If you are Christian, your wedding ceremony is more than just a public exchanging of vows between a husband and wife. It is a sacred covenant made before God.

Your wedding invitation is the first glimpse that your guests will have of your wedding, so it makes sense, if you are Christian, to include Bible scripture, religious wording and religious imagery as an integral part of the design.

But what is proper etiquette when wording your Christian wedding invitation? And what are the best Bible verses to use? I have put this guide together to help you!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Anatomy of a Christian Wedding Invitation

Christian Wedding Invitations with Basic Wording (Bride’s Parents Hosting, Both Parents Hosting, Bride and Groom Hosting, Deceased Parent/s, Divorced Parents, Someone Special)

Christian Wedding Invitations with Spiritual Wording

Catholic Wedding Invitation Wording

Bible Verses for Christian Wedding Invitations

ANATOMY OF A CHRISTIAN WEDDING INVITATION

The wording on a Christian wedding invitation is essentially the same as any other wedding invitation. However, I thought it would be helpful to begin with the basics before we dive into customizing your invitation with spiritually significant wording.

1. Host Line – This indicates who is hosting the wedding and can sometimes be tricky if there are divorced parents. It can include the bride’s parents, the groom’s parents, both sets of parents or the bride and groom themselves. The following information provides you with the basics of etiquette. For a more complete example of how to do the wording on your wedding invitation, please see the next section, Christian Wedding Invitation with Basic Wording.

• Married Parents: Mr. and Mrs. Richard Davenport
• Married Parents with Title: Except for Mr., Mrs. and Ms., all titles should be spelled out fully for the most formal wording. PhDs do not use the title “Dr.” on wedding invitations, since, according to etiquette, it is not a social title. Ex. Doctor and Mrs. Richard Davenport, Doctor Margaret and Mr. Richard Davenport, Lieutenant Colonel and Mrs. Richard Davenport, The Honourable Judge and Mrs. Richard Davenport
• Divorced Parents: Mrs./Ms. Margaret (Current Name). Mr. Richard Davenport (written on next line).
• Remarried Parents: (only father remarried) Ms. Margaret (Current Name) along with Mr. and Mrs. Richard Davenport, (only mother remarried) Mr. and Mrs. Edward Bennington along with Mr. Richard Davenport, (both parents remarried) Mr. and Mrs. Edward Bennington along with Mr. and Mrs. Richard Davenport
• Widowed Parents: Mrs. Margaret Davenport and the late Mr. Richard Davenport.
• Someone Special:  Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Davenport request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their granddaughter/niece/sister etc.

2. Request Line – The request line is going to be formal for a Christian wedding ceremony. Use “Mr. and Mrs. Richard Davenport request the honour/honor of your presence”, which is reserved for religious spaces. (Please note: the British spelling of the word “honour” is preferred.). Wording such as “Mr. and Mrs. Richard Davenport request the pleasure of your company”, and similar variations, is for non-religious venues. If you would like to be a bit more creative than using just the basic wording, take a look at the section Christian Wedding Invitations with Spiritual Wording.

3. Bride’s Name – The bride’s name is listed first. Only her first and middle names are needed if her parents’ names are mentioned first. First, middle and last name or First and Last name may be used if the parents’ names are not mentioned. If the bride is a medical doctor or member of the military, her title should be included and spelled out, i.e. Captain Rebecca Elizabeth Davenport or Doctor Rebecca Elizabeth Davenport.

4. Groom’s Name – For the groom as well, use his first and middle names only if his parents’ names are included on the invitation. First, middle and last name or First and Last name may be used if the parents’ names are not mentioned. If the groom is a medical doctor or member of the military, his title should be included and spelled out, i.e. Captain Samuel John Thornton or Doctor Samuel John Thornton.

5. Date and Time – Spell out the month, day, year and time for formal invitations (it is OK to use numbers, but is not recommended). Only the day of the week (i.e Saturday) and the name of the month should be capitalized, not the year. For the year there is no “and” (i.e. two thousand twenty-two, NOT two thousand AND twenty-two). For the time use “half after three” NOT “half past three” or “three-thirty”. There is no need to use “o’clock” or “in the afternoon” or “in the evening”.

