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Bride
Name Location Invitational
Line Divorced
Parents Roman
Catholic Wedding Ceremony/Reception
Same Location Issued
by Friends of the Bride |
Etiquette taken
from The traditional wedding invitation has changed little over the years. Its essential purpose is to invite your guests and to tell them where and when your wedding is being held. Most other information is superfluous. It is that simplicity, coupled with fine paper and distinctive engraving, that make formal wedding invitations so elegant. There are a number of basic points of etiquette that should be followed when wording a traditional wedding invitation. The following section covers the correct wording line by line.
Selecting Your Wedding Invitation Wedding invitations set the tone for the wedding; they are the first exposure most people will have to your wedding, and will create your guests' first impressions. Not only do your invitations tell them where and when your wedding is being held, they subtly tell them how formal it is, how they should dress and may even influence the types of gifts they may send. When you select your wedding invitations, keep in mind what kind of wedding you are having. Your invitations and your wedding should complement one another. While formal invitations are appropriate for, among other things, a traditional church wedding, something less formal and more colorful may be suitable for a wedding held at sunset on a beach. Wedding invitations should be ordered at least three months before your wedding. This should leave you enough time for engraving, addressing and mailing. (Wedding invitations should be mailed four to six weeks before the wedding.) Of course, it is best to order them as soon as you have all the necessary information. Where should I purchase my wedding invitations? There are many places that sell wedding invitations including stationery stores, jewelers, engravers, department stores, and specialty stores. When selecting a stationer, you should look for one who has expertise in selling wedding invitations and whom you feel comfortable working with. Your stationer should be able to answer or find the answer to any questions that you might have. What
kind of paper should I use? What
size should my invitation be? There
must be hundreds of different lettering styles. How do I go about choosing
one? What
color ink should I use? What
is engraving? How
can I tell if an invitation is engraved? What
is thermography? What
is blind embossing? When
should my wedding invitations be mailed?
How much postage will my wedding invitations require? How
much money should I expect to spend?
Handwritten Invitations For very small weddings involving only close friends and immediate family, handwritten invitations are the most personal way to invite your guests. Handwritten invitations take the form of a short note inviting your guests to the wedding. The wording varies, depending on your closeness to the guest. An invitation to somebody whom you are rather close is written in a more familiar tone than one to a distant relative. The standard wedding format may be used when writing to somebody whom you do not know very well. Handwritten invitations are written on plain, ecru or white letter sheets. (Letter sheets are sheets of stationery that have a fold on the left-hand side. They fold a second time from top to bottom to fit a single envelope.) While traditionally these sheets had no name or monogram on them, brides may now blind emboss their maiden name monogram at the top of the sheet. The invitations should be written in black or dark blue ink.
Personalized Invitations The most formal wedding invitations are personalized. Personalized invitations are not only elegant, they honor your guests by showing them that you care enough about them to make their names a part of your wedding invitations. Your guests' names are handwritten in black ink in a space reserved for them on the invitations. The handwriting on the invitations should match the handwriting used to address the envelopes. When
writing in our guests' names, what names do I use?
Bride's Name The bride's given names are used on invitations issued by her parents. Neither her title nor her last name is used since it is assumed that she has never married and has the same last name as her parents. If her last name is different from her parents' last name, she includes her last name on her invitations. I
am a medical doctor. May I use "doctor"?
I am an attorney. May I use "esquire"?
I was adopted. Is that mentioned on my wedding invitations? Why
are the names of the bride and groom larger than the rest of the copy?
Groom's Name The groom always uses his full name, preceded by his title. There are no abbreviations, except for "Mr." All other titles, such as "Doctor" and "The Reverend" should be written out, although "Doctor" may be abbreviated when used with a long name. If "Doctor" is used more than once on an invitation, its use should be consistent. If it is necessary to abbreviate it with one of the names, it should be abbreviated with all names. Initials are never properly used on formal wedding invitations. Men who dislike their middle names and use their middle initial instead should be discouraged from doing so. If your fiancé refuses to use his middle name, it is better to omit his middle name entirely than to use just his initial. Can
"junior" be abbreviated or must it be spelled out?
My fiancé is a "junior." His father, however, has passed away.
Does my fiancé continue to use "junior"? When
are "II" and "III" properly used? My
fiancé is a doctor. My
fiancé is a lawyer. May he use "esquire"? My
fiancé is known by his nickname. Since none of our friends know his
real name, would it be appropriate to put his nickname in parentheses?
