Traditionally, invitations are sent out by the parents of the bride and the first sentence used to read like this: “Mr and Mrs Brown would like to invite you to celebrate with them the marriage of their daughter Mary to Jakob on 20 May 2018 at Edinburgh Castle”

However, nowadays, invitations can be sent by the couple themselves and not mention the parents’ names, or if you want to be more traditional, you can include your parents' names. Many couples plan their wedding for one to two years in advance that they even send out save-the-date cards, or little fridge magnets, to their wedding guests, so people can put the date in the calendar.

The following things need to be included:

The names of the bride and groom: Include both your full names. Often there are people at your wedding for whom it is the first time they meet the other half, and it’s nice for them to know the full name.

The wedding day and date. If you put down 12 May, and it’s a Tuesday, it can be best to say Tuesday, 12th May, so that people are aware it’s a mid-week wedding. 

RSVP - how to and by what date. Let your guests know how they can respond to your invite and by which date you need to know if they will accept your invitation or need to decline.

Day or evening invite: Many couples have their closest family and friends attend the full wedding day. These are the ones that would receive a day invitation. Your colleagues or friends from the craft club or rugby team might only be invited for the evening reception. 

The time: Give your guests the start time of the ceremony, so they can be there on time.

Location: if you have split locations, such as a church for the ceremony and a hotel for the reception, the invitation should include the venue’s names. You might want to include an additional piece of paper with location instructions if your venue is hard to find, or if you are getting married at the beach, for example.

Transport: Some couples provide transport for their wedding guests. If the venue is on the outskirts of a city, they might organise a bus to pick up all their guests in the city centre an hour before the ceremony. You might also give people the option to take the bus back  after the party is finished. 

Meal choices: Some couples give their guests two meal choices, and they can already decide their options before the wedding. Other invites simply have a vegetarian tick box so you can let your catering team know how many vegetarian dishes need to be provided. 

Your contact details: Allow people to contact you if they have any questions. You could set up a wedding email address with Google or Hotmail which you both can keep an eye on. Also give them a phone number. Especially older relatives might want to give you a call.

Dress code: If there is a particular dress code for your wedding - let your guests know.

Wedding presents: Let your guests know if there is a wedding gift list available online or if you prefer cash presents. 

Over to you: Design to your heart’s content!