There are many, many ways to word your wedding invitations, from traditional wording to fun and whimsical verses. There are traditional etiquette rules that many prefer to follow, but ultimately, your wording will reflect your personal style and preference. Below are some traditional wording guides. You may wish to follow one exactly or to use them as a starting point to create your own verse. In addition, many invitations will have numerous verses to choose from in the order form. For more invitation wording ideas, we recommend www.verseit.com.

Mother and Father LIVING
Use Conventional Invitation Format as Follows:

Mr. and Mrs. Brian Williams
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Kimberly Ann
to
Mr. Paul David Brooks
on Saturday, the fifth of June
two thousand and four
at four o'clock in the afternoon
Saint Ann Church
Richmond, Virginia

If the Wedding is held at the Home of a friend,
substitute in place of Church the following wording:

...at the residence of
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Carl Powell
875 Baker Street
Richmond, Virginia

Mother or Father DECEASED and Living Parent has NOT REMARRIED
MOTHER Issuing Invitation:

Mrs. Brian Williams
requests the honour of your presence
at the marriage of her daughter
Kimberly Ann
to
Mr. Paul David Brooks

FATHER Issuing Invitation:

Mr. Brian Williams
requests the honour of your presence
at the marriage of his daughter
Kimberly Ann
to
Mr. Paul David Brooks

Mother or Father DECEASED and Living Parent has REMARRIED
MOTHER REMARRIED Issuing Invitation using her Present Husband's name:

Mr. and Mrs. Carl Spencer
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of her daughter
Kimberly Ann Williams
to
Mr. Paul David Brooks

FATHER REMARRIED Issuing Invitation:

Mr. and Mrs. Brian Williams
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of his daughter
Kimberly Ann
to
Mr. Paul David Brooks

(In either of these cases, if the Bride is close to her stepparent,
the phrase "at the marriage of their daughter" is acceptable.)

Mother and Father DECEASED and Brother or Sister issues Invitation

Mr. and Mrs. Terrence Williams
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of his sister
Kimberly Ann
to
Mr. Paul David Brooks
or
Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Kelley
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of her sister
Kimberly Ann Williams
to
Mr. Paul David Brooks

BRIDE'S Parents and GROOM'S Parents issuing Invitation

Mr. and Mrs. Brian Williams
and
Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Brooks
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their children
Kimberly Ann
and
Paul David

BRIDE and GROOM issuing OWN Invitation

Miss Kimberly Ann Williams
and
Mr. Paul David Brooks
request the honour of your presence
at their marriage

The word "Ms." may be substituted for "Miss".

DIVORCED Parents issuing Invitation
DIVORCED Mother's Invitation:

Mrs. Stephanie Williams
requests the honour of your presence
at the marriage of her daughter
Kimberly Ann
to
Mr. Paul David Brooks

DIVORCED Father's Invitation:

Mr. Brian Williams
requests the honour of your presence
at the marriage of his daughter
Kimberly Ann
to
Mr. Paul David Brooks

Mrs. Stephanie Williams
and
Mr. Brian Williams
requests the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Kimberly Ann
to
Mr. Paul David Brooks

Second Marriages
Invitations to the marriage of a young divorcee or widow do not differ from those of a first marriage
except that the Bride's married name and her title may be used:

Mr. and Mrs. Brian Williams
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Ms. Kimberly Ann Williams Smith
to
Mr. Paul David Brooks

GROOM'S FAMILY Issuing Invitation:

Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Brooks
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of
Miss Kimberly Ann Williams
to their son
Mr. Paul David Brooks

Either "Miss" or "Ms." are used when the sponsors of the wedding are not relatives.

Double Weddings

When Brides are SISTERS:

Mr. and Mrs. Brian Williams
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughters
Kimberly Ann
to
Mr. Paul David Brooks
and
Jenna Elaine
to
Dr. Timothy Lee Andrews

When Brides are NOT SISTERS:

Mr. and Mrs. Brian Williams
and Mr. and Mrs. Frank Moreland
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughters
Kimberly Ann Williams
to
Mr. Paul David Brooks
and
Lauren Renee Moreland
to
Mr. Christian Robert Stewart

RECEPTION Invitation Issued when Ceremony is PRIVATE:

Mr. and Mrs. Brian Williams
request the pleasure of your company
at the wedding reception of their daughter
Kimberly Ann
and
Mr. Paul David Brooks
Saturday, the fifth of June
two thousand and four
at six o'clock in the evening
The Riverside Inn
Richmond, Virginia

Correct Use of Military Rank on Wedding Invitations
NAVY

- ENSIGN and HIGHER RANK:

to
Paul David Brooks
Ensign, United States Navy

- PETTY OFFICER and SEAMEN:

to
Paul David Brooks
United States Navy

ARMY, AIR FORCE AND MARINES

- CAPTAIN or HIGHER RANK:

to
Captain Paul David Brooks
United States Army

- LIEUTENANT:

to
Paul David Brooks
Lieutenant, United States Army

- NON-COMS and PRIVATES:

to
Paul David Brooks
United States Army

Children Not Invited

Printing "No Children" on an invitation is considered to be a breach of etiquette.
It is generally recommended that this request be passed on through word of mouth.
If that is not feasible, two gentler options are:

"Adult Reception" on reception card
"Number of adults___" on response card

Making Names Bigger on the Invitation
When ordering the invitations, enter your names like this:

Jane Doe (BIGGER)
And
John Smith (BIGGER)

Your names will not appear larger on the virtual proof,
but they will be printed in a larger font on the invitation.