Joining Word The joining word is the word that joins the names of the bride and groom. The preposition "to" is used on invitations to the wedding ceremony as the bride is traditionally married to the groom. The conjunction "and" is used on invitations to the reception since the reception is given in honor of the bride and groom. "And" is also used on Jewish wedding invitations and on invitations issued by the bride and groom.
Location Wedding ceremonies are held at a variety of locations including churches, temples synagogues, clubs, and even at home. The location line tells your guests the name of the location at which your wedding is being held. The full name of the facility is always given, so the location line for the wedding held at a church, for example, uses the full corporate name of the church. There should be no abbreviations. "Saint" is always spelled out. Likewise, a church commonly referred to as "Saint Matthew's Church" might actually be "Church of Saint Matthew" or "Saint Matthew's Roman Catholic Church." You should check with a clergyman or the church secretary to ascertain the correct name of the church. My
parents are hosting my wedding at home. How is that indicated? We
are having a garden wedding at my parents' home. Our
wedding is being held at a friend's house. How does the location line read?
Our wedding is being held outdoors. Our
wedding is being held in a small chapel at the Church of Chris
Street Address The accepted rule on the use of the street address is that its inclusion is optional unless there is more that one facility with that name in that town, in which case is it mandatory. The street address is also used when the facility is not well known or when there are a number of out-of-town guests. Since giving the street address is an additional courtesy to your guests, it is almost always proper. The only time its use is not proper is when direction and map cards are used. Then the street address is redundant. Including the street address, however, adds an extra line to the invitation. Most invitations, especially those engraved in script lettering styles, look better with fewer lines of copy, so before you decide to include the address consider the aesthetics.
City & State The last line in the main body of the invitation shows the names of the city and state in which your wedding is being held. Both city and state are included, and are separated by a comma. Two exceptions to this rule are New York City and Washington, D.C. For weddings held in New York, "New York City" or just "New York" are used since "New York, New York" seems redundant. The city and state line for weddings held in Washington, D.C., can read "City of Washington" or "Washington, District of Columbia."
Invitational Line Wedding invitations are properly issued by the parents of the bride. This tradition and the tradition of the bride's father giving away the bride have their origins in the days when the bride's father made the marriage arrangements for his daughter by negotiating the size of her dowry. Today, the traditions continue with the bride's family customarily hosting the wedding. Therefore, the names of the bride's parents appear on the first line of the wedding invitations. My
father is a medical doctor. Does he use his title? My
mother is a medical doctor but my father is not. How is that worded? Both
of my parents are medical doctors. How do their names read? My
mother kept her maiden name. How should my parents' names read? My
father has a Ph.D. does he use "Doctor" on my wedding invitations? My
father is a minister. How should my parents' names read? My
mother is a minister but my father is not. How do their names read? My
father is a judge. Does he use "The Honorable"? My
mother is a judge but my father is not. How is that indicated? My
fiancé and I are paying for the wedding. How is that indicated? My
father dislikes his middle name. Is it proper to use his middle initial? My
father's middle name is just an initial. Is it proper to use his initial?
Request Lines The request lines invite your guests to your wedding. The wording varies according to where the wedding is being held. The correct wording for a wedding held in a church, temple, synagogue, or any house of worship is, "request the honor of your presence." The word "honor" is used to show deference to God whenever a wedding is held in a house of worship. For weddings held in any location other that a house of worship, "request the pleasure of your company" is used. Which
is more formal: "request the honor of your presence" or "request the pleasure
of your company"? What
is the correct spelling of "honor"? My
wedding is being held at home and is a religious ceremony. May I use "request
the honor of your presence"?
Date Line The day of the week and the date are written out in full. Abbreviations and numerals are not used. The day of the week is first, followed by the date of the month and the month itself. The day of the week may be preceded by "on." The use of "on," however, is unnecessary and may make the line too long. You may include the time of day, as in, "Saturday evening." That is not usually necessary, however, as most people are able to determine whether your invitation is for the morning or evening without specifically being told. For example, an invitation reading, "at six o'clock" is obviously meant for six o'clock in the evening. If that invitation were meant for six o'clock in the morning, it would then be necessary to include "Saturday morning" since that would be unusual. Invitations for weddings held at eight, nine, or ten o'clock should designate morning or evening since weddings are held at those times during both mornings and evenings. Many Roman Catholic weddings, for example, are held at those times in the mornings since most Nuptial Masses are held before noon, while some Jewish weddings are held at those times on Saturday evenings so the guests and participants can wait until after sundown to travel on the Sabbath. The time of day can be noted on the time line instead. At
what times do "afternoon" and "evening" begin?
