Free Information and Examples of Traditional Formal Wedding Invitation Etiquette from the Wedding Centre

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TRADITIONAL FORMAL WEDDING INVITATION ETIQUETTE


An institution as old as marriage inevitably develops many different traditions and customs over the centuries. Some of these traditions are shared by different cultures, such as the exchanging of wedding rings, and having the families of the bride and groom present at the ceremony. Others are quite culture-specific, such as the Polish-American custom of doing the "Chicken Dance" at their wedding receptions! It's helpful to think of traditional, formal wedding invitation etiquette as just that: tradition. One of the primary underlying premises of etiquette in general is the concept of making people feel at ease in social situations. Having specific, consistent ways of describing the relationships between the various people who are named on a wedding invitation makes it easier for guests to sort out who's who, as it were. The wording examples listed below reflect generally accepted formal wordings for particular situations, such as when the parents of the bride are divorced, or the occasion is a double wedding. Keep in mind that the formats of these wordings are not written in stone, despite what some etiquette mavens or over-enthusiastic wedding planners may claim. Remember, one of the foundations of etiquette is helping people feel at ease. If it makes the widowed mother of the bride uncomfortable to have her name listed as "Mrs. Michael Peters" (the traditionally correct form), then using "Mrs. Mary Peters" may be the better choice in that particular situation. The point is that any of the wordings shown below can be adjusted to fit your individual needs. When you order your wedding stationery from the Wedding Centre, we will be happy to help you determine the most appropriate wording for your specific circumstances. After more than fifty years, we've pretty much seen it all! And we'd love to share our expertise with you, either online or in our store in West Allis, Wisconsin. Below, we've listed a variety of common circumstances that are relevant to composing wedding invitation wordings. Scroll down or click on any of the links below to see example wording(s) and additional comments. Circumstances:
Mother and Father Living Mother or Father Deceased, Living Parent not Remarried Mother or Father Deceased, Living Parent Remarried Mother and Father Deceased Parents Divorced Bride and Groom Issuing the Invitation Groom's Family Issuing the Invitation Second Marriages Double Weddings Recalling Invitations

Mother and Father Living
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Cooper request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their daughter Britney Lynn to Mr. Evan Thomas Langdon on Saturday, the fifteenth of June Two thousand and thirteen at two o'clock in the afternoon Holy Apostles Church 16000 West National Avenue New Berlin, Wisconsin	If the wedding is being held at the home of a friend, the following wording should be used in place of the church information: at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Travis Rogers 5678 Dawson Drive Point Place, Wisconsin

Mother or Father Deceased, Living Parent not Remarried
Mother Issuing the Invitation: Mrs. Michael Cooper requests the honour of your presence at the marriage of her daughter Britney Lynn to Mr. Evan Thomas Langdon Saturday, the fifteenth of June Two thousand and thirteen at two o'clock in the afternoon Holy Apostles Church 16000 West National Avenue New Berlin, Wisconsin	Father Issuing the Invitation: Mr. Michael Cooper requests the honour of your presence at the marriage of his daughter Britney Lynn to Mr. Evan Thomas Langdon Saturday, the fifteenth of June Two thousand and thirteen at two o'clock in the afternoon Holy Apostles Church 16000 West National Avenue New Berlin, Wisconsin


Mother or Father Deceased, Living Parent Remarried If the mother remarried, the mother may choose to use her present husband's name, with the bride's last name added to her given name. If the father remarried, the same formats can be used, substituting 'at the marriage of his daughter,' with the bride's last name optionally repeated.
Mr. and Mrs. John Tate request the honour of your presence at the marriage of her daughter Britney Lynn Cooper to Mr. Evan Thomas Langdon Saturday, the fifteenth of June Two thousand and thirteen at two o'clock in the afternoon Holy Apostles Church 16000 West National Avenue New Berlin, Wisconsin	Mr. and Mrs. John Tate request the honour of your presence at the marriage of Mrs. Tate's daughter Britney Lynn Cooper to Mr. Evan Thomas Langdon Saturday, the fifteenth of June Two thousand and thirteen at two o'clock in the afternoon Holy Apostles Church 16000 West National Avenue New Berlin, Wisconsin
Mrs. John Tate requests the honour of your presence at the marriage of her daughter Britney Lynn Cooper to Mr. Evan Thomas Langdon Saturday, the fifteenth of June Two thousand and thirteen at two o'clock in the afternoon Holy Apostles Church 16000 West National Avenue New Berlin, Wisconsin


