Invitation wording and etiquette

Hello everyone!
We have been working on invitation wording lately and thought we would explain a few perplexing details and etiquette you need to keep in mind when you work on your invites.  Boring, yes, but so necessary!! :)
We will try to keep this short,sweet, and easy to read.. here we go!

First of all, if you are having a religious ceremony in a church, you need to use "honour of your presence" and "favour of a reply".  If you are having a less religious ceremony or in a place besides a church, you will use "pleasure of your company" and "please respond."

Next, whoever is paying for the wedding is traditionally named first, which was traditionally the bride's parents.  You could say "Mr. and Mrs. John Smith request the honour of your presence.." If both sets of parents are helping pay for the wedding, you can name both sets of parents.  If the parents and the couple are paying, you can say "Together with their parents.."
*There are all kinds of rules for a deceased parent, step-parents, or divorced parents and such so be sure to talk to your planner, stationer, or do lots of research in the wedding section of your library/ book store.*

Also, please remember, your registry info should not be included in the invitation!  This is considered rude by etiquette experts because it will seem like you are soliciting gifts.  The point of having your friends and family at your wedding is not to get gifts, it is to enjoy the celebration together.  You can include your wedding website where you can have all of your registry info.  It is okay to have your registry info there because people will go there willingly.  Does that all make sense? You can also just spread the word about your registries.  Make sure your close family, attendants, and close friends all know so they can share the info with anyone who asks.

Remember to spell out titles (occupation, military officer), street (avenue, street, boulevard, etc.), the year (two thousand and eleven), and numbers in dates (not adresses).

When writing the time of the ceremony, you will use half after the hour in the evening or afternoon.
EXAMPLE  "at half after six o'clock in the evening"

If you are having a Roman Catholic wedding, you will use "and your participation in the offering of the Nuptial Mass."

Be sure to be consistant.  If you are using the traditional spelling of "honour" then you need to use "favour" on the reply card.  If your invitation is formal, so should be your reply card and reception card.  Do not use more than two fonts on your invitation stationery, any more than that tends to look busy.

Remember, there are LOTS of little detail rules for your invitation wording.  Just make sure you take your time and consult more than one source when writing your invitations.  Some of our favorite books to research with are The Wedding Book by Mindy Weiss and Emily Post's Wedding Etiquette: The Definitive Guide to Your Wedding Experience by Peggy Post. Check them out!

That wasn't so bad, was it? It does seem a little intimidating when you start looking through the etiquette books but don't be scared.. you can do it!

Have a great weekend!!