Time Line An old superstition claims that being married on the half hour brings good fortune since the minute hand is ascending toward heaven, while being married on the hour leads to a bad marriage since, as with the minute hand, it is all downhill from there. Perhaps it is best to be married at noon when both hands are in the praying position. The time of the wedding is presented on one line and all letters are lowercase. If your wedding is being held at six o'clock, the time line simply reads, "at six o'clock." The time line for weddings held at six thirty reads, "at half after six o'clock." The time line can be used to designate the time of day by using either "in the morning," in the afternoon," or "in the evening." For most times it is not usually necessary, since a wedding held at six o'clock is obviously being held in the evening. Weddings held at eight, nine, or ten o'clock are another matter, since they could be held in either the morning or evening. In those cases, a designation denoting the time of day is helpful. In any event, you may always include the time of day if you find it aesthetically pleasing, and most older traditional invitations do include it. My
wedding is being held at noon. Should my invitations read "at twelve o'clock
noon"? I
am being married at 6:45. How should this be read?
Year Line Since wedding invitations are sent four to six weeks before the wedding, it is not necessary to include the year. Your guests will assume that the invitation is for the next August twenty-third and not for some other August twenty-third in the distant future. Although it is not necessary to include the year, it is not improper to do so. Your invitations will, undoubtedly, be saved by family and friends as a remembrance and may even be passed down to your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Including the year on your invitation will help your descendants remember your wedding day. There are a couple of cautions, though, about including the year. First, many lettering styles, especially some of the script lettering styles, look better with fewer lines of copy. Additional lines might make your invitation look too cluttered. Second, the year line is a long, heavy line that follows two other heavy lines (the groom's name and the date). This creates a lot of weight in that part of the invitation, which can draw your eye there instead of to the names of the bride and groom, where it should be drawn. Wedding announcements, on the other hand, are sent after the wedding has taken place. Therefore, it is necessary to include the year or it could be assumed that your wedding took place on any August twenty-third in the past. Should
the T in "two thousand" be upper- or lowercase? Isn't
it incorrect to use "and" as in "Two thousand and one"?
Coat of Arms Some of the most distinctive wedding invitations feature a coat of arms. If your family has one, it may be used on your wedding invitations. When used, the coat of arms is always blind embossed at the top of the invitations. It is never proper to engrave it in color on wedding invitations. Because it is blind embossed, an engraving die is needed. If your family does not already have a die, one needs to be made. That will take additional time so you will need to order your invitations early. What is a coat of arms? Originally, a coat of arms was the armor a knight wore into battle. To identify him as a friend or foe, an insignia was emblazoned on the front. This insignia was transformed into what we now think of as a coat of arms: a small symbol, unique to each family that has one. A full coat of arms is made up of the crest, the helmet, the shield, and the motto. Mantling may also be added. The coat of arms "belongs" to the men in the family and may be used on invitations issued by a man or by a man and his wife. Since, historically, women did not go into battle, they do not use a full coat of arms when issuing invitations themselves. Instead, women use their husband's crests or another device called a lozenge, which is a diamond shaped symbol in which her family's coat of arms is combined with her husband's. Is
our coat of arms blind embossed on our reception cards as well?
My fiancé and I are issuing our own wedding invitations. Whose
coat of arms do we use? My
fiancé's parents are issuing our wedding invitations. Is it proper
to use their coat of arms?
Divorced Parents Some of the most difficult situations in wording wedding invitations occur when the parents of the bride are divorced. There are simple and straightforward rules to handle these situations but sometimes emotions take control of circumstances and render these rules inadequate. You may find yourself unable to follow the prescribed rules of etiquette to a tee for fear of offending a family member or creating additional, unnecessary tensions. If you find yourself in this situation, you may choose to go a different route and find wording that is both appropriate and innocuous. Etiquette is intended as a guide to good taste and to facilitate good relationships and the comfort of everyone. Therefore, in such an instance it is entirely appropriate for you to stray from the accepted rules. The proper way to word an invitation when the bride's parents are divorced is to list the names of the bride's parents at the top of the invitation. Her mother's name is on the first line and her father's name is on the line beneath it. The lines are not separated by "and." If the bride's mother has not remarried, she uses "Mrs." followed by her first name, maiden name, and married name. The old etiquette called for using just her maiden name and her last name, preceded by "Mrs." The change evolved over the years as it was increasingly felt that the old usage was too impersonal. When the bride's mother is divorced from the bride's father and has remarried, she uses "Mrs." followed by her husband's full name. My
parents are divorced and my father has remarried. Where does his wife's
name appear? I'm
afraid that if I don't include the name of my father's wife on my invitations,
it might hurt her feelings. My
parents are divorced and my father is paying for the wedding. How is that
indicated? My
mother is divorced and has resumed using her maiden name. What title should
she use? Why
isn't "and" used between the names of divorced parents?
