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What your invitation absolutely has to say
Before we get poetic, the basics. An invitation can be gorgeous and still trigger twenty messages of “hey, what time was it again?”. I’ve watched exactly that happen with eye-wateringly expensive invitations.
These five details aren’t negotiable:
- Who’s getting married. With the names people actually use. If nobody calls you María Fernanda, your invitation shouldn’t either.
- When. Day of the week, full date and time. The day of the week matters more than it seems: “Saturday 12 September” stops someone from planning it wrong.
- Where. The name of the venue and, if it’s tricky to reach, the address or a link to the map.
- How to RSVP. And by when. An RSVP deadline with no date is a suggestion, not a deadline.
- If there’s more than one setting (ceremony in one place, reception in another), say so right here. Guests appreciate knowing there’s a transfer before they choose their shoes.
Everything else - dress code, children policy, buses, accommodation - can go on the invitation or on your wedding website, which is exactly what it’s for.
Tone first, wording second
Here’s what nobody tells you at the start: the block with the wording is almost never a writing problem. It’s that you haven’t yet decided how you want to sound.
There are three registers that work almost every time:
- Classic or formal, for elegant or religious weddings, or where the families play an important role.
- Romantic and natural, the middle ground where most couples land.
- Fun and laid-back, if your wedding is going to have more memes than protocol.
Pick one before you write a single word. Mixing registers in the same text - starting solemn and ending on a joke - almost never works. Almost.
Classic and formal wording
Third-person territory and the time-honoured formulas. They work because they’ve been working for decades.
With the blessing of our families, we are delighted to invite you to the ceremony of our marriage, to be held on Saturday, 12 September 2026 at 1:00 pm at St Michael’s Church, Zaragoza. We hope to have you with us on this special day.
The version naming the parents, for those keeping to tradition:
Antonio Garcés and Carmen Ortiz, together with Manuel Ruiz and Pilar Andrés, request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their children, Laura and Javier, on Saturday, 12 September 2026 at 1:00 pm at the Cathedral of Santa María, followed by a celebration at Finca El Roble.
And an in-between one I see more and more, because it acknowledges the families without sounding like a solicitor’s office:
Together with our families, we have the joy of inviting you to our wedding. Saturday, 12 September 2026, 1:00 pm, Finca El Roble (Alcalá de Henares). We would love to celebrate it with you.
And for a religious ceremony with a reception afterwards:
We are delighted to share with you one of the most important days of our lives. The ceremony will be held on Saturday, 12 September 2026 at 12:30 pm at St Andrew’s Parish and, afterwards, the celebration at the Jardines de la Alameda. Kindly reply before 1 August.
One note: “request the honour of your presence” calls for a design to match. On a modern template with a handwritten font it looks off, like a tuxedo with trainers.
Romantic and natural wording
The most searched-for register, and rightly so: it sounds like a person, not a protocol.
After 8 years, 3 house moves and one dog, we’ve decided to make it official. We’re getting married, and we can’t imagine celebrating it without you. Saturday, 12 September 2026 - 5:00 pm - Masía Can Fontanals.
Some dates you remember your whole life. We want this to be one of them - and we want you in it. Laura & Javier, 12 September 2026, Finca El Roble.
Ours started with a coffee that stretched to four hours. We’d like our next long celebration to be with you: our wedding, on 12 September 2026 at Finca El Roble. Please reply before 1 August.
We once promised each other that if we ever got married, it would be surrounded by the people who’ve watched us get here. That day now has a date.
We still don’t know how to dance. But we know who we want to learn with, and in front of whom: 12 September 2026, at Finca El Roble. We’ll be waiting for you.
Our favourite plan has always been staying a little longer. On 12 September we want to stretch that little while into a whole night - and we’re missing the most important part: you.
The promise one works beautifully as an opener, followed by the details in a separate block. In digital, where the text breathes better than on paper, it’s my favourite structure.
Fun wording
For couples who are clear that the wedding is a party. Careful: fun isn’t the same as forced - if humour doesn’t come naturally to you in real life, don’t force it into the invitation.
