Please note that this guide is just that – a guide. Your wedding invitation is personal to you and should say exactly what you want it to say, to reflect your own special day and your own personality.

1 - Start with who the invitation is coming from;

‘Mr & Mrs Philip Jones...’ (the brides parents)

‘Christina & Philip Jones...’ (the brides parents)

‘Thomas Peter Brown and Jennifer Anne Jones...’ (the bride and groom)

‘Jen and Tom...’ (the bride and groom)

or ‘Together with their families, Jen & Tom...’

2 - Request that your guests attend;

If the invitation comes from the parents:

‘...request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their daughter...’

‘...request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their daughter...’

‘...would be delighted for you to attend the marriage of their daughter...’

If the invitation comes from the couple, you could say:

‘...invite you to join us at the celebration of our marriage...’

‘...request the pleasure of your company at our wedding...’

3 - (Only if the invitation comes from the parents) Add the bride and groom's names;

‘'Jennifer Anne
to
Mr. Thomas Peter Brown’

or, simply;

‘Jennifer to Thomas Brown’

4 Write the date, time and venue details;

‘on Saturday, the fourth of June 2011
at one o’clock
at St. Michael’s Church, Granton’

or;

‘on Saturday 4th June 2011
at 1 pm
at St. Michael’s Church, Granton’

Include a street address if the location is not well known to your guests.

5 The reception details;

‘followed by a reception at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel’
‘Reception to follow at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel’
‘and afterwards for cocktails and cake in the King George Room’

6 Ask your guests to reply;

‘R.S.V.P. by 30th April
16 Orchard Street, Hawking, B21 2AN’
or include an RSVP postcard within the invitation.

When you’ve been through each of these six steps, your invite might read something like;

Mr & Mrs Philip Jones
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their daughter
Jennifer Anne
to
Mr. Thomas Peter Brown
on Saturday 4th June 2011
at 1 pm
at St. Michael’s Church, Granton
followed by a reception at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel

R.S.V.P. by 30th April
16 Orchard Street, Hawking, B21 2AN