Separated Parents When the bride's parents are legally separated, they may issue their daughter's wedding invitations together. Their names may appear on separate lines with the name of the bride's mother on the first line and the bride's father's name on the second line. The word "and" is not used to join their names. The bride's mother properly uses her married name, which is "Mrs.," followed by her husband's name. If she does not want to use "Mrs.," she can use her first, maiden, and last names without a title. This wording, however, is not proper and is, therefore, less formal. It also requires the dropping of all other titles on the invitation in order to keep the rest of the invitation uniform. The bride's parents may also, when legally separated but not divorced, issue their daughter's wedding invitation together as "Mr. and Mrs."
Widowed Parents When one of the bride's parents is deceased, her wedding invitations are issued by her surviving parent. His or her name appears alone on the invitational line. In most cases, stepparents' names are not used. A widow retains the use of her husband's name. If she has not remarried, she continues to be known as "Mrs." Andrew Jay Forrester. If she has remarried, she uses "Mrs." followed by her present husband's name. In this case, since the bride's surname is different from her mother's surname, the bride's full name appears on the fourth line of the invitation. The bride's name is not preceded by "Miss." Two exceptions to the "no stepparents" rule occur when the bride's mother or father remarried and the bride's stepparent helped raise the bride from a young age, and then the bride feels especially close to her stepparent. In these situations, the name of the bride's stepparent may properly appear. When this is done, the third line of the invitation reads either, "at the marriage of her (his) daughter" or "at the marriage of Mrs. Davies' daughter." This suggests to your guests that, in this case, your mother is your natural parent. The use of "Mrs. Davies' daughter" is an older form that has been gradually disappearing from use. The vast majority of brides nowadays use "her daughter." When
is it appropriate to use "senior"? My
mother is a widow who has not remarried. She prefers the use of her first
name. Can her name read, "Mrs. Mary Chance Forrester"? My
father passed away last year and I would like to include his name on my
wedding invitations. How is that done?
Second Marriages According to many studies, about half of all Americans will divorce and remarry. Subsequently, a growing number of wedding invitations issued today involve a bride or groom marrying for a second time. When either the bride or both the bride and the groom are marrying for the second time, the wedding invitations are issued by the bride and groom themselves. A bride who is being married for the first time to a groom who is marrying for the second time, typically, has her invitations issued by her parents. In other words, it is the bride's status that determines the wording of the invitation. The groom's previous martial status does not effect the invitations. Traditionally, a divorced bride marrying for the second time used her first name, maiden name, and married name preceded by "Mrs." on her wedding invitations. Through the years, this has changed as the great majority of brides have felt that the inclusion of "Mrs." on their wedding invitations was unnecessary and inappropriate. Today, it is entirely appropriate not to use "Mrs." and almost every bride chooses to omit it. Second-time brides who are divorced, therefore, use just their first, middle, and last names on their invitations. No title is used. Whenever the bride's title is omitted, the groom's title is also omitted. This keeps the wording of the invitations consistent. Widows marrying again properly use "Mrs." followed by their deceased husband's name. A young widow, however, may have her parents issue her invitations, even if they issued the invitations to her first wedding. A young widow uses her first, maiden, and married names. No title is used. The most formal wording for a second marriage omits the invitational line. A less formal, but still correct wording places the bride and groom's name at the top of the invitation. My
parents sent traditional invitations for my first wedding. Is it proper
for me to send traditional invitations for my second wedding? Some
etiquette books claim that it is not proper to have invitations to a second
wedding engraved. Is this true? I
am marrying for the third time. How should my name read? I
am divorced and getting remarried. May I use "Ms." instead of "Mrs."? I
am a doctor. Is it proper for me to use my title? My
first wedding was an elopement. This time around I am going to have a traditional
wedding hosted by my parents. How should my invitations read? My
first marriage was annulled. How should my wedding invitations read? We
are both marrying for the second time and have no need for any more gifts.
We
would like our guests to donate the money they would otherwise have spent
on gifts to our favorite charity.