6. Location – List the name and address of your church. It is appropriate to omit the street address if it won’t cause confusion. The city and state (like everything else) should be spelled out. Use the city and state of the location unless all guests are local.

7. Reception – You can include a line about the reception on your invitation or use a reception enclosure to provide this information. You may also include a wedding website enclosure that directs guests to your wedding website for more information about your reception.

CHRISTIAN WEDDING INVITATIONS WITH BASIC WORDING

To make it easier for you to find the right wording for your Christian wedding invitation, I first provide you with variations for the Hosting line using the most traditional and formal wording. Remember that when you are getting married in a church, it is customary to use the wording “request the honour/honor of your presence” rather than “request the pleasure of your company”.

1) BRIDE’S PARENTS HOSTING

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Davenport
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter

Rebecca Elizabeth

to

Samuel John Thornton

Saturday, the fourteenth of April
two thousand twenty-two
at half after three

East End Church of Christ
East Hampton, New York

Reception to follow

2) BOTH PARENTS HOSTING

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Davenport
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter

Rebecca Elizabeth

to

Samuel John

son of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Thornton
Saturday, the fourteenth of April
two thousand twenty-two
at half after three

East End Church of Christ
East Hampton, New York

Reception to follow

OR

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Davenport
along with Mr. and Mrs. John Thornton
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their children

Rebecca Elizabeth

to

Samuel John

Saturday, the fourteenth of April
two thousand twenty-two
at half after three

East End Church of Christ
East Hampton, New York

Reception to follow

3) BRIDE AND GROOM HOSTING

Rebecca Elizabeth Davenport

and

Samuel John Thornton

Request the honour of your presence
at their marriage

Saturday, the fourteenth of April
two thousand twenty-two
at half after three

East End Church of Christ
East Hampton, New York

Reception to follow

4) DECEASED PARENT/S

If you would like to honour a deceased parent by including him or her on your wedding invitation, consider the following two examples.

Mrs. Michelle Davenport
requests the honour of your presence
at the marriage of her daughter

Rebecca Elizabeth
daughter of the late Mr. Richard Davenport

to

Samuel John Thornton

Saturday, the fourteenth of April
two thousand twenty-two
at half after three

East End Church of Christ
East Hampton, New York

Reception to follow

OR

Rebecca Elizabeth Davenport
daughter of Mrs. Michelle Davenport
and the late Mr. Richard Davenport

and

Samuel John Thornton
son of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Thornton

request the honour of your presence
as they exchange wedding vows
and become husband and wife

Saturday, the fourteenth of April
two thousand twenty-two
at half after three

East End Church of Christ
East Hampton, New York

Reception to follow

5) DIVORCED PARENTS

This can sometimes be tricky, but the following wording solutions work well. You may, instead, choose one of the Bride and Groom Hosting wording samples provided above, which are all-inclusive and make things simpler.

BRIDE’S PARENTS DIVORCED no. 1 – no stepparents mentioned

Mrs. (or Ms.) Margaret (Current Last Name)
Mr. Richard Davenport
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter

Rebecca Elizabeth

to

Samuel John Thornton

Saturday, the fourteenth of April
two thousand twenty-two
at half after three

East End Church of Christ
East Hampton, New York

Reception to follow

BRIDE’S PARENTS DIVORCED no. 2 – both parents remarried

Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Armitage
along with Mr. and Mrs. Richard Davenport
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter

Rebecca Elizabeth

to

Samuel John Thornton

Saturday, the fourteenth of April
two thousand twenty-two
at half after three

East End Church of Christ
East Hampton, New York

Reception to follow

BRIDE’S PARENTS DIVORCED no. 3 – mother remarried, father not remarried

Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Armitage
along with Mr. Richard Davenport
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter

Rebecca Elizabeth

to

Samuel John Thornton

Saturday, the fourteenth of April
two thousand twenty-two
at half after three

East End Church of Christ
East Hampton, New York

Reception to follow

BRIDE’S PARENTS DIVORCED no. 4 – mother not remarried, father remarried

Ms. Margaret (Current Last Name)
along with Mr. and Mrs. Richard Davenport
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter

Rebecca Elizabeth

to

Samuel John Thornton

Saturday, the fourteenth of April
two thousand twenty-two
at half after three

East End Church of Christ
East Hampton, New York

Reception to follow

6) SOMEONE SPECIAL

When the host is a special family member rather than the parents of the bride or groom, use one of the following examples.

