Wedding Invitation Wording: 80+ Examples for 2026

The words you choose for your wedding invitation set the tone for the whole day. Below are 80+ examples — from the most formal traditional wording through to modern casual, religious, civil, second-marriage, destination, and multilingual invitations — with the etiquette behind each one. Skim the table of contents, copy the line that fits, edit until it sounds like you.

The anatomy of a wedding invitation

Almost every wedding invitation in the last hundred years uses the same six lines. Knowing the structure lets you adapt any of the examples below to your wedding without losing the flow.

1. Host line — who is hosting and inviting (the couple, the parents, "together with their families")
2. Invitation line — the verb of inviting ("request the pleasure of your company", "invite you to celebrate", "would love to share with you")
3. Couple names — usually in full, traditionally bride's name first, modernly whichever feels right
4. Date, time, place — the practical information
5. Reception line — whether the reception follows ("Dinner and dancing to follow", "Reception immediately after")
6. RSVP line — how to respond and by when

On a Pressed Love digital invitation, the host line, invitation line, names and date populate the hero of the invitation. The reception and RSVP details live in their own dedicated sections — guests scroll, see the schedule, and confirm in two taps.

Formal traditional wedding invitation wording

The most ceremonial style. Best for religious weddings, black-tie evenings, family-hosted weddings, and any wedding where the formality of the day matters. Dates and times are spelled out. Last names appear in full.

Bride's parents hosting

Mr. and Mrs. Giovanni Rossi
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Anna Maria Rossi
to
Marco De Luca
Saturday, the fifteenth of August
two thousand twenty-six
at four o'clock in the afternoon
Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
Bergamo, Italia

Both families hosting

Together with their families
Anna Maria Rossi
and
Marco De Luca
request the honour of your presence
at the celebration of their marriage
Saturday, the fifteenth of August, two thousand twenty-six
at four o'clock in the afternoon
Villa del Balbianello · Lake Como, Italia
Reception to follow

Bride's and groom's parents hosting

Mr. and Mrs. Giovanni Rossi
and Mr. and Mrs. Andrea De Luca
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their children
Anna Maria Rossi
and
Marco De Luca

Modern romantic wedding invitation wording

Same six-line structure, contemporary phrasing. Best for civil ceremonies, garden weddings, vineyard weddings, brunch weddings, and any wedding where the day feels more like a celebration than a ceremony.

Couple hosting

Anna and Marco
invite you to celebrate their wedding
Saturday, August 15, 2026 · 4:00 pm
Villa del Balbianello, Lake Como
Dinner and dancing to follow

Both families hosting (modern)

With joyful hearts, we invite you to celebrate
as Anna and Marco become a family
Saturday, August 15, 2026 · 4:00 pm
Villa del Balbianello · Lake Como
Reception immediately after

Warm and direct

We're getting married — and we'd love you there.
Anna and Marco
August 15, 2026 · Lake Como
Save the day. Details to follow.

Casual wedding invitation wording

For elopements, intimate weddings, destination weddings, second marriages, and any couple whose voice matters more than tradition. Casual wording works especially well on digital invitations where the design carries the elegance and the words can carry the personality.

Conversational

Two friends. One forever.
Anna and Marco are getting married, and you're invited.
Saturday, August 15, 2026 · 4 pm
Lake Como — bring sunglasses, an appetite, and your best dance.

Playful

She said yes. He cried. Now you have to come.
Anna + Marco · August 15, 2026
Villa del Balbianello, Lake Como

Couple introducing themselves

Hi — we're Anna and Marco.
We met on a train to Bologna six years ago.
On August 15, 2026, we're making it official, at Villa del Balbianello.
We'd love to have you with us.

Religious wedding invitation wording

The phrasing "request the honour of your presence" traditionally indicates a religious ceremony. Below are common variations by faith. Adapt the names of God, the venue and the ceremonial language to your tradition; the invitation structure stays the same.

Catholic

Mr. and Mrs. Giovanni Rossi
request the honour of your presence
at the Nuptial Mass uniting their daughter
Anna Maria Rossi
and
Marco De Luca
in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony
Saturday, August 15, 2026 · 4:00 pm
Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, Bergamo

Orthodox

With the blessing of Almighty God
Mr. and Mrs. Giovanni Rossi
invite you to share in the sacred celebration of marriage
of their daughter Anna and Marco De Luca
Saturday, August 15, 2026 · 4:00 pm

Jewish

Together with their families
Anna Rossi and Marco De Luca
invite you to share in their joy
as they are joined in marriage under the chuppah
Saturday, August 15, 2026
Villa del Balbianello, Lake Como

Muslim (Nikah)

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Together with our families
we invite you to celebrate our Nikah
Anna and Marco
Saturday, August 15, 2026
Lake Como, Italia

Hindu

With the blessings of Lord Ganesha
and our families
we joyfully invite you to the wedding of
Anna and Marco
15 August 2026
Villa del Balbianello

Civil and secular wedding invitation wording

For civil ceremonies (town hall, beach, garden, vineyard, restaurant) where no religious element is involved. Use "request the pleasure of your company" or any modern variation. Below are examples by venue type.

Town hall / municipality

Anna Rossi and Marco De Luca
request the pleasure of your company
at their wedding
Saturday, August 15, 2026 · 11:00 am
Palazzo del Comune, Bergamo
Lunch to follow at Villa del Balbianello

Garden / vineyard

Anna and Marco
invite you to celebrate their marriage under the olives
Saturday, August 15, 2026 · 5:00 pm
Cantine di Franciacorta · Brescia
Reception, dinner and dancing to follow

Beach

Salt, sun, and the rest of our lives.
Anna and Marco are getting married on the beach.
August 15, 2026 · 6 pm · Spiaggia di Tropea
Stay for dinner under the stars.