Mother and Father Deceased
Unmarried Older Brother or Sister of the Bride Issuing the Invitation: Mr. Justin Matthew Cooper requests the honour of your presence at the marriage of his sister Britney Lynn Cooper to Mr. Evan Thomas Langdon Saturday, the fifteenth of June Two thousand and thirteen at two o'clock in the afternoon Holy Apostles Church 16000 West National Avenue New Berlin, Wisconsin	Married Older Brother or Sister of the Bride Issuing the Invitation: Mr. and Mrs. Daniel J. Cooper request the honour of your presence at the marriage of his sister Britney Lynn Cooper to Mr. Evan Thomas Langdon Saturday, the fifteenth of June Two thousand and thirteen at two o'clock in the afternoon Holy Apostles Church 16000 West National Avenue New Berlin, Wisconsin
Grandparents or Aunt and Uncle Issuing the Invitation: Mr. and Mrs. Gerald E. Barclay request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their granddaughter/niece Britney Lynn Cooper to Mr. Evan Thomas Langdon Saturday, the fifteenth of June Two thousand and thirteen at two o'clock in the afternoon Holy Apostles Church 16000 West National Avenue New Berlin, Wisconsin


Parents Divorced If the mother is not remarried, she uses a combination of her maiden and married name: Mrs. Barclay Cooper requests the honour of your presence at the marriage of her daughter Britney Lynn Cooper to Mr. Evan Thomas Langdon Saturday, the fifteenth of June Two thousand and thirteen at two o'clock in the afternoon Holy Apostles Church 16000 West National Avenue New Berlin, Wisconsin If the mother has remarried, there are two options:
Mrs. John Tate requests the honour of your presence at the marriage of her daughter Britney Lynn Cooper to Mr. Evan Thomas Langdon Saturday, the fifteenth of June Two thousand and thirteen at two o'clock in the afternoon Holy Apostles Church 16000 West National Avenue New Berlin, Wisconsin	Mr. and Mrs. John Tate request the honour of your presence at the marriage of her daughter Britney Lynn Cooper to Mr. Evan Thomas Langdon Saturday, the fifteenth of June Two thousand and thirteen at two o'clock in the afternoon Holy Apostles Church 16000 West National Avenue New Berlin, Wisconsin
If the mother and father both remarried and both wish to co-host the wedding, the mother's name should appear first: Mr. and Mrs. John Tate Mr. and Mrs. Michael Cooper request the honour of your presence at the marriage of Britney Lynn Cooper to Mr. Evan Thomas Langdon Saturday, the fifteenth of June Two thousand and thirteen at two o'clock in the afternoon Holy Apostles Church 16000 West National Avenue New Berlin, Wisconsin


Bride and Groom Issuing the Invitation Miss Britney Lynn Cooper and Mr. Evan Thomas Langdon request the honour of your presence at their marriage Saturday, the fifteenth of June Two thousand and thirteen at two o'clock in the afternoon Holy Apostles Church 16000 West National Avenue New Berlin, Wisconsin


Groom's Family Issuing the Invitation The word "Miss" is used when the sponsors of the wedding are not the bride's relatives: Mr. and Mrs. Robert Langdon request the honour of your presence at the marriage of Miss Britney Lynn Cooper to their son Evan Thomas Saturday, the fifteenth of June Two thousand and thirteen at two o'clock in the afternoon Holy Apostles Church 16000 West National Avenue New Berlin, Wisconsin


Second Marriages Invitations to the marriage of a divorcee or widow do not differ from those for a first marriage except that the bride's married name is used. It is more common for the couple to issue their own invitations in such cases, however. Mr. and Mrs. Michael Cooper request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their daughter Britney Lynn Langdon to Mr. Riley S. Mann Saturday, the fifteenth of June Two thousand and thirteen at two o'clock in the afternoon Holy Apostles Church 16000 West National Avenue New Berlin, Wisconsin


Double Weddings
When the Brides are Sisters: Mr. and Mrs. Michael Cooper request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their daughters Britney Lynn to Mr. Evan Thomas Langdon and Courtney Ann to Mr. Warren Campbell Saturday, the fifteenth of June Two thousand and thirteen at two o'clock in the afternoon Holy Apostles Church 16000 West National Avenue New Berlin, Wisconsin	When the Brides are not Sisters: Mr. and Mrs. Michael Cooper and Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Fredericks request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their daughters Britney Lynn Cooper to Mr. Evan Thomas Langdon and Susan Marie Fredericks to Mr. Warren Campbell Saturday, the fifteenth of June Two thousand and thirteen at two o'clock in the afternoon Holy Apostles Church 16000 West National Avenue New Berlin, Wisconsin


Recalling Invitations When a wedding has to be changed or cancelled, the wording of the change should fit the circumstances. For example: Mr. and Mrs. Michael Cooper regret that due to an illness in the family the invitation to their daughter Britney's wedding Saturday, the fifteenth of June must be cancelled