple, or both families).
- Request line — "request the pleasure of your company", or a modern equivalent.
- Names — the couple, in the order the hosts prefer.
- Date and hour — written out in full, never abbreviated in traditional wording.
- Place — the venue, or the town when the venue is only sent to confirmed guests.
- Reply line — the deadline, and where the reply should go.
Who is named as the host
When parents host, their names open the invitation and the couple's names follow inside it. When the couple host, their own names open it and no one else is named. When both families contribute, the usual solution is one line per family, which is why some invitations open with two host names joined by the occasion rather than one.
There is no universal right answer here, and the arrangement is usually settled by family conversation rather than by etiquette. What matters is that the wording is consistent: if the hosts are named at the top, the rest of the invitation should read as written by them.
The structure is also the reason the layout matters: a formal wording needs the room to sit in lines, which is what the serif templates in the template gallery are drawn for.
A note on conventions
The structures in this collection are the ones used in English-language formal correspondence, and they are the convention in the United Kingdom, Ireland, North America, Australia and much of Europe. Other cultures and faiths arrange the same information differently, so an example here should be treated as a template rather than as the standard.
Where an example depends on a convention — a host line that assumes parents are hosting, a reply card addressed to a single host — the card label says so. If your ceremony or reception has its own established form of invitation, follow it: nothing on this page overrides a local or religious convention that your guests will recognise immediately.
Formal wording, plain link
Keep the formal register and let the invitation carry the details: lines laid out correctly, a map, the programme and a reply form. One link to send, and no reprinting when something changes.