Wedding Invitation Etiquette – Part 1

This article is the first in a series on wedding stationery etiquette and special thanks goes to The Letter Press of Cirencester for letting us reproduce their guide.  All the images in the articles are Letter press of Cirencester designs which are available from their website.

The Etiquette of Wedding Stationery
The etiquette of wedding stationery should combine convention with convenience. The Letter Press of Cirencester have found that their customers want “to do it the right way”, at the same time as communicating clearly the information guests need. There are, however, different conventions you can choose to follow, as well as different ideas about styles of wording adopted. As a general rule, keep it simple.

Wording of Invitations
What is “correct” wording? There is no black or white answer. Taste is more important than dogma: ‘o’ clock’ is as correct as ‘pm’, but ‘3.30 o’clock’ sounds clumsy. ‘To’ and ‘with’ mean the same, but nowadays ‘with’ may sound old-fashioned. ‘At All Saints’, Stanton Fitzwarren’ is as clear as ‘at All Saints’ Church, Stanton Fitzwarren’ and probably looks neater on the page.
Clarity and simplicity are important. There should be no doubt in guests’ minds as the what, where and when of the invitation. However, avoid repetition, such as the following:

at the Church of St Mary, Ampney Crucis,
Cirencester, Gloucestershire
on Saturday, 13th June 2009
at 3 o’clock
and afterwarsd at
Field Barn, Ampney Crucis,
Cirencester, Gloucestershire

R.S.V.P. Field Barn, Ampney Crucis, Cirencester

It is not necessary to repeat the address three times: your guests are intelligent enough to understand the following, simpler in wording and more pleasing in design:

at the Church of St Mary, Ampney Crucis,
on Saturday, 13th June 2009
at 3 o’clock
and afterwards at
Field Barn

R.S.V.P. Field Barn, Ampney Crucis, Cirencester

In Part 2 of this series we will look at the different styles of wording and options available depending on who will be hosting the wedding