Roman Catholic Weddings The Roman Catholic Church requires the posting of banns, the public announcement of a couple's intentions to marry. The banns must be announced from the pulpit or in the church bulletin three times before the wedding. The traditional posting of the banns was the forerunner of today's wedding announcements. Catholics can be married in a simple wedding service or in a Nuptial Mass. A Nuptial Mass is a wedding ceremony performed as part of the Catholic Mass (or service). When the wedding ceremony will be a Nuptial Mass, the invitations should mention that a Nuptial Mass will be performed. Nuptial Masses are about an hour long. Placing the phrase "Nuptial Mass" on the wedding invitations alerts guests to the fact that the wedding will take a little longer than what they might be accustomed to. Nuptial Masses were once performed only at or before noon but are now performed in the afternoon as well. Unless special permission is granted by the bishop, Nuptial Masses may not be performed during Lent or Advent. As suggested by the invitations, the bride and groom are joined together in holy matrimony. Therefore, "and" is used instead of "to."
Mormon Weddings Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are married or "sealed" for "time and eternity" in temples open only to practicing Latter-day Saints. Weddings are generally small and intimate, attended by family and very close friends. The reception afterwards is a much larger affair to which all friends and all members of the bride and groom's extended families are invited. Since more guests are invited to the reception than to the ceremony, the invitations are for the reception. Ceremony cards enclosed with the reception invitations are sent to those guests who are also invited to the temple ceremony. Invitations to Latter-day Saint wedding receptions differ from standard reception invitations in that they mention that the wedding ceremony was performed in the Latter-day Saint temple. Because Latter-day Saints place great emphasis on the importance of families, the groom's parents are honored by having their names mentioned on wedding invitations. Their names appear beneath the groom's name, preceded by "son of" on a separate line. Guests drop in and out of Latter-day Saint receptions. They arrive to congratulate the newlyweds and stay for a while to talk to friends and to renew acquaintances. Then they leave and go on their way. Consequently, the time line on the invitations mentions the time period during which the reception will be held. Ceremony cards draw a distinction between weddings held in a Mormon temple and weddings held elsewhere. When weddings are held in a temple, it is so noted on the ceremony card.
Is it proper for us to send a photograph of ourselves with our wedding
invitations?
Military Weddings Invitations to weddings involving members of the United States armed services follow the same general guidelines used for civilian weddings. The format and the wording are the same. The only difference is in the use of titles. While civilians use social titles such as "Mr.," "Mrs.," and "Doctor," military personnel use their military titles, which many times include their rank and branch of service. Military titles should not be abbreviated. Officers in the army, air force, and marines with a rank of captain or higher use their military titles before their names. Navy and coast guard officers with a rank of commander or higher also use their military titles before their names. When officers' names are used by themselves, the name of the branch of service in which they serve is mentioned on the line beneath their names. When their names are used with their spouse's name, the branch of service is not mentioned. Junior officers do not use titles (neither military nor civilian) before their names. Their titles appear on a second line before the name of their branch of service. First lieutenants and Second lieutenants in the army both use "Lieutenant." In the air force and marines, however, "First" and "Second" are used. All members of the military use only their branch of service on a second line. Their ranks are not used. High-ranking officers who retire generally continue to use their military titles. Their retired status is noted after their service designation. When the service designation is not used, as on invitations issued by a retired colonel and his wife, the officer's retired status is not mentioned. PARENTS
OF THE BRIDE
Parent's
are Divorced
Bride's
Name
Groom's
Name
Jewish Weddings According to Jewish tradition, marriages are made in heaven. Men and women are brought together to marry one another by God himself. Women are not married "to" men. Rather, men and women are joined together in marriage. Because of this tradition, the joining word on Jewish wedding invitations reads "and" instead of "to." Jewish custom also celebrates the joining of the two families, so the names of the groom's parents always appear on the invitations. Their names most properly appear beneath the groom's name and a line reading "son of Mr. and Mrs. Solomon Lang" or on two lines that read, "son of / Mr. and Mrs. Solomon Lang." Their names may also appear at the top of the invitations beneath the names of the bride's parents. This is done occasionally by parents of the bride who feel that they honor the groom's parents more by placing their names at the top of the invitation. When this is done, the request line reads, "at the marriage of." The bride, in this case, uses her full name but no title. The groom's title is omitted as well to maintain uniformity. Hebrew lettering is often used on Jewish wedding invitations. It may take the form of a quotation from the wedding blessing, blind embossed across the top of the invitations, or the entire invitation text may be reproduced on a part of the invitation. When the invitation appears in both English and Hebrew, the Hebrew version appears on the right-inside page. Is
it proper to use "at the marriage of their children"?
