By Mustafa Bilgic · Last updated 20 June 2026

Formal Wedding Invitation Wording

Formal wording is the traditional, time-tested way to word a wedding invitation: third person, spelled-out details, courtesy titles, and a precise order. Here is every line explained, with examples you can copy and adapt.

The short answer: Formal wording is written in the third person, spells out the date, time and year, uses courtesy titles (Mr., Mrs., Dr.), and follows the order host line → request line → couple → date & time → venue → reception/RSVP. Use "request the honour of your presence" for a house of worship and "the pleasure of your company" elsewhere.

The rules that make wording "formal"

A few consistent conventions separate a formal invitation from a casual one:

Third person. The invitation speaks about the couple and hosts, not as them ("request the pleasure of your company," never "we'd love to see you").
Everything spelled out. Dates, times and the year are written as words: "Saturday, the twelfth of September, two thousand twenty-six, at half past four in the afternoon."
Courtesy titles. Hosts and guests are given titles — Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr., and full names rather than nicknames.
No abbreviations. Street, Avenue, and state names are written in full; numerals are avoided except sometimes in the house number.

Host line: who is inviting

The opening line names the host(s). Choose the version that matches who is hosting:

Situation	Formal host line
Bride's parents host	Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Carter
Both sets of parents host	Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Carter and Mr. and Mrs. David Bennett
Couple hosts (with families)	Together with their families
Couple hosts alone	The honour of your presence is requested at the marriage of
A divorced or remarried parent	List each parent on their own line; do not join them with "and" if they are not married to each other.
A deceased parent	"the late Mr. Carter" is not used in the host line; instead phrase as "[Name], daughter of [surviving parent] and the late [parent]."

Request line: "honour" vs "pleasure"

This is the single most-asked formal wording question. The convention is simple:

"request the honour of your presence" — for a ceremony in a house of worship (church, synagogue, temple). The British spelling "honour" is traditional here.
"request the pleasure of your company" — for a ceremony at any other venue (hotel, garden, estate, club).

Both are correct; the choice signals the type of venue to your guests. Neither is more "proper" than the other — they're used for different settings.

Formal wording examples

Hosted by the bride's parents (most traditional)

Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Carter
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Olivia Grace
to
Mr. James Bennett
Saturday, the twelfth of September
two thousand twenty-six
at half past four in the afternoon
Grace Cathedral · Charleston, South Carolina

Hosted by the couple, both families acknowledged

Together with their families
Olivia Grace Carter
and
James Michael Bennett
request the pleasure of your company
at the celebration of their marriage
Saturday, the twelfth of September, two thousand twenty-six
at half past four in the afternoon
The Rosewood Estate · Charleston, South Carolina
Reception to follow

Reception & RSVP, formally

Keep these brief and formal. Common correct lines:

Same venue: "Reception to follow" or "Dinner and dancing to follow."
Dress code: a discreet "Black tie" in the lower corner, or on a separate card.
RSVP: "The favour of a reply is requested by the first of August" (with a return method), or use a separate response card.

See your formal wording on a real invitation

Paste any example above into the free editor, choose an elegant template, and download a print-ready PNG — no sign-up, no watermark.

Open the free editor →

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between 'honour of your presence' and 'pleasure of your company'?

'Request the honour of your presence' is used when the ceremony is in a house of worship; 'request the pleasure of your company' is used for any other venue. Both are correct — the wording signals the type of location to guests.

Do you spell out the date on a formal wedding invitation?

Yes. Formal invitations spell out the day, date, year and time in words — for example, 'Saturday, the twelfth of September, two thousand twenty-six, at half past four in the afternoon.' Numerals are reserved for casual invitations.

How do you word a formal invitation when the couple is paying?

Use 'Together with their families' as the host line, then the couple's full names and 'request the pleasure of your company.' This keeps the formal tone while crediting everyone, regardless of who is paying.

Should titles like Mr. and Mrs. be used?

On a formal invitation, yes — hosts and the couple are given courtesy titles and full names. Modern and casual invitations often drop titles, but formal style keeps them.

Where does the dress code go on a formal invitation?

Either discreetly in the lower corner of the invitation (for example, 'Black tie') or on a separate enclosure card. Keep the main invitation face uncluttered.