It’s official! After years of being asked “so when’s your turn?”, we finally have an answer: 12 September 2026. Come see it with your own eyes (and your best dance moves). Open bar confirmed. Your attendance, hopefully, too.
She said yes. He still can’t believe it. Help us celebrate on 12 September at Finca El Roble. Tears, hugs and DJ song requests all welcome.
Spoiler: we’re getting married. The food will be good, the music better, and the best man’s speech… we’ll see. 12/09/2026 - 5:00 pm - Masía Can Fontanals. Reply before 1 August or we’ll sit you with the little cousins.
Mum already knows. The neighbour already knows. You’re the only one missing: we’re getting married on 12 September. Come along - it doesn’t start without you.
Yes, there’ll be an open bar. Oh, and we’re also getting married. 12.09.2026 - Finca El Roble. Reply before 1 August - the open bar won’t save itself.
That little-cousins’ table line? I’ve seen it at three weddings at least. Still gets a laugh. No idea why, but it still gets a laugh.
Short wording for digital invitations and WhatsApp
When the invitation travels by chat, short text wins. These work as a headline inside the invitation or as the message that goes with the link:
- “We’re getting married! And this is your invitation. All the info and RSVP, right inside. 💍”
- “12.09.2026. Save the day - we’ll tell you the rest inside.”
- “Some weddings get announced. Ours gets shared. Open me.”
- “Laura & Javier - 12 September - Tap to see your invitation.”
- “Yes, it’s what it looks like. And yes, you’re invited.”
- “We’ve got a date, we’ve got the excitement, and we’ve got a seat with your name on it. 12.09.2026.”
- “A free Saturday in September? Not anymore. We’re getting married - open your invitation.”
If you’re going to send it by WhatsApp - which is most likely - we’ve got a full guide on how to send wedding invitations by WhatsApp without the message getting lost among the family group’s memes.
Wording for a civil wedding
Civil weddings call for direct wording, without formulas inherited from the religious ceremony. And they usually come with one logistical quirk: limited capacity at the register office or town hall.
We’re getting married - for real, paperwork and all. The ceremony will be intimate, but the celebration is with you: Saturday, 12 September, 7:00 pm, Terraza La Higuera. Come raise a glass with us.
On 12 September we sign the papers. You just bring the party spirit - we’ll take care of the rest. Celebration from 6:00 pm at El Jardín de Ana.
No formalities, all the excitement in the world. We’re getting married on 12 September at the Town Hall, and afterwards: a long vermouth at Can Roca. Reply before 1 August.
If the ceremony is for immediate family only, say so with that clarity. “The ceremony will be intimate” is understood and nobody takes offence. Silence, on the other hand, breeds misunderstandings. In our guide to civil wedding invitations we go into these cases in depth.
The details people forget (and later regret)
A quick check before you call the wording done. Does your invitation answer this?
- Is there a dress code? Two words will do: “black tie”, “cocktail”, “smart casual”.
- Kids or no kids? The classic awkward one. A kind way to put it: “We’d love for you to enjoy a grown-ups’ night out” or, the other way round, “Little ones are welcome - there’ll be space for them.”
- Until when can people RSVP? A specific date. Always.
- Bus, parking, hotels? If the answer runs more than a line, better a link to the wedding website than a cramped paragraph.
(That said: never underestimate some guests’ ability to ignore all this information and ask on WhatsApp anyway. It’s part of the charm.)
Mistakes that show up in almost every invitation
Three things I always check before a couple hits “send”:
The ambiguous time. “At 5” doesn’t exist. 5:00 pm. And if the ceremony really does start on time, an “we’re starting sharp!” saves the chronically late from missing the “I do”.
Wording copied without adapting. Copying an example is fine (that’s what this article is for). Leaving in another couple’s names, less so. It shows more than you’d think when a text hasn’t passed through your own hands.
Announcing before the venue is locked in. If anything might change, wait - or use a digital invitation, which updates without reprinting anything. It’s one of the reasons so many couples create their wedding invitation online even when they also do a paper run for the grandparents.
Got your wording? Save this article for the next decision: the design. And if you know a couple stuck with the cursor blinking, share it with them.
