Wedding invitation wording: templates for every situation
Published on 20 October 2026 · updated on 24 October 2026 · The Fotelya team
The right wedding invitation wording reflects who you are as a couple and makes it clear which parts of the celebration each person is invited to. Here are templates to copy and personalise, depending on who is hosting, which moments you will share and the languages your guests speak.
The short answer
To write a wedding invitation, name the couple, announce their marriage and explicitly invite the recipient to the relevant parts of the celebration. Then choose whose voice to use: the couple, their parents or both families. A warm message is enough; there is no need to find a quotation. For example: “We’re getting married! Join us on [date] at [venue] to celebrate our wedding, followed by dinner and an evening surrounded by the people we love.”
Who is inviting: the couple, the parents or both families?
The opening sentence sets the tone. Writing in your own names creates an immediate sense of closeness, while an invitation from the parents feels more traditional. No wording requires you to describe your family circumstances or explain who is paying for the reception.
An invitation from the couple
Long version: “[First name] and [First name]. We have chosen to say ‘I do’ and would love to have you by our side. Please join us to celebrate our wedding on [date] at [time] at [ceremony venue]. Afterwards, we will share drinks, dinner and an evening of celebration at [reception venue]. Your presence will make the day all the more meaningful. Please reply by [RSVP date].”
Short version: “We’re getting married! Join us on [date] at [time] at [venue] for our ceremony, followed by drinks and dinner. We would love to share this celebration with you. Please RSVP by [RSVP date].”
The parents announce the wedding
“[Parents’ names] are delighted to announce the marriage of [First name] and [First name]. They invite you to join the couple on [date] at [time] at [ceremony venue], then continue the celebration over dinner at [reception venue]. Please confirm your attendance by [RSVP date].”
If the parents are simply announcing the marriage, without inviting guests to the reception, end the text after the ceremony details. Avoid leaving in an invitation to dinner out of habit.
An invitation from the couple and their families
“Together with their families, [First name] and [First name] invite you to celebrate their wedding on [date] at [time] at [venue]. The ceremony will be followed by drinks and dinner at [reception venue]. They would be delighted to share this special day with you. Please reply by [RSVP date].”
This wording includes the families without listing individual names. If a parent has died, the parents are separated or a parent will not be present, choose only the words that feel right to you: your invitation does not need to explain your family history.
A civil ceremony only, or an invitation to the drinks reception only
In these situations, the main priority is to make the scope of the invitation clear. “Celebrate our wedding” can sound as though it includes the whole celebration; naming the ceremony and the part you will share avoids mismatched expectations.
A civil ceremony with no reception afterwards
Long version: “[First name] and [First name]. We’re getting married and would love you to join us for our civil ceremony. Please join us on [date] at [time] at the town hall in [town]. Our wedding will consist of this ceremony only, and we would be delighted to share this precious moment with you. Please confirm your attendance by [RSVP date].”
Short version: “We will say ‘I do’ on [date] at [time] at the town hall in [town]. We invite you to join us for our civil ceremony, with no reception afterwards. We would be delighted to have you there.”
If you are planning lunch after the town hall ceremony, replace the sentence about there being no reception with an explicit invitation to lunch. The word “civil” describes the ceremony, not the rest of the day.
The ceremony and drinks reception, without dinner
Long version: “We are delighted to invite you to our wedding ceremony on [date] at [time] at [venue]. Afterwards, please join us for a drinks reception at [venue], from [start time] to [end time]. We would love to see you there and raise a glass together to our marriage. Please reply by [RSVP date].”
Short version: “Join us on [date] for our ceremony at [time] at [venue], followed by a drinks reception at [venue] until [end time]. We would be delighted to celebrate our wedding with you.”
An end time makes the scope clear without announcing what happens afterwards. Leave out “the celebrations will continue” if the person is not invited to the next part.
An intimate wedding, an adults-only celebration or different invitations
A small wedding
Long version: “For our wedding, we have chosen a small celebration surrounded by our loved ones. We would be delighted if you joined us on [date] at [time] at [venue] for the ceremony, followed by dinner at [reception venue]. We have imagined a day that feels simple, warm and full of time to share with each of you. Please reply by [RSVP date].”