Destination wedding invitation wording

Give guests permission to plan. Destination weddings need more notice (12-month save the date is standard), more practical detail (airport, hotel block, schedule of multi-day events), and ideally a multilingual invitation if guests are flying from different countries. Pressed Love handles the language layer automatically; you only need to write the source text.

Standard destination

Anna and Marco are getting married — in Italy.
Save the dates: August 14–16, 2026 · Lake Como.
Full invitation with travel and accommodation details to follow.

Multi-day celebration

We're inviting you to two days of celebrating, with the wedding in the middle.
Friday, August 14 · welcome aperitivo
Saturday, August 15 · ceremony and reception
Sunday, August 16 · farewell brunch
Lake Como, Italia · accommodation details inside

Second-marriage wedding invitation wording

For second (or third) marriages, the host line traditionally shifts to the couple themselves — they are no longer "being given" by their parents. Wording leans warm-and-confident: this is a choice they're making for themselves. Pair with a more grown-up template like Big Entrance or Teatro.

Couple hosting, second marriage

Anna Rossi and Marco De Luca
request the pleasure of your company
as they exchange their marriage vows
Saturday, August 15, 2026 · 4:00 pm
Villa del Balbianello, Lake Como

With children from prior marriages

Anna, Marco, Sofia, and Luca
invite you to celebrate as we become a family.
Saturday, August 15, 2026 · 4:00 pm
Villa del Balbianello, Lake Como

Multilingual wedding invitation wording

For weddings with guests from different language backgrounds, write the source invitation in your primary language and rely on the language switcher to render the rest. On Pressed Love, every guest sees the invitation in their device language automatically. Below are common openings in five languages couples most often need.

• English: "Together with their families, Anna and Marco invite you to celebrate their wedding."
• Italian: "Insieme alle loro famiglie, Anna e Marco vi invitano a celebrare il loro matrimonio."
• Albanian: "Së bashku me familjet e tyre, Anna dhe Marco ju ftojnë të festoni martesën e tyre."
• Spanish: "Junto con sus familias, Anna y Marco les invitan a celebrar su boda."
• German: "Gemeinsam mit ihren Familien laden Anna und Marco Sie herzlich zu ihrer Hochzeit ein."

Save the date wording

The save the date is shorter than the invitation — its job is to lock the date, not to convey the details. Send it 6–8 months out (12 months for destination weddings). Keep it to four lines: announcement, names, date, location.

Classic save the date

Save the date
Anna and Marco · August 15, 2026
Lake Como, Italia
Invitation to follow

Casual save the date

It's happening.
Anna + Marco · 15 August 2026 · Lake Como
More details soon.

RSVP wording

On paper invitations, the RSVP card is a separate piece. On digital invitations the RSVP form lives at the bottom of the invitation page. Whatever the format, the wording should ask three things: are you coming, who are you bringing, and any dietary or accessibility needs.

Standard RSVP

Kindly respond by July 15, 2026
____ will attend with pleasure
____ regretfully declines
Number in your party: ____

Digital RSVP form (Pressed Love default)

Yes, I'll be there · No, I can't make it
Bringing a plus-one? · Yes / No / Their name
Dietary requirements? · Vegetarian / Vegan / Gluten-free / Allergies / Other
Anything else we should know?

Reception line wording

Tells guests what to expect after the ceremony. One line, usually at the end of the invitation. Examples:

• "Dinner and dancing to follow"
• "Reception immediately after"
• "Cocktails, dinner, and celebration to follow"
• "Please join us for aperitivo, dinner and dancing"
• "Stay for the party"

Dress code wording

Tucked under the reception line, or — on Pressed Love — in its own dedicated section with a longer description and a visual guide. Common phrasings:

• Black tie — "Black tie" or "Black tie preferred" (tuxedo and floor-length dress)
• Cocktail — "Cocktail attire" (suit / cocktail dress)
• Garden party — "Garden-party attire" (linen suit / sundress and a hat)
• Beach formal — "Beach formal" (linen, sandals or barefoot, no heels)
• Festive — "Festive attire — whatever makes you feel like dancing"

Common wedding invitation wording mistakes

The five mistakes we see most often when couples come to us with wording they have written themselves:

1. Mixing formal and casual phrasing in the same invitation. Pick a register and stick to it. "Request the honour of your presence" and "Stay for the party" do not belong on the same invitation.
2. Hiding the date. The date and time should be readable in three seconds. If a guest has to hunt, you have buried the most important information.
3. Forgetting the year on the save the date. "August 15" is ambiguous twelve months out.
4. Combining wedding-day and pre-wedding events on the same line.The welcome dinner, the brunch, and the after-party are separate; give them their own section.
5. Using "and Guest" when you mean a specific person. If you know the partner's name, use it; "and Guest" reads as impersonal.

From paper wording to digital

Every wording style above translates directly to a digital invitation, but a digital invitation can hold more than a paper one can. Use the extra real estate. Your hero gets the names and date. Your story section gets the "how we met" paragraph that would never fit on a card. Your schedule gets the multi-day timeline. Your venue section gets the interactive map. Your FAQ gets the questions you would otherwise answer on the phone fifty times.

If you are ready to design your own, start at /create — pick a template, paste in your wording, preview free, publish when you're ready. Pricing is one-time: €79 to €575. Or read more on why couples switch from paper to digital.

Wedding invitation wording — FAQs