I think it is fair to say I am pretty darned excited about today’s post, it is yet another first for Chic Vintage Brides! This new series of Wedding Wisdom posts are all about helping you plan, choose and execute keys elements of your big day; with advice, tips and how-tos from the experts! When Mr E and I got married we found the invitations one of the most stressful parts of the whole process, not just creating the invite list, but deciding on the all important wording – formal and traditional or relaxed and casual? Luckily you can avoid the pitfalls, stress and hours of googling, thanks to the lovely Erica at Bella Figura who shares her wisdom on how to craft a perfectly worded wedding invitation…..

When it comes to wedding invitations, there are so many approaches to choose from for your wording. Your invitations and save the dates should reflect the style of your wedding — after all, it’s the first impression your guests will have of your wedding day, and will help set the tone for the entire event. You can follow strict etiquette rules for a really formal affair, or go with something a little more playful and fun if you’re planning a more casual celebration.

Wedding invitation etiquette provides a useful and historical guide when it comes to wording your wedding invitations, but these rules should make your life easier, not more difficult! In this modern day and age, formal etiquette is treated more like strong guidelines that can be broken if the situation demands it. Here are some general tips that will help you decide how to word your invitations to make sure the level of formality on the paper goods matches that of your wedding day.

Formal invitations

Planning a formal event? A traditional invitation set typically consists of an invitation, reception card, reply card, and envelopes. The invitation will invite guests to your ceremony, while the reception card will tell them about the celebration to follow. If you’re following tradition and the bride’s family is paying for the wedding, the invitation will be issued by the bride’s parents, as in Mr. and Mrs. John Doe request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their daughter…..

It’s not uncommon for the groom’s parent’s to be listed on a formal invitation as well. If the groom’s parents are going to be listed, it’s most traditional to include their names after the groom’s name.

If both the bride’s parents and the groom’s parents are hosting together, they should be listed together at the top of the invitation.

Not sure if you should be requesting the honor of someone’s presence or the pleasure of their company when you get to the part where you’re actually inviting your guests? The rule is, if the ceremony is held at a place of worship, the request line is ”request the honor of your presence”.

If the ceremony is held at a non-religious, secular location, the request line is ”request the pleasure of your company”.

Casual invitations

If you’re planning a more laid-back wedding, your invitations should reflect this! Reception information can be included directly on the invitation for a more casual affair (as opposed to being on a separate reception card) and text can be a little more playful. We love the text on our Unique Minimes design, which is very basic and minimal, and at the bottom reads “WE. ARE. SO. EXCITED!”.

Another more modern design — Storybook Romance — welcomes guests to join them at the celebration of their marriage.

We’ve even had couples include a romantic quote or song lyric as part of their invitations! You can get as creative as you want when it comes to your invitations (and you should!).

And if you want to have a more casual, rustic design but traditional wording, there’s nothing wrong with that either!

Casual, more laid-back invitations can range tremendously when it comes to design style — bold motifs and borders, fanciful fonts and colorful inks (or foil colors!) can make a formal design a little more relaxed.

As long as the invitation wording you choose reflects you, your fiance, and the wedding day you have planned; the rest should fall into place! Visit the Bella Figura website for more ideas on invitation wording.

(I love the ‘dust off your dancing shoes’ at the bottom of this invite)

Thanks so much Erica for your precious pearls of wisdom – if only I had read such an article when Mr E and I were planning our wedding!

Has anyone else found the etiquette and traditions of wedding invitation wording stressful? I hope this has helped!

So, will your wedding invitation wording be formal or casual? Or rules be damned, a bit of both??

Amy

x

This guest post was written by Erica from Bella Figura