Words for Wedding Invites

I am currently a blogger at Pink Book Weddings. Thus, the contents of this article can be found on www.pinkbookweddings.co.za. However, this is my original work that I have written and published. My name and description can be found on the Pink Book website as Caitlin Eerenstein.

Me:

So last week I wrote a little article about wedding invite structures. It's a lot of fun to write about weddings everyday but it's also super weird giving advice in areas which you have never experienced for yourself. Like those people who have been forever single but always seem to give dating advice.

Last week I had to suggest how your wedding invites should be structured, it's made me think about little details which I thought I would only think about in 5 years. But here's what I had to say about the whole shindig:

Although it is only a letter, a wedding invitation is one of the most important elements in your wedding planning journey. To quote William Shakespeare, “Eyes are the window to your soul”. This perfectly illustrates the meaning of an invitation. Your invitation should be like a window, where guests can glimpse through to the future to when you and your soulmate will promise to cherish each other for the rest of your lives. This is why the wedding invitation wording should be personal.

It is an honour to be invited to witness such a precious moment, and what a special gift it is to share this day with your loved ones, so why not make your invitations, especially your wedding invitation wording, intimate and unique.

The Structure of an Invite:

The Host Line:

The host line states who is hosting the wedding. You can be flexible with this one- in the old days, the bride’s family was responsible for hosting (and paying for) the wedding -luckily those days are over! Today, many couples pay for the weddings themselves so they don’t include a host line. Most couples opt for a “Together with their families, Emma Baker and Chris Richards cordially invite you…”

The Invitation Line:

This is where you actually invite your guests. “The honor of your presence” is traditionally used to denote a religious service while “The pleasure of your company” is used to denote a secular one. You can use any phrasing you want, feel free to set the tone with anything from “Invite you to share their joy as…” to “Want you to come party with us when…”

The Names:

If their names haven’t been included in the host line, the name of the bride and groom should still take center stage a few lines down. You might be wondering whose name should go first on a wedding invitation? Traditionally the name of the bride always precedes the groom’s name. For a same-sex marriage you can choose to go in alphabetical order or choose what sounds better. Whether it’s “Emily and Zara” or “Zara and Emily,” it’s going to be lovely either way.

The Action Line:

What are you inviting people to share in? Traditionally, with the bride’s parent’s hosting, this line read something like “At the marriage of their daughter,” but your line might read “At the celebration of their marriage,” “As they exchange vows of love and commitment,” or “As they finally tie the knot.”

The Information:

Stick to the basics. Give the date, the time, the location and the dress code. Nice and easy!

The Party Line:

What’s coming after the wedding? Here, you can give your guests an idea of what to expect. It could say “Dinner and dancing immediately following,” or if you are changing venues you could say “Party to follow at 7pm at Laurent.” You can also use this line to get a little bit more creative and set the tone for the celebration. “Wild celebration to follow,” “Confetti and magic to follow,” “Join us for an intimate dinner following…” Here, the sky really is the limit.