A wedding invitation does more work than any other invitation a person will ever send. It has to set the tone of the day, communicate the practical details of often two separate events (ceremony and reception), make clear who is invited and who isn't, hint at the dress code, and steer guests toward an RSVP method that won't have you chasing your aunty by text three weeks later. And it has to do all of that while looking beautiful and feeling personal.
The traditional wedding invitation has a structure that's stood for a century: who hosts, who's marrying, where to be, what kind of celebration follows. Modern weddings flex every one of those — that's fine, even encouraged — but the structure is still the scaffolding you can hang any voice on. Below are eight wedding invitation wording samples for every style of wedding, alongside the etiquette that quietly matters most.
The five-part structure every wedding invitation needs
- 1
The host line
Traditionally, this names whoever is hosting (and paying) — most often a parent or both sets of parents. Modern equivalents include ‘Together with their families' or simply leading with the couple. The host line sets the formality of everything that follows.
Tip — If both families are contributing equally, ‘Together with their families' is the cleanest modern phrasing.
- 2
The request line
‘Request the pleasure of your company' (most weddings), ‘request the honour of your presence' (traditionally reserved for religious ceremonies), or modern alternatives like ‘would love you to join them' for warmer, less formal weddings.
- 3
The names
First and middle names traditionally for formal invitations, first names alone for casual. If parents are named in the host line, the partner from the other family is named in full to mirror them.
- 4
The when and where
Date, time, ceremony venue and city. For a traditional invitation, spell out the date in words. For modern, numerals are now standard and arguably easier to scan on a phone.
- 5
What follows
A short closing line about the reception. ‘Reception to follow', ‘Dinner and dancing at [venue]', or simply ‘Celebration to follow' for casual weddings. Detailed information lives on a separate card (paper) or expandable section (digital).
Traditional wedding invitation wording
Together with their families Ava Caroline Bennett & Noah James Carter request the pleasure of your company at the celebration of their marriage Saturday, the twelfth of October two thousand twenty-six at half past three in the afternoon The Old Convent, Daylesford Reception to follow.
Best for: Modern-traditional weddings where both families are contributing.
Mr and Mrs Andrew Bennett request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their daughter Ava Caroline to Mr Noah James Carter Saturday, the twelfth of October two thousand twenty-six at three o'clock in the afternoon St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne Reception to follow at The Tea Room, QVB.
Best for: Most-formal religious ceremonies hosted by one set of parents.
Ava Caroline Bennett and Noah James Carter together with their families, request the pleasure of your company at the celebration of their marriage Saturday, 12 October 2026, at 3.30pm The Old Convent, Daylesford Reception, dinner and dancing to follow.
Best for: Couples hosting their own wedding while still nodding to family.
Modern and casual wording
Modern wedding wording loosens the structure without abandoning it. The five-part scaffolding is still there — host, request, names, when and where, what follows — but the voice is warmer, the sentences shorter, and the practical block clearer. The result reads like an invitation from a friend rather than a legal notice.
Two families, one love story. Ava & Noah are getting married, and we'd love you there. Saturday 12 October 2026, 3.30pm. The Old Convent, Daylesford. Dinner, dancing and a long table to follow. RSVP via the link by Friday 12 September.
Best for: Modern weddings that want warmth without sacrificing elegance.
We're getting married — and we'd love you there. Ava and Noah Sunday 14 February, 4pm. Mt Macedon Estate. Garden formal — wear something you can dance in. Dinner and dancing under the stars.
Best for: Outdoor, garden or destination-feel weddings with a warm informal voice.
12 . 10 . 2026 AVA & NOAH The Old Convent, Daylesford Ceremony 3.30pm. Reception to follow. Full details and RSVP via the link.
Best for: Modern editorial weddings where the design carries most of the personality.
Second marriage and vow renewal wording
We've found our second chapter — and we'd love you with us. Maya and Daniel are getting married. Saturday 9 November, 4pm. The Boathouse, Watsons Bay. Drinks, dinner and a long-table feast. RSVP via the link.
Best for: Second marriages that intentionally feel lighter and more guest-focused.
Ten years in, and we'd do it all again. Join Ava and Noah as we renew our vows. Saturday 12 October, 5pm. The Garden, Daylesford. Garden formal. Dinner to follow.
Best for: Vow renewals that want to gently signal continuation rather than a fresh start.
Modern vs traditional: what to keep, what to retire
Traditional
- Spelling out dates and times in words (‘the twelfth of October at half past three')
- Inner and outer envelopes
- Separate enclosure cards for reception, accommodation and registry
- RSVP cards returned by post with a self-addressed stamped envelope
- ‘Mr and Mrs' formal address lines
Modern (Availi default)
- Numerals (‘3.30pm on 12 October') — easier to scan on a phone
- One personalised link per guest, with their name pre-filled
- Single invitation page with expandable sections for everything else
- Digital RSVPs that handle plus-ones, dietaries and song requests automatically
- First names by default; honorifics on request
Wording for the rest of the invitation suite
Save-the-dates: short and warm. ‘Save the date — Ava & Noah are getting married on 12 October 2026 in Daylesford. Formal invitation to follow.' Six months out is the sweet spot for local weddings; twelve months for destination.
Information cards (travel, accommodation, dress code, parking): these traditionally lived on separate cards inside the envelope. Digitally, they belong as expandable sections beneath the main invitation. Keep each section to a sentence or two — guests will tap to expand the ones that matter to them.
RSVP wording: drop ‘kindly reply by' for the warmer, clearer ‘please RSVP by Friday 12 September'. With Availi, you don't have to ask for dietaries, plus-ones or song requests in prose — they're separate fields on the RSVP form, and the data lands tidily in your dashboard.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Listing the gift registry directly on the invitation. Link it from a separate ‘gifts' section.
- Forgetting to state the dress code. ‘Black tie', ‘cocktail', ‘garden formal' — one short line is enough.
- Using ‘plus one' as a vague allowance. Be explicit per guest about who's invited; Availi creates a personalised link per invitee that handles this automatically.
- Cluttering the main invitation with travel and accommodation details. Move them to expandable sections beneath.
- Missing the RSVP-by date, or setting it too late. Eight weeks before the wedding is the standard; ten if catering is bespoke.
Personalised links beat ‘plus one'
Availi creates a unique invitation link for every guest — so each one sees their own name, their own plus-one allowance, and any travel or accommodation notes that apply to them specifically. It's the digital equivalent of a properly addressed envelope, but with RSVP-tracking built in.