Hispanic Weddings Traditional invitations to Hispanic weddings are issued by both sets of parents. The names of the bride's parents are always listed first. Hispanic invitations can be done in a number of different formats. They may be engraved on one page, in English or Spanish, with the names of the bride's parents listed separately on the first two lines, "and" on the third line, and names of the groom's parents listed on the following two lines. They may also be engraved in both languages on the two inside pages of the invitations. The left inside page may be engraved in Spanish while the right inside page is engraved in English. When this format is used, the parents' names appear as described above. Another frequently used format for Hispanic wedding invitations is an invitation engraved on the two inside pages on which the right inside page is an invitation from the groom's parents and the left-inside page is an invitation from the bride's parents. Common copy, such as date, time, and place may be combined in the center of the invitation. Customs may vary from one Latin American country to another. If you have any questions concerning the etiquette practiced in a particular country it is best to call the protocol officer in their consulate for answers.
Double Wedding The elder sister's name appears first on invitations for a double wedding ceremony for sisters. When a double wedding ceremony is performed for brides who are not sisters, it is best to send two separate invitations.
Ceremony & Reception at Same Location When a wedding ceremony and reception are held in the same location, a line reading either "and afterwards at the reception" or "and afterward at the reception" is included on the invitations. This line appears at the end of the body of the invitation, beneath the city and state. Many years ago, the reply request was engraved in the lower left-hand corner of invitations to weddings for which the ceremony and reception were held in the same place. This practice is gradually being replaced by reply cards and by reception cards, whose sole purpose is to give the reply information. My
wedding and reception are being held at the same place.
Invitations to the Reception Wedding ceremonies and receptions do not necessarily have the same number of guests. Many couples, especially those in which the bride is a second-time bride, have small, intimate ceremonies with larger receptions afterwards. Since more people are invited to the reception than the ceremony, the invitations are for the reception. Guests invited to the ceremony are sent ceremony cards with their reception invitations. Reception invitations always "request the pleasure of your company" since the reception is not being held in a house of worship. The word "and" is used to join the names of the bride and groom. The phrases "marriage reception" and "wedding reception" are both correct. "Marriage reception" is the more traditional of the two but many brides prefer "wedding reception," arguing that a wedding is the act of getting married while marriage is the result of that decision.
Late Receptions Wedding receptions take place on the day of the wedding. Any reception occurring after that date is not properly referred to as a wedding reception. Rather, it is a party or reception in honor of the recently married couple. These receptions are held for a variety of reasons. Most late receptions are held when the bride and her family live in different parts of the country. Others, especially those involving older couples or second-time brides, may hold late receptions due to professional considerations. Whatever the reasons, late receptions are becoming a more common occurrence. Invitations to a late reception contain a line reading "in honor of" or "in honor of" followed on a separate line with the names of the couple. We
are having a small ceremony for just our families in August. We
are having a small reception immediately following our wedding and a larger
reception a month later. Issued by Friends of the Bride Friends of the bride may issue wedding invitations when the bride's parents are deceased and she has no close relatives. When friends issue the invitations, no relationship is shown on the third line and the bride's full name, preceded by "Miss," appears on the following line.
Issued by Other Relatives Any member of the bride's family may host her wedding and issue the invitations when the bride's parents are deceased. The bride's relationship to her relatives issuing the invitation is designated on the third line of the invitation where the word "daughter" normally appears. The bride's full name minus her title appears on the following line.
Issued by the Bride & Groom Although it is most proper for the parents of the bride to issue their daughter's wedding invitations, there may be times when the bride and groom choose to issue the invitations themselves. This course of action is often taken when the bride's parents are deceased. Many brides and grooms issue their own invitations when they are an older couple or when the bride is marrying for the second time. There are two proper formats for self-invitations. The more formal of the two contains no invitational line. The less formal format lists both the bride and groom as hosts. Although
my fiancé and I are not medical doctors now, we will be before our
wedding. Is it proper for us to use "doctor" on our invitations? My
fiancé and I are paying for our wedding. How is that indicated?
Issued by the Groom's Parents On rare occasions, perhaps when the bride's parents are deceased or when they live in a foreign country, the groom's parents may issue the wedding invitations. The format is a little different from the standard format. The parents' relationship to the groom is mentioned on the fifth line of the invitation instead of on the third line. This way, the invitations can still be read as the bride being married to the groom. Both the bride and the groom use their full names, preceded by their titles. |
