I know I cover this topic a lot, but it comes up a lot.
Here goes:

• The words honour and favour are traditionally used when the ceremony is being held in a house of worship or for a formal invitation.
• While traditional invitations use the phrase “at the marriage of” it’s fine to alter the words for a less formal invitation. For example, “invite you to the wedding of…” or “we hope you will join us for the marriage of…”
• There is no punctuation except for the periods after Mrs., Mr., etc. and where phrases requiring commas appear in one line (Saturday, the seventh of June).
• Titles such as “Doctor” and other professional titles/military ranks are written in full.
• Names are written in full. For example, if the groom goes by A.J., his name would be written out as Adam Joseph.
• When an invitation is to the ceremony only, it does not include an rsvp.
• Numbers of the street address (on the invitation - not the envelope!) are written as numerals: “519 South Eads Street” but when there’s just one number it’s spelled out: “Ten East Avenue”
• Half hours are written as “half after five o’clock”, not “half past seven” or “seven-thirty.”
• Numbers of the date are spelled out: “the ninth of August”

Words, Words and more Words

You’ve chosen your invitations (hopefully, from Cami’s Paperie), you’ve picked your colors and hammered out the guest list. Now…what should the invitations say? Correct wording follows a basic format and, in most cases, is pretty darn simple.

The basic line order is as follows:

• Host line
• Request line
• Bride and Groom names line
• Date and Time line
• Location line
• Reception line (optional)

Consider each line on the invitation as a section of the wording which can take up multiple lines on the invitation. For example, the bride and groom line usually takes three lines: one for the bride’s name, another for “and” or “to,” and a final line for the groom’s name.

The host line lists the names of those hosting (paying for) the ceremony, (traditionally the parents of the bride). It should come first on the invitation and is reserved only for the hosts, whoever they may be. If the couple hosts, their names are listed first and “at their wedding” follows the request line. In the case where the couple wishes to have each parent’s name on the invitation, no matter the host, the host line is still reserved for the ones paying, a “son of” or “daughter of” line appropriately follows the groom or bride’s name. If both families host, the bride’s parents are listed first.

The request line, on the other hand, is very simple. For religious ceremonies, “request the honour of your presence” is standard (with the “u” in there). Informal or non-religious ceremonies should be worded, “request the pleasure of your company.”  The date and time line should be spelled out (i.e., the second of June and Two thousand and ten), though you may use a numeral for the year. When stating time, only write the hour (half past two or ten o’clock). Do not include “am” or “pm.” If time of day is unclear, write, “in the evening,” or “in the morning.” The location line gives the name, street address, if necessary, and city and state (no abbreviations) of your venue. If your celebration requires a reception or RSVP line, it is traditionally printed as corner copy (in the lower left-hand corner and in a smaller font). Never, ever, ever include corner copy or an enclosure indicating where the couple is registered. Never

Invitations are typically written without punctuation. Line breaks take the place of commas (except for city {comma} state). The “u” in honour and favour are typically reserved for religious ceremonies or very formal events.

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My booth at the 09/08 Bridal Expo. Definitely will have a bigger booth next time :))