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Lauren Conrad’s Guide To Wedding Invitation Etiquette

LaurenConrad.com
January 16, 2014, 11:15 PM
01_24_Day02_538Photographed by Winnie Au.
From her laid-back, effortless style to a fresh, ahead-of-the-trend beauty aesthetic, Lauren Conrad is a girl after our own heart. So, each week, the born-and-bred California girl and editor-in-chief of LaurenConrad.com will share with us her insider secrets and personal musings. Plus, check out her visually stunning guest pinning here! Next up, Lauren gives us a comprehensive guide to wedding invitation wording.
After getting engaged, I couldn’t wait to begin planning my wedding. It’s been fun so far, but I’ve also realized how much work it can be. That said, I wanted to make things easy by sharing a few of my own planning tips and tricks on LaurenConrad.com this year. And today, I’m talking invitations.
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When you’re selecting your wedding invitations, there’s a lot more to consider than just printing techniques and paper stocks. Just like every other step in the wedding planning process, there are rules of etiquette for how your invitations should be worded. There’s a lot to consider, but I tried to make things easy by breaking it down into bullet points. Without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about wording your wedding invitations.

Who’s Hosting?
Traditionally the bride’s parents are the hosts, but nowadays anything goes.
If the bride’s parents are paying for the bulk of the wedding costs, include their names on the invitation. For example, “Mr. and Mrs. Jim Conrad request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their daughter Lauren Katherine to William Tell…”

If the groom’s parents are the ones hosting, include their names instead. In this case, the groom’s name can be listed before the bride’s.
If both sets of parents are contributing to the wedding equally, opt for the language, “Together with their families, Lauren Katherine Conrad and William Tell request the pleasure of your company at their marriage…”
If the couple is hosting, word your invitation like this: “Lauren Katherine Conrad and William Tell request the pleasure of your company at their marriage…”
You can honor the set of parents who are not hosting by including their names below the names of the couple, preceded by “son of” or “daughter of.”

When is it Happening?
Tradition dictates that you should spell out numbers in the date, like, “on Saturday, the second of June, two thousand and twelve.”

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You should also spell out numerals in the times. If your wedding begins on the half-hour, use the language “half after five o’clock.”
Instead of saying a.m or p.m., a formal invitation should say “in the morning” or “in the evening.”
02_MichilleAlan2Photographed by Alexandra R. Gavillet.

Addressing Your Invitations
The names of married couples belong on one line, unless they won’t fit. The names of unmarried couples belong on two separate lines, and always spell out “street,” “avenue,” “apartment,” etc. If you’re giving someone a plus one, try your best to find out the name of their guest and include it on the envelope.

Have the return address printed on the back flap rather than the upper left-hand corner. Check out The Knot’s guide to addressing invitations for even more specifics.

A Few More Things
The line-breaks on an invitation act as punctuation, so there’s no need for commas or periods. Only proper nouns and the first word of a line that stands alone need to be capitalized.

If your ceremony is in a church or temple, you can use the phrase “request the honor of your presence” instead of “request the pleasure of your company.”
Jewish weddings traditionally invite guests to the wedding of the bride “and” the groom. Christian and Catholic weddings invite guests to the wedding of the bride “to” the groom.
Want to let guests know what to wear to your event? You can include an optional attire line in the bottom right hand corner. Options include black-tie, black-tie optional, beach formal, and cocktail attire.
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Never include mentions of a registry on the wedding invitation. It’s considered rude.
I hope that helps! If you have any friends who are getting married, be sure to send them a link to this post. And, pin the image above to your Pinterest wedding board so you can pull up these facts the next time you need them!
What would your ideal wedding invitations look like?
XO Lauren

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