How to write a wedding reception invitation is just as important as your choice of paper and font. Choosing wedding invitation envelopes or selecting luxury wedding invitations may be the fun part, but it won't amount to much if your guests don't know when and where they're supposed to be. If the invitations don't clearly state everything your guests need to know, you may end up fielding phone calls from confused guests or wind up with a bunch of disgruntled guests.
Information Essentials
The wedding reception invitation should tell your guests everything they need to know: who is hosting the event, where and when the event is and, of course, who the event honors. The reception invitation should emphasize important details like location and time; it should not contain things like the menu or gift registry information.
You'll need to word the invitation carefully. You do not want your guests to think that they were purposely left out of the ceremony and only invited to the wedding reception. If the wedding was out of town, be sure to indicate that on the reception invitation.
Sample Wording
The following example is for parents hosting a reception for their daughter. The marriage was held out of town.
Mr. and Mrs. John Doe
Invite you to join the celebration of the recent marriage of their daughter,
Jane Doe to John Smith
Which took place January 1st, 2009, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Come toast with the newly-wed couple on
Sunday, February 12, 2009
The next example is for a newly wed couple hosting their own reception:
John and Jane Doe request the honor of your presence at a celebration of their marriage
Saturday, the first of June, at seven o' clock in the evening
The Hilton Hotel, Chicago, Illinois
Here are a couple variations for wording an invitation to a reception hosted by the newlyweds:
The newly wed Jason and Charlene Stevens
Wish to have the gift of your presence
At a dinner honoring their love and commitment for each other
On Saturday, January 1, 2009, at 7 PM
At their home in Belle Vue, California
You are cordially invited to a reception to celebrate the marriage of Mark and Irene
Friday, January 15, 2009, at 8 PM
At the Sandstone Country Club
Other Things to Include
If there will be a choice of dinner entrees, include an RSVP card and a self-addressed, stamped envelope with the guest's name as the sender's address. This makes it easy to choose a dinner item and pop the reply in the mail. Save the replies and keep them in a safe place; this will make planning much simpler as the reception nears.
If the guests know the location of the reception well, or if it's a local landmark, you don't need to include the address on the invitation. If the address isn't well known, include the street number, street name and city. In either case, include a separate sheet with the full address for the reception, simple driving directions and instructions on where to park.
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You are not the average couple, so why have the average wedding invitations? Stand out with these fun and quirky invitation ideas. |
When wording your wedding invitations the first and most important thing to consider is providing all the information that is needed to attend the wedding. |
