Wedding invitation wording: samples and what it must include

The wedding announcement is the first thing guests hold in their hands about your wedding. It hangs on the fridge for months and grandma keeps it in her album. That is why the wording deserves a little time. The good news: an announcement has a settled structure, so you do not have to invent anything from scratch. Just pick a tone that suits you and fill in your details.

Here you will find what belongs on the announcement, sample texts from traditional to funny, the wording of a reception invitation and when to send it all out. The samples follow Czech custom, which is useful if you are marrying in Czechia or sending a version to Czech relatives.

Wedding announcement and invitation: what is the difference

In Czechia, couples usually send two things in one envelope:

• The wedding announcement (svatební oznámení) tells people you are getting married: who, when and where the ceremony is. It goes to everyone you want to share the happy news with, including those who will not come: distant relatives, colleagues, neighbours.
• The invitation (pozvánka) is a small card tucked into the announcement that invites guests to the reception or the evening party. Only those you are expecting at the table get it.

This way you can announce the wedding to your whole extended family and invite only as many people as your budget and the venue can take. If you are inviting everyone to everything, one text that combines both is enough.

What a wedding announcement must include

• The couple’s names. First names are enough; add surnames if the announcement also goes to people further from you. The order is up to you, traditionally the bride comes first.
• The date with the day of the week, for example “Saturday 12 June 2027”. The day of the week saves guests a look at the calendar.
• The start time of the ceremony, not the time guests should arrive. Ask them to come early on your wedding website.
• The ceremony venue with the address, or at least the town: “at Liblice Chateau”, “at St James’ Church in Kutná Hora”.
• The reception venue, if it is somewhere else than the ceremony. It goes on the invitation.
• An RSVP request with a deadline: “Please RSVP by 30 April.” Without a deadline you will still be chasing answers a week before the wedding.
• Where guests can find more: the address of your wedding website or a QR code. A map, parking, accommodation, dress code and the programme do not fit on a card and should not be squeezed onto it.

What does not belong on the announcement: a gift list and a bank account number. Wishes about gifts belong on the wedding website, where you can explain them tactfully. The article how to give money as a wedding gift shows how.

Sample wedding announcement texts

You can take the samples as they are or build your own from them. The names, date and venue are only an example, replace them with yours.

Traditional

We are pleased to announce that on Saturday 12 June 2027 at 2 pm we will say yes at Liblice Chateau. Klára Nováková and Jan Dvořák

We joyfully announce that we will marry on Saturday 12 June 2027 at 2 pm at St James’ Church in Kutná Hora. Klára and Jan

From the parents

An older form that is still popular, especially when the parents are hosting and paying for the wedding:

Jana and Petr Novák and Marie and Josef Dvořák announce the marriage of their children Klára and Jan, which will take place on Saturday 12 June 2027 at 2 pm at Liblice Chateau.

Modern and personal

After eight years, two house moves and one dog, we want to make it official. We are getting married on 12 June 2027 at 2 pm at Liblice Chateau and we would love you to be there. Klára and Honza

So far we have only said yes to each other. Now we would love to say it again in front of you, on Saturday 12 June 2027 at 2 pm at Liblice Chateau.

Funny

We announce that on 12 June 2027 at 2 pm, Klára and Jan’s single life comes to an end. The farewell takes place at Liblice Chateau. No mourning required.

Jan took a long time to ask, Klára answered fast. We will seal it on Saturday 12 June 2027 at 2 pm at Liblice Chateau.

Balance a funny text with a discreet design and the other way round. And read it aloud to someone in the family: what is funny for the two of you may be lost on your great-aunt.

With a quote

Love is patient, love is kind. (1 Corinthians 13:4) We joyfully announce that we will marry on Saturday 12 June 2027 at 2 pm at St James’ Church in Kutná Hora. Klára and Jan

Choose a short quote so it does not overshadow your names and the date. Be careful with song lyrics and recent poems: they are usually protected by copyright and you may not print them on an announcement without permission.

Short, for a small card

We are getting married! Saturday 12 June 2027, 2 pm, Liblice Chateau. You will find the programme, a map and accommodation on our wedding website.

Reception invitation wording

The invitation is shorter and to the point. What, where and by when to reply is enough.

We warmly invite you to the wedding reception, which will follow the ceremony at the chateau restaurant. Please RSVP by 30 April 2027.

If you are inviting guests only to the evening party:

We would be delighted if you celebrated the evening with us. We start at 7 pm in the barn of the U Lípy farm. Please RSVP by 30 April 2027 on our wedding website.

Three sentences worth adding:

• An invitation for two: write the partner’s name on the envelope, or add “This invitation is for you and your partner”. Guests then do not have to guess.
• A wedding without children: “We have planned the celebration for adults only, thank you for understanding.” Calmly and without apologising. Let parents know early so they can arrange childcare.
• Food: “If you have an allergy or do not eat meat, please let us know when you RSVP.”

Formal or informal?

Czech has a formal and an informal “you”. People who are on formal terms write a capital V on the announcement (Vás, Vám) as a sign of respect. When the same text goes to a friend and to grandma, the plural form of address (“zveme vás”, we invite you all) fits couples and whole families alike. You can send friends an informal version, just do not put it in the envelope for your aunt. In English the question mostly disappears: a warm, slightly formal tone works for everyone.

Write the date and time the same way throughout: either “12 June 2027” or the short Czech form “12. 6. 2027”, and either “at 2 pm” or “at 14:00”. Just do not mix them.

When to send wedding announcements

• Save the date (an early notice of the date): send it about 9 months ahead, especially to guests from abroad and if you are marrying in peak season, which in Czechia means June, August and September.
• The announcement with the invitation: send it 4 to 5 months before the wedding, 3 months at the latest. Have your wedding website ready even earlier, so the address on the announcement leads to finished pages.
• The RSVP deadline: 4 to 6 weeks before the wedding. Venues and caterers usually want the final number of guests about 2 to 3 weeks ahead, and you need time for the seating chart.
• Design, proofreading and printing: allow 2 to 3 weeks of buffer.

Printed or online announcement?

You do not have to choose. A printed announcement is a keepsake people hold on to. An online invitation solves what paper cannot: replies, changes and information that does not fit on a card. Most couples today combine both: the announcement carries a QR code and the address of the wedding website, where guests RSVP and find everything else. Colleagues and guests abroad then just get the link by email.

With WeMarry you build and try out your wedding website for free (you pay once to publish it) and put its QR code straight on the announcement. With online invitations with RSVP, your guests’ replies collect themselves in one place, including allergies and accommodation requests, and you do not have to copy them from your phone into a spreadsheet.

Check before printing

• Do the date and the day of the week match? Check in a calendar, not from memory.
• Do the time and address match what is on your wedding website?
• Is the RSVP deadline there?
• Does the QR code work? Scan it with your phone from a printed proof, not from the screen.
• Are the names on the envelopes right, including titles and, in Czech, the feminine surname forms (Nováková, not Novák)?
• Has a third person read it? Typos in names and commas are best caught by fresh eyes.
• Printing a Czech version? Make sure no line ends with a one-letter preposition or conjunction (v, k, s, z). Czech typography considers it a mistake and on a printed card it stands out.

Once the announcement is finished, copy the same details to your website, so guests find the same thing on paper and on their phones.

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