|
Check Out These SPECIAL OFFERS!
Save 20% and get FREE Standard Shipping on:
Place Cards
Save $5.00 on:
Bride's
Files
Get FREE
Program Folding
with your order of
Printed Programs
Get FREE
Standard Shipping
on:
Envelope Seals
Gratuity Cards
Net
Favor Circles
Favor and Bubble Tie-ons
Pearl Sprays
Decorative Roses
Chiffon Drawstring Favor Bags
Personalized Favor Ribbons
| |
|
Traditional (Formal) Invitation Etiquette
(generally accepted)
|
|
An institution that is as old as marriage is 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 needs. When you order your wedding stationery from Ace Printing in
the Wedding Centre, we will be happy to help you determine appropriate
wordings for your specific circumstances. After more than fifty years,
we've pretty much seen them all! And we'd love to share our expertise with
you, online or in our store in West Allis, Wisconsin.
We've listed a number of common situations that often arise when composing
wedding invitation wordings. Click on any of the links below to see
example wording(s) and our comments.
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 Peters
request the
honour of your presence
at the
marriage of their daughter
Lauren Marie
to
Mr. Jason
Knight
Saturday,
the sixth of June
Two thousand
and nine
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.
James Carlson
15 Brooks
Road
West Allis,
Wisconsin
|
|
Return to top of page
|
Mother or Father Deceased,
Living Parent not Remarried
|
Mother
Issuing the Invitation:
Mrs.
Michael Peters
requests the honour of your presence
at the
marriage of her daughter
Lauren Marie
to
Mr. Jason
Knight
Saturday,
the sixth of June
Two thousand
and nine
at two
o'clock in the afternoon
Holy
Apostles
Church
16000 West
National Avenue
New Berlin,
Wisconsin |
|
Father
Issuing the Invitation:
Mr.
Michael Peters
requests the honour of your presence
at the
marriage of his daughter
Lauren Marie
to
Mr. Jason
Knight
Saturday,
the sixth of June
Two thousand
and nine
at two
o'clock in the afternoon
Holy
Apostles
Church
16000 West
National Avenue
New Berlin,
Wisconsin |
|
Return to top of page
|
Mother or Father Deceased,
Living Parent Remarried
|
If the
mother remarried, the mother uses her present husband's name,
and the
bride's last name is added to her given name.
If the
father remarried, the standard format for two living parents is used. |
|
Mr. and Mrs.
John Tate
request the honour of your presence
at the
marriage of her daughter
Lauren Marie
Peters
to
Mr. Jason
Knight
Saturday,
the sixth of June
Two thousand
and nine
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
Lauren Marie
Peters
to
Mr. Jason
Knight
Saturday,
the sixth of June
Two thousand
and nine
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
Lauren Marie
Peters
to
Mr. Jason
Knight
Saturday,
the sixth of June
Two thousand
and nine
at two
o'clock in the afternoon
Holy
Apostles
Church
16000 West
National Avenue
New Berlin,
Wisconsin |
|
Return to top of page
|
Mother and Father Deceased
|
Unmarried Older Brother or Sister of the Bride Issuing the Invitation:
Mr.
Carl Andrew Peters
requests the honour of your presence
at the
marriage of his sister
Lauren Marie
Peters
to
Mr. Jason
Knight
Saturday,
the sixth of June
Two thousand
and nine
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.
Frederick A. Peters
request the honour of your presence
at the
marriage of his sister
Lauren Marie
Peters
to
Mr. Jason
Knight
Saturday,
the sixth of June
Two thousand
and nine
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
Lauren Marie
Peters
to
Mr. Jason
Knight
Saturday,
the sixth of June
Two thousand
and nine
at two
o'clock in the afternoon
Holy
Apostles
Church
16000 West
National Avenue
New Berlin,
Wisconsin |
|
Return to top of page
|
Parents Divorced
|
If the
mother is not remarried,
she
uses a combination of her maiden and married name:
Mrs. Barclay
Peters
requests the honour of your presence
at the
marriage of her daughter
Lauren Marie
Peters
to
Mr. Jason
Knight
Saturday,
the sixth of June
Two thousand
and nine
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
Lauren Marie
Peters
to
Mr. Jason
Knight
Saturday,
the sixth of June
Two thousand
and nine
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
Lauren Marie
Peters
to
Mr. Jason
Knight
Saturday,
the sixth of June
Two thousand
and nine
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 Peters
requests the honour of your presence
at the
marriage of
Lauren Marie
Peters
to
Mr. Jason
Knight
Saturday,
the sixth of June
Two thousand
and nine
at two
o'clock in the afternoon
Holy
Apostles
Church
16000 West
National Avenue
New Berlin,
Wisconsin |
|
Return to top of page
|
Bride and Groom Issuing the Invitation
|
Miss Lauren
Marie Peters
and
Mr. Jason
Knight
request the
honour of your presence
at their
marriage
Saturday,
the sixth of June
Two thousand
and nine
at two
o'clock in the afternoon
Holy
Apostles
Church
16000 West
National Avenue
New Berlin,
Wisconsin |
|
Return to top of page
|
Groom's Family Issuing the Invitation
|
The word
"Miss" is used when the sponsors of the wedding are not relatives:
Mr. and Mrs.
Bradley Knight
request the honour of your presence
at the
marriage of
Miss Lauren Marie
Peters
to their son
Mr. Jason
Knight
Saturday,
the sixth of June
Two thousand
and nine
at two
o'clock in the afternoon
Holy
Apostles
Church
16000 West
National Avenue
New Berlin,
Wisconsin |
|
Return to top of page
|
Second Marriages
|
Invitations to the marriage of a divorcee or widow do not differ from
those of a first marriage except that the Bride's married name is used:
Mr. and Mrs.
Michael Peters
request the honour of your presence
at the
marriage of their daughter
Lauren Marie
Knight
to
Mr. Charles
King
Saturday,
the sixth of June
Two thousand
and nine
at two
o'clock in the afternoon
Holy
Apostles
Church
16000 West
National Avenue
New Berlin,
Wisconsin |
|
Return to top of page
|
Double Weddings
|
When the Brides are Sisters:
Mr. and Mrs.
Michael Peters
request the
honour of your presence
at the
marriage of their daughters
Lauren Marie
to
Mr. Jason
Knight
and
Melissa Ann
to
Mr. Warren
Campbell
Saturday,
the sixth of June
Two thousand
and nine
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 Peters
and
Mr. and Mrs.
Thomas Fredericks
request the honour of your presence
at the
marriage of their daughters
Lauren Marie
Peters
to
Mr. Jason
Knight
and
Susan Marie
Fredericks
to
Mr. Warren
Campbell
Saturday,
the sixth of June
Two thousand
and nine
at two
o'clock in the afternoon
Holy
Apostles
Church
16000 West
National Avenue
New Berlin,
Wisconsin |
|
Return to top of page
|
Recalling Invitations
|
When a wedding has to be changed, the wording of the change should fit the
circumstances. For example:
Mr. and Mrs.
Michael Peters
regret that
due to an illness in the family
the
invitation to
their
daughter's wedding
Saturday,
the sixth of June
must be
cancelled
|
|
Return to top of page
|
|
