Inclusive Wedding Invitation Wording for Every Kind of Couple and Family

Traditional invitation wording assumes a lot: two sets of married parents, a bride and a groom, a religious ceremony. Plenty of couples and families don't fit that mould, and your invitations shouldn't feel like they're working against your actual situation. Here's wording guidance for the most common non-traditional scenarios we help couples with.

Same-Sex Couples

There's no need to reorder names by tradition, list them however feels right, alphabetically, or simply the order you'd introduce yourselves.

"Together with their families, [Name] and [Name] invite you to celebrate their marriage."

"[Name] & [Name] are getting married, and we'd love for you to be there."

Blended and Non-Traditional Families

When parents are divorced, remarried, or a couple was raised by a guardian rather than a parent, you can credit exactly who raised you without it reading awkwardly:

"[Name], daughter of [Parent] and [Parent], and [Name], son of [Parent] and [Parent], invite you to their wedding."

"Together with their parents and stepparents, [Name] and [Name] request the pleasure of your company."

If a parent has passed away, it's common (and lovely) to still include them:

"[Name], daughter of [Parent] and the late [Parent], ..."

Couples Hosting Themselves

If you're paying for the wedding yourselves rather than being "given away" or hosted by parents, the wording can reflect that directly:

"[Name] and [Name] invite you to celebrate their marriage."

"Together with full hearts, [Name] and [Name] request your presence as they say I do."

Non-Religious Ceremonies

Swap "request the honour of your presence" (traditionally used for religious ceremonies) for "request the pleasure of your company" (suited to civil or non-religious ceremonies), a small wording change that keeps things accurate to your day.

Multilingual and Multicultural Invitations

If you're blending two cultures or languages, you don't have to choose one over the other. We regularly design suites with dual-language wording, or separate versions of the same invitation for different sides of the family, so every guest can read it comfortably in the language and format that suits them. If you'd like to see how this can look, read about Aashima and Irabaan's invitation suite, designed with English, Bengali, and simplified international versions for their guests.

The Most Important Rule

Wording etiquette exists as a starting point, not a rulebook. The wording that's right for your invitations is the one that feels honest to your relationship, your families, and how you actually want your day to be described. If you're not sure how to word something specific to your situation, that's exactly the kind of thing we help with every day.

Ready to design your invitations? Browse our full range of wedding invitation suites or get in touch for help wording yours.