Short version: “We have chosen an intimate wedding and would love to have you with us. Join us on [date] at [time] at [venue] for the ceremony and dinner.”
Avoid “only the people who matter will be there”: it turns a choice about the size of your celebration into a ranking of your relationships. “A small celebration” conveys your intention without comparing the people in your life.
An adults-only reception
Add to your chosen template: “We have chosen to make our reception adults-only. This invitation is therefore for [first names of invited guests]. We hope you will be able to celebrate with us, and we understand if these arrangements mean you cannot attend.”
Short version: “Our reception will be adults-only. We would be delighted to welcome [first names] and understand if you are unable to make arrangements to attend.”
If the restriction applies to the whole day, replace “our reception” with “the day”. If some children will be attending, do not invent a venue restriction to justify your decision: tell the people concerned directly who is invited.
A plus-one or a household: name your guests rather than hinting
“We would be delighted to welcome you, [First name] and [First name], to our ceremony and dinner.” For someone invited with an unnamed plus-one: “We would be delighted to welcome you and a guest of your choice.”
Keep the same list of recipients on the envelope, in the message and in the RSVP request. A collective phrase such as “the whole family” is only appropriate if it accurately reflects your invitation.
A wedding abroad: the same invitation in several languages
For guests who do not speak French, translate the entire invitation rather than just the opening sentence. Keep the venues, the parts of the celebration they are invited to and the RSVP deadline the same in every version.
The French template
“We’re getting married in [city, country]! We would be delighted if you joined us on [date] at [time] at [ceremony venue], followed by dinner at [reception venue]. We know that travelling takes planning and will understand if you cannot attend. Please reply by [RSVP date]. With all our love, [First name] and [First name].”
The same invitation in English
“We are getting married in [city, country]! We would love you to join us on [date] at [time] at [ceremony venue], followed by dinner at [reception venue]. We know that travelling takes planning and will understand if you cannot attend. Please let us know by [RSVP date]. With love, [Name] and [Name].”
The same invitation in Spanish
“We’re getting married in [city, country]! We would love you to join us on [date] at [time] at [ceremony venue], followed by dinner at [reception venue]. We know the journey takes planning and will understand if you cannot attend. Please confirm your attendance by [RSVP date]. With much love, [First name] and [First name].”
The Spanish version uses an informal plural form of address common in Spain. If necessary, have the register adapted to your recipients without changing the content of the invitation.
Write out the month in each language to avoid ambiguous numerical dates. For a bilingual couple, two complete blocks are easier to review than switching languages halfway through sentences.
Original wording that keeps your invitation clear
Original wedding invitation wording can be built around a single personal image. Everything else should help your guests understand at a glance what you are inviting them to.
A heartfelt version
“We love a table full of friends, conversations that linger and moments shared with you. So, for our wedding, we have imagined a day that brings all of this together. Join us on [date] at [time] at [venue] for our ceremony, followed by dinner and an evening of celebration at [reception venue]. We would love to have you by our side. Please reply by [RSVP date].”
A light-hearted version
“We’ve found the person we want to share dessert with. Now all that’s left is to gather our favourite people around the table! Please join us for our wedding on [date] at [time] at [ceremony venue], followed by dinner at [reception venue]. Let us know by [RSVP date] whether you can celebrate with us.”
A short, personal version
“An ‘I do’, a table full of good company and you beside us: that’s our idea of a wedding. Join us on [date] at [time] at [venue] for the ceremony, followed by dinner. Please RSVP by [RSVP date].”
To personalise a template, replace its central image with a detail that feels like you. Avoid piling on metaphors, quotations and jokes: your voice comes through more clearly in one well-chosen sentence than in constant flourishes.
Finalise your wording without turning the invitation into an information pack
Read each version as if you were receiving it: who is inviting me, which parts am I expected to attend and how should I reply? Read it aloud too, to catch overly formal phrases and repetition.
Fotelya Invitations, launching soon, plans to offer RSVPs by household, by person and by part of the day, along with a guest page available in several languages. Whatever format you choose, the wording should always match the parts of the celebration each recipient is actually invited to.