Question 1

What should be included on my invitation card?

Accepted Answer

1. The Hosts of the Wedding
Who is throwing the wedding? Your parents? Your fiance's? Both? You as a couple? Whoever it is, formal etiquette says you'll want to list this on the invitation card.

2. The Request Line
There are lots of ways you can ask your guests to join you. "Invite you to join at the marriage of", "request the pleasure of your company at the wedding of", "invite you to celebrate at their wedding", etc.

Pro Tip: Formal etiquette states that "Request the honor of your presence" is  traditionally used if getting married in a house of worship. You can also use the Old English spelling “honour”.

3. The Couple of Honor
This one may be pretty obvious. Each of your names should be included on the  invitation card so everyone knows whose wedding they are being invited to. You can list your full names (first, middle, last), first and last only, or keep it simple with your firsts. BUT, if you aren't including your full name, make sure your last name's appear somewhere (like the return address) so guests aren't confused as to which Bob & Nicole are getting married.
Pro Tip: If you share a last name with your parents and they are being listed on the invitation, you can stick with first and middle or first only.

4. The Date and Time
This is an important one! Formal etiquette states all weekdays, months, and dates should be formally written out. This may change depending on the design of your invitation.
Other ways to list your date:
 • Formally (ex. the eleventh of December, two thousand twenty-one);
 • Casually (ex. December 11, 2021)
 • Numerically (ex. 12/11/2021)

Your ceremony time should be listed on the invitation card. If your reception is being held at a different location, the start time for this portion of the day will be included on the reception card or details card.

If your date is listed out formally with no numeric characters, we recommend having the time follow suit. Ex. "five o'clock in the evening" vs. "5pm" or "5 o'clock". Generally, we will format the way we see fit.

5. The Venue
If your ceremony and reception are at the same location - great! That makes things easy. If your ceremony is at a different location, we have a few options:
1. List both ceremony and reception venue and times on the invitation card. (This can get a little crowded depending on layout.)
2. Include a separate Reception Card within your suite. The invitation is reserved  for the ceremony and the reception card features all details pertaining to the party itself. 
3. List reception info on your details card.

Pro Tip: The address should be left off the invitation card (especially if no numerical characters are already being included).

6. Dress Code
If  you have a specific dress code, you’ll want to communicate this with guests so they show up appropriately. Traditionally, we list this on the bottom right hand corner of the invitation or reception card. The dress code is tied to the reception and not the ceremony if they are at separate locations. So, if you've opted for your reception info to appear on a different card, the dress code will follow it.

Pro Tip: Know your crowd! If you live in a locale where it's assumed that a wedding is formal, no need to list 'formal attire' on the invite card. If you feel like your guests may not know that they need to dress formally, go ahead and list it.

Question 2

What is included on the details card?

Accepted Answer

Your  details card can be used for any information that you want your guests to know. We often include accommodations info, transportation details, and a list of other events going on during the wedding weekend.

1. Hotel Accommodations
If you've reserved a block of rooms for your guests - here is where you'll want to communicate this. It's also helpful to have all of this listed on your wedding website with direct links to booking sites. Be sure to include the following:
 • Hotel Name
 • Hotel Address (at your discretion)
 • Room Block Name
 • Book By Date

2. Transportation Info
If you're providing transportation (a shuttle, trolley, Ubers, etc.) for your guests - you can include this info here. If it's not pertinent for guests to know in advance - save it for your website or include on the welcome card in their hotel gift bags.

3. Wedding Weekend Events
Have a jam-packed weekend of wedding celebrations? Welcome Party? Farewell  Brunch? Drinks with the Newlyweds? Include these details here! You can also include a separate events card if necessary.

What if only *some* of your guests are invited to an event? Ex. Rehearsal Dinner. We can create two different versions of the details or events card -  one for guests invited to the rehearsal dinner and one for those who aren't. OR - we can include a separate rehearsal dinner card for those guests only. Both options include additional fees.

4. Wedding Website
If you'll be creating a wedding website to offer more details on the event or events surrounding the wedding, we highly suggest including the web address on the details card. By doing so, you must have the site up and running by the time the invitations will be mailed out. 
Pro Tip: Purchase a unique domain name for an elevated look and so your guests don't have to type in a long-winded URL. If you don't feel like purchasing the  domain, shorten the link in the preferences of your website provider to  something easy to remember and type in (i.e. the knot.com/rachelandross2024(https://knot.com/rachelandross2021)).

5. Reception Info
If your reception info isn't included on your invite card and you don't plan on including a separate reception card - the details card is where this info will appear.

Question 3

When should I set my RSVP date for?

Accepted Answer

We suggest 6 weeks before the  big day. This gives you a week for follow-up and a week to put together seating arrangements so that your guest list is finalized one month  before the wedding.

Question 4

What should I include in my ceremony program?

