What to include on a wedding invitation (and what goes on the website)

Deciding what to include on a wedding invitation is mostly a question of what a guest needs in hand to say yes and arrive at the right place on the right day. Everything else—hotel blocks, shuttle times, the menu, the story of how you met—can live somewhere easier to update. A useful rule holds almost everywhere: the invitation carries the facts that will not change, and your wedding website carries the facts that might, or that only some guests need.

What to include on a wedding invitation: the essentials

Whatever the language, faith or format, a complete invitation answers seven questions.

• Who is inviting. The host line tells guests whose celebration this is. In many English-speaking traditions, parents were once named as hosts; today couples often host themselves or write “together with their families”. In much of South Asia, cards commonly name both sets of parents and sometimes grandparents. Chinese invitations typically name the parents of both families. Follow what your families expect, not a template.
• The couple’s names. Use the names guests will recognise, and decide how formal to be before anything is printed.
• The occasion. Wedding ceremony, civil ceremony, nikah, church service, reception—say what the guest is actually being invited to.
• The date, including day and year. Writing the day of the week alongside the date catches mistakes, because a mismatch jumps out on proofreading.
• The start time. Give the time you want guests seated, in local time. Overseas guests will assume the venue’s time zone, but it never hurts to be unambiguous.
• The venue and town. The venue name and town are enough for most guests; add the full address if the place is hard to find or shares a name with somewhere else.
• How and by when to reply. A reply date and a method—a card, a phone number or an online form. If you are collecting replies online, our guide on how to word your wedding invitation when guests RSVP online covers the phrasing.

One thing the card itself does not need to say is exactly who is invited. That is the job of the envelope or the name printed on a personalised card. Addressing each invitation to the right household does more to prevent confusion about partners and children than any line of small print.

Details that change with culture, faith and family

Beyond the essentials, customs differ widely, and it is worth asking older relatives what they would expect to see.

Jewish invitations often give the Hebrew date alongside the civil one. Muslim invitations frequently open with the Bismillah or a short verse, and may list separate events such as the nikah and walima. Hindu wedding cards commonly begin with an invocation, often to Ganesha, and list each function—mehndi, sangeet, haldi, the ceremony—with its own time and place. Mexican and Filipino invitations often name the padrinos or principal sponsors, which is a mark of honour rather than decoration. Chinese invitations may show the lunar date as well as the Gregorian one. In Japan, a formal invitation traditionally arrives with a reply postcard enclosed.

Where a civil marriage is a separate legal step—in France, for example, the civil ceremony at the town hall must come before any religious ceremony—couples often invite a smaller group to one event and everyone to another. Make it obvious which events each guest is invited to, usually with separate insert cards rather than one crowded card.

If your families speak different languages, a bilingual card or two matching versions is a kind gesture. Check that names, dates and times agree exactly in both.

Optional extras that earn their place

A few additions are genuinely helpful when they apply.

• A reception line. “Dinner and dancing to follow” tells guests whether to plan for an evening, arrange childcare or book a room.
• A short dress code. Only if it matters: black tie, traditional dress welcome, or modest dress for a place of worship. Two or three words on the card; detail goes online.
• Your website address or a QR code. Keep the URL short enough to type, and test any code on several phones before printing.
• A simple map. Useful for rural venues where navigation apps struggle, though a website link can do the same job.

If an extra needs more than a line to explain, it is a sign it belongs elsewhere.

What belongs on the website instead

Your wedding website is where changeable and detailed information lives. It can be edited after the invitations are in the post, and guests can check it on the day itself. Consider moving these off the card:

• Travel and accommodation, including room-block codes and booking deadlines
• The full weekend schedule, especially for multi-day weddings
• Directions, parking, shuttle times and public transport
• Fuller dress-code guidance and what to expect from the weather
• Gift or registry information
• Answers to common questions: children, plus-ones, photography, accessibility
• Livestream details for guests who cannot travel
• Visa or invitation-letter information for international guests

Putting these online also keeps the invitation itself uncluttered, which matters more than it sounds: a guest who sees seven lines will read all seven, while a guest who sees thirty may miss the reply date.

What to leave off, or handle with care

Gift requests. In the UK, the US and Australia, mentioning gifts on the main card is widely considered awkward, so registry details usually go online or on a separate insert. In many other places—much of East Asia, parts of Europe and the Middle East among them—cash gifts are customary and understood without being stated. Wherever you are, if you mention gifts at all, keep it brief and gracious.

Anything likely to change. Shuttle times, the final menu and table plans are almost certain to shift. Printing them invites corrections later.

Long instructions or explanations. If you need to explain an adults-only celebration or an unplugged ceremony, address the envelope carefully and use the website for the gentle explanation.

A final check before printing

Before approving the proof, work through this list:

1. Read every line aloud, slowly.
2. Check that the day of the week matches the date.
3. Confirm the spelling of every name, including parents and sponsors, with the people themselves.
4. Spell the venue exactly as the venue spells it.
5. Set a reply date that leaves time before your caterer’s final numbers are due.
6. Type the website address on a phone and scan any QR code.
7. Ask someone from each family to read it, particularly for any religious or honorific wording.
8. Compare every language version line by line.

An invitation that answers the essentials clearly, honours the people who matter to you, and points everything else to one reliable place online will serve guests far better than one that tries to say it all.