Formatting the English Wedding Card: an Ultimate Guide

Your wedding might be the most important thing in the world for you but for others, it is a subject of scrutiny. The guests will observe each and everything ranging from your grand entrance to the venue to the wedding invitations that you had sent to them. So, everything needs to be nothing less than perfect. Especially, how to send your word to invite your friends, relatives, and colleagues is of a great importance as it gives the first insight into what they could expect from your wedding function. Hence, you cannot afford to have a laidback attitude as far as invitations are concerned.

If you are in a dilemma about what to write in your wedding invitation card, here is your ultimate guide to formatting your English wedding card.

Start from the Basics: For Both Formal and Informal Wedding Invitations

The first thing that you need to do is to rule out the guests who are to receive formal invitations from you. Make a separate list of your close friends and family who are to receive an informal wedding invitation from you.

Here is the basic outline that covers both formal, as well as an informal wedding invitation.

1. Who is the host?

Generally, the parents or grandparents play the host and their name has to be put on the top of your English wedding card.

You can include the names of both the sets of parents. The urban couples who host and pay for their own wedding include the names of both the sets of parents as hosts.

You can use lines like, “Together, with our parents, we request the pleasure of your company……”

2. Request them to come

The invitation line or the request line entreats your guests to register their presence at the wedding. This line needs to be very warm and gracious. It needs to deliver the idea and the emotions that you invest in the idea of hosting one of the greatest celebrations of your lifetime and that their presence will enhance the joyous mood of the ceremonies.

For an English wedding card, there are ample options available at your disposal. Mentioned below are a few options to consider:

1. “invite you to celebrate with them/us”
2. “request the pleasure of your benign company”
3. “would love you to join them/us”
4. “honour us/them with your gracious presence”

3. The names of the bride and groom

If you are not hosting the ceremony, your name should appear in the centre. Here are a few things to keep in mind while mentioning your names in your wedding invitations. If you are hosting a wedding together and sending out invitations together, you must stick to the traditions and mention the name of the bride prior to the name of the groom. If the wedding card is going out from the side of the bride, the name of the bride should go first. If the invitation is going out from the groom’s side, his name should go first. The basic of the traditional invitations remain the same, deeply rooted in the conventional ways that have been followed since forever, only the language is more formal because it is an English wedding card and in a foreign tongue that is no our own nor Sanskrit.

4. The date and time

The basic rules for mentioning date and time in the English wedding card varies according to formal and informal writing styles.

If you are sending out a formal invitation to your relatives and colleagues, everything needs to be written in letters and not abbreviations or numbers. You must mention the date in full letters and not numerals. The time must be mentioned using “o’clock”.

For an informal English wedding card, you can use numerals. The couples have often chosen to go with Roman numerical that also look classy on the English wedding card.

5. The venue

Mentioning the street address of your wedding venue is mandatory only if not using it could create confusion. The name of the city and state should be mentioned in full. The invitations often include the particular time of the ceremonies that will take place on a particular day and some couples have gone the mile to mention what ceremony holds what importance, especially when you have invited guests over from various cultures and traditional backgrounds.

6. Reception information

If you are sending out formal invitations, you need to mention the details regarding the invitation on a separate card. For an informal English wedding card, you can mention the details on the same card. 

The invitation cards have gone beyond the boundaries where the text would be written in the centre of it and has now allowed the invitation texts to go even on the sides of the base. The other side includes intricate designing in printed form. The formal cards are expected to be more simple in designs and very less work of art to avoid overcrowding in the paper, that keeps it classy and on point perfect. 

7. Dress code

Going by the rule, the dress code, if included, is mentioned on the lower right corner of the English wedding card.

8. RSVP cards

You can use separate response cards for your guests.

Formal English Wedding Card Format

…………………… and …………………….

together with their parents

request the honour of your presence

at their wedding ceremony

on Sunday, the twenty-third of June

two thousand eighteen

at two o'clock in the afternoon

Venue

Informal English Wedding Card Format

Together with their families

……………………………

&

………………………….

request the pleasure of your company

as they are united in a wedlock

Sunday, the 23rd of June, 2018

At two o'clock in the afternoon

Venue

Reception Invitation Format for Formal Wedding Card

The pleasure of your gracious company

is solicited at the Reception

immediately following the wedding ceremony

Venue

Reception Invitation Format for Informal Wedding Card

It is time to celebrate!

Join us for a Reception

immediately following the wedding ceremony

Venue

Derive some inspiration from these English wedding card ideas for formal, as well as informal invites, and set the right tone of your wedding. Keep in mind these tips for creating your wedding quotes but don't forget to personalise them. Trust us, a personal touch goes a long way.

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