Accepted Answer

Your wedding  program gives guests information to guide them through the marriage ceremony. This can be super detailed or an outline of the basics. Here are some suggestions on what to include:

Basics (Good for Flat Program Cards):
- Your names
- The date
- The ceremony location
- An outline of the ceremony proceedings
- A list of the people in your wedding party
- A brief word of welcome, a blessing, a meaningful quote, or a prayer

More Detailed (Good for Folded Booklets):
- Explanation of cultural traditions
- Your "how we met" story
- A message to honor those that are no longer here or could not attend
- Notes on being an unplugged ceremony, if applicable
- Detailed overview of the ceremony - Maybe this includes full readings or song lyrics

Standard Order of Ceremony Example:
 • Prelude  (Song name and artist/composer is usually listed)
 • Wedding processional (Song name and artist/composer is usually listed)
 • Greetings
 • Readings (Include the names of the passages and who is reading them)
 • Vows
 • Presentation of the Couple
 • Processional (Song name and artist/composer is usually listed)

We suggest you contact the officiant to provide you with a breakdown of the ceremony, especially for religious ceremonies.

Question 5

How do I address my inner envelopes?

Accepted Answer

Here are some guidelines (both traditional and contemporary) for addressing your inner envelopes. Either format is acceptable - choose based on your personal style and the level of formality of your event:

Married Couple (same last name)

Formal:
Mr. and Mrs. Baldwin

Contemporary:
James and Heather

Married Couple (different last names)

Formal:
Ms. Swift and Mr. Brookes

Contemporary:
Sandy and George

Single Woman

Formal:
Miss Cartwright and Ben (only if you do not know the name of the guest should you write "and guest")

Contemporary:
Cynthia and Ben (or Cynthia and Guest)

Single Man

Formal:
Mr. Anderson

Contemporary:
Ben

Unmarried Couple (at same address)

Formal:
Ms. Smith and Mr. Green

Contemporary:
Colleen and James

If children or families are invited, their names are listed under those of the parents:

Formal:
Mr. and Mrs. Brown
Kevin and Katrina

Contemporary:
Andrea, Steve and Family 
or
Andrea, Steve
Kevin and Katrina

Judge
If single: Judge Brown
If married: Judge Brown and Mrs. Brown

Doctor (Medical)
If single: Doctor Grimes and Guest
If married: Doctor and Mrs. Grimes

Doctor (PhD)
If single: Dr. Henry Skinner and Guest
If married: Dr. and Mrs. Skinner

Married Woman Doctor
Doctor Strokes and Mr. Miller

Married Couple, Both Doctors
The Doctors Kelly

Clergy
The Reverend White

Officer- Male, active duty or retired from service
Captain and Mrs. Greene

Officer- Female, active duty or retired from service
Captain Hart and Mr. Carl Waters

Question 6

What should be included on my save the date?

Accepted Answer

Stick to the basics!

Your names, the date, the general location (city/state), and your website.

Let's dig a little deeper....

Your Names
First only or first and last are both acceptable, as long as it's obvious to your guests which Kristin & John are getting married. On the save the date, we generally leave off middle names but if you want it to read super formal, go ahead and include.

The Date
Keep it short and sweet or spell it all out depending on how formal you want it to sound. Date with year is all you need - save the day of the week for the invite.

Location
It's common to list the city and state where the wedding will take place. If the ceremony and reception are in two different cities/states, pick the one where they'll need to stay (if there's hotel blocks) or fly into (if it's a destination). No need to list the venue itself, unless it's a resort where all of the wedding events, rooms, etc. will be.

Website
I'm not saying you *need* to have a wedding website but it sure is a good idea so your guests have easy access to all the important details. If you plan on setting one up - be sure to do it before the save the dates go out. Add basic details to start and fill in more details as the planning comes together.
Having trouble up your website? We can help! Contact us and we can chat about options for a full-website build or branding personalizations to currently created websites.

Last but not least...don't forget the language "Save the Date"
"Save the date", "Save our date", "Save the weekend"... no matter how you like to list it, it's important to include this so guests don't assume this is the invite. You can also list "formal invitation to follow" at the bottom of the card to drive home that you will be sending a true invitation with many more details.

Let's see it in practice....

SAVE OUR DATE

KRISTIN & JOHN
ARE GETTING MARRIED!

08.30.27
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
kristen-and-john.com
formal invitation to follow

-

Save the Date
for the wedding of
Kristin Williams & John Jameson

August 30, 2027
New York, New York

for more details, visit
www.kristen-and-john.com

STATIONERY WORDING GUIDE

Tips for putting together your
wedding invitation and day of stationery wording.

QUESTION STILL UNANSWERED?

Hey, let's be friends.

BASED OUT OF NJ - VIRTUALLY ANYWHERE
201.659.3300

STATIONERY WORDING GUIDE

Tips for putting together your wedding invitation and day of stationery wording.

QUESTION STILL UNANSWERED?

Hey, let's be friends.

BASED OUT OF NJ - VIRTUALLY ANYWHERE 201.659.3300

Tips for putting together your
wedding invitation and day of stationery wording.

BASED OUT OF NJ - VIRTUALLY ANYWHERE
201.659.3300