If you are hosting a lavish wedding, you want to word your wedding invitation in a way that conveys both luxury and formality. Moreover, since this is your first time designing a wedding invite, you may find yourself wondering about how to structure its content, including grammar, punctuations, and other technical writing aspects.
Do you use the American English or British English format? Whose name should go first? Where should you place the commas and periods? These are just a few questions that you need to answer before placing an order with your stationer. Here are answers to frequently asked questions about wording wedding invitations.
When parents are hosting or paying for the wedding
When the wedding is financed by the soon-to-be-married couple, the bride’s name comes first and the groom’s second. Simply put, the party who pays is designated as the host of the wedding. Traditionally, the bride’s father finances the entire wedding. This means he has complete control over how the money will be allocated across the various wedding elements. However, today, it is not uncommon for any combination of family members to share the cost.
If your parents are funding the wedding, etiquette dictates that you use proper wording to your wedding invitations accordingly. If one set of parents will be financing the wedding, it is important to place their names first and then their child (the bride or groom), followed by the other person’s name. If both sets of parents are paying, their names will be displayed first before their children (bride and groom).
When parents hosting are divorced
Things may get a little complicated if one or both sets of parents are divorced. What if one or both parties get remarried? The wording will be based on who is contributing a larger sum towards the wedding. You don’t have to include the parents’ names on both sides, especially if it feels awkward or unnatural. An excellent trick that you can apply in this situation is to address the parents that funded collectively as “families.”
Here are a few essential pointers when addressing divorced parents on a wedding invitation:
- Mother’s name is always listed first before the father’s name
- The names should not be joined by the word “and,” and they must be written on separate lines.
- Use the surname that your mother is currently using
- For an unmarried mother, the correct title to use is “Ms.”
How to word a wedding invitation if one parent is deceased
Getting married is already an emotional occasion. Thinking of how to honour a deceased loved one adds to the stress and complexity of wording your wedding invitation. If you wish to include the name of a deceased parent, you may go ahead and do so. Make sure to get the wording right to avoid making it sound like the deceased is hosting the wedding, as this can result in painful confusion among the guests.
When deciding on the proper wording for your wedding invite, do not forget to practise courtesy and respect to everyone who has made your wedding possible.