Etiquette

Wording For (Almost) Every Social Situation Of Weddings

1. First Marriage
   1. Invitation Issued by Brides Parents (Standard form)

      Mr. and Mrs. Michael Anthony Adragno
      request the honour of your presence
      at the marriage of their daughter
      Amanda Louisa
      to
      Mr. Richard Coleman Credit
      on Saturday, the twentieth of March
      at two o’clock in the afternoon
      St. Edward the Confessor
      123 West Napoleon Avenue
      Metiairie, Louisiana

   2. Nuptial Mass

      Mr. and Mrs. Michael Anthony Adragno
      request the honour of your presence
      at the marriage of their daughter
      Amanda Louisa
      to
      Mr. Richard Coleman Credit
      on Saturday, the twentieth of March
      at a ten o’clock Nuptial Mass
      Saint Joseph’s Cathedral
      121 Main Street
      Boston, Massachusetts

   3. Nuptial Mass (Note the use of "and" rather than "to")

      Mr. and Mrs. Michael Anthony Adragno
      request the honour of your presence
      at the Nuptial Mass uniting their daughter
      Amanda Louisa
      to
      Mr. Richard Coleman Credit
      on Saturday, the twentieth of March
      in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony
      at a ten o’clock in the morning
      Saint Joseph’s Cathedral
      121 Main Street
      Boston, Massachusetts

   4. Invitation Issued by Bride and Groom’s Parents

      Mr. and Mrs. Michael Anthony Adragno
      and
      Mr. and Mrs. Marcel Emile Credit
      request the honour of your presence
      at the marriage of their children

   5. Invitation Issued by the Groom’s Parents

      Mr. and Mrs. Marcel Emile Credit
      request the honour of your presence
      at the marriage of
      Miss Amanda Louisa
      to their son
      Mr. Richard Coleman Credit

   6. Invitation Issued by Bride and Groom

      Miss Amanda Louisa Adragno
      and
      Mr. Richard Coleman Credit
      request the honour of your presence
      at their marriage

   7. Invitation Issued by Friends

      Mr. and Mrs. Steven Randolph Jacobson
      request the honour of your presence
      at the marriage of
      Miss Amanda Louisa Adragno
      and
      Mr. Richard Coleman Credit
      Invitation Issued by Adult Children
      Matthew Manning Smith
      Daniel Joseph Smith
      Angela Smith Richardson
      request the honour of your presence
      at the marriage of their mother (parents)
      Josephine Manning Smith
      to
      Brent Harold Darnell

2. Second Marriages
   1. The divorcee uses a combination of married and maiden name.

      Mr. and Mrs. Jeffery Ralph Smith
      request the honour of your presence
      at the marriage of their daughter
      Mary Smith Johnson

   2. However, if the bride is a widow

      Mr. and Mrs. Jeffery Ralph Smith
      request the honour of your presence
      at the marriage of their daughter
      Mary Smith Johnson

   3. Invitation Issued by Divorced Parents

      Mrs. Virginia Nelson Wright
      Mr. Thomas Ethan Wright
      request the honour of your presence
      at the marriage of their daughter
      Mary Louse Wright

   4. Bride’s Divorced, Not-Remarried Mother Issues Invitation
      The mother uses a combination of her married and maiden name

      Mrs. Virginia Nelson Wright
      requests the honour of your presence
      at the marriage of her daughter
      Mary Louise Wright

   5. Bride’s Divorced, Not-Remarried Father Issues Invitation

      Mr. Thomas Ethan Wright
      requests the honour of your presence
      at the marriage of his daughter
      Mary Louise Wright

   6. Mother and Stepfather Issue Invitation

      Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Hugh Richardson, III
      request the honour of your presence
      at the marriage of her daughter
      Mary Louise Wright
      or
      Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Hugh Richardson, III
      request the honour of your presence
      at the marriage of Mrs. Richardson’s daughter
      Mary Louise Wright
      
      or (only mother is inviting)
      
      Mrs. Gerald Hugh Richardson, III
      requests the honour of your presence
      at the marriage of her daughter
      Mary Louise Wright

   7. Divorced Father and Stepmother Issue Invitation

      Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Ethan Wright
      request the honour of your presence
      at the marriage of his daughter
      Mary Louise Wright
      or
      Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Ethan Wright
      request the honour of your presence
      at the marriage of Mr. Wright’s daughter
      Mary Louise Wright

   8. Invitation Issued by More than Two Sets of Parents

      Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Ethan Wright
      Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Armstrong Baxter
      Mr. and Mrs. Jeffery Johnson Richardson
      request the honour of your presence
      at the marriage of their children

3. One Deceased Parent
   1. When the Living Parent has Not Remarried

      Mrs. Thomas Ethan Wright
      requests the honour of your presence
      at the marriage of her daughter
      Mary Louise

   2. When the Living Parent Has Remarried

      Mr. and Mrs. John Ivan Koslov
      request the honour of your presence
      at the marriage of her daughter
      Mary Louise Wright
      or
      Mr. and Mrs. John Ivan Koslov
      request the honour of your presence
      at the marriage of their daughter
      Mary Louise Wright
      (Obviously you should check with the bride for this one)

4. When both Parents are Deceased
   1. Invitation Issued by Older Brother or Sister

      Miss Janice Su-Ling Yang
      requests the honour of your presence
      at the marriage of her sister
      Deborah An-Mei Yangor
      
      or (if married)
      
      Mr. and Mrs. Mark Walker
      request the honour of your presence
      at the marriage of her sister
      Deborah An-Mei Yang

   2. Invitation Issued by Grandparents

      Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Windell McPhera
      request the honour of your presence
      at the marriage of their granddaughter
      Susan Alexis McLory

5. Double Weddings
   1. When Brides are Sisters (older bride mentioned first)

      Mr. and Mrs. Steven George Jafee
      request the honour of your presence
      at the marriage of their daughters
      Mary Helento Ronald Gates Gressakand
      Karen Judithto Paul Dupre Ducat

   2. When Brides are not Sisters (older bride and family mentioned first)

      Mr. and Mrs. Paul Thomas Wright
      and
      Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Victor Buczko
      request the honour of your presence
      at the marriage of their daughters
      Deborah Sally Wright
      to
      Mr. Micah Mordecai Smith
      and Iris Ramsey Buczko
      to
      Paul Louis Saulsman

6. Military Weddings
   1. Officers above the rank of Lieutenant have their title before their name

      Major and Mrs. Gregory Richard Ford
      request the honour of your presence
      at the marriage of their daughter
      Felicia Ann
      to
      Captain Benjamin Bruce Thomas
      United States Navy

   2. Junior officers have their title on the same line as the branch of service, but listed beforehand

      Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Richard Ford
      request the honour of your presence
      at the marriage of their daughter
      Felicia Ann
      to
      Benjamin Bruce Thomas
      First Lieutenant, United States Army

   3. A rank below that of Sergeant is not indicated

      Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Richard Ford
      request the honour of your presence
      at the marriage of their daughter
      Felicia Ann
      to
      Benjamin Bruce Thomas
      United States Army