SOMEONE SPECIAL no. 1: PATERNAL GRANDPARENTS AS HOST

With joyful hearts
Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Davenport
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their granddaughter

Rebecca Elizabeth

to

Samuel John Thornton

Saturday, the fourteenth of April
two thousand twenty-two
at half after three

East End Church of Christ
East Hampton, New York

Reception to follow

SOMEONE SPECIAL no. 2: MATERNAL GRANDPARENTS AS HOST

Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Thompson
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their granddaughter

Rebecca Elizabeth Davenport

to

Samuel John Thornton

son of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Thornton

Saturday, the fourteenth of April
two thousand twenty-two
at half after three

East End Church of Christ
East Hampton, New York

Reception to follow

SOMEONE SPECIAL no. 3: AUNT/UNCLE/BROTHER/SISTER OR ANYONE ELSE AS HOST

Ms. Patricia Ainsworth
requests the honour of your presence
at the marriage of her niece

Rebecca Elizabeth Davenport

to

Samuel John Thornton

Son of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Thornton

Saturday, the fourteenth of April
two thousand twenty-two
at half after three

East End Church of Christ
East Hampton, New York

Reception to follow

CHRISTIAN WEDDING INVITATIONS WITH SPIRITUAL WORDING

The examples provided above are a good place to start, but if you want to make your Christian wedding invitations more personal and meaningful, there are many ways to do that. First, I will give you some examples of invitations with spiritual wording. Then I will provide a series of Bible verses that are perfect for wedding invitations. I will provide all the examples below in the format of Bride and Groom hosting, but they can easily be modified for Bride’s Parents Hosting, Both Parents Hosting or any of the hosting options I indicated above.

Christian Wedding Invitation Wording no. 1

Together with their parents

Rebecca Elizabeth

and

Samuel John Thornton

request the honour of your presence
as they vow their lives to one another
and become united as one in Christ

Saturday, the fourteenth of April
two thousand twenty-two
at half after three

East End Church of Christ
East Hampton, New York

Reception to follow

Christian Wedding Invitation Wording no. 2

Brought together in friendship and love

Rebecca Elizabeth Davenport

and

Samuel John Thornton

will be united in Christ as husband and wife
in their joyous submission to God’s loving plan
for their lives

Saturday, the fourteenth of April
two thousand twenty-two
at half after three

East End Church of Christ
East Hampton, New York

Reception to follow

Christian Wedding Invitation Wording no. 3

Desiring God’s will for their lives
and believing that includes their union
as husband and wife

Rebecca Elizabeth Davenport

and

Samuel John Thornton

invite you to witness the vows
that will join them as one in Christ

Saturday, the fourteenth of April
two thousand twenty-two
at half after three

East End Church of Christ
East Hampton, New York

Reception to follow

Christian Wedding Invitation Wording no. 4

Their lives have been blessed
by their love for each other
and their faith in the Lord

Rebecca Elizabeth Davenport

and

Samuel John Thornton

joyfully invite you to attend
their wedding ceremony
as they exchange vows and become
husband and wife

Saturday, the fourteenth of April
two thousand twenty-two
at half after three

East End Church of Christ
East Hampton, New York

Reception to follow

Christian Wedding Invitation Wording no. 5

Blessed be the tie that binds
our hearts in Christian love
The fellowship of kindred minds
is like to that above

Rebecca Elizabeth Davenport

and

Samuel John Thornton

together with their parents
request the honour of your presence
as they exchange vows and become
husband and wife

Saturday, the fourteenth of April
two thousand twenty-two
at half after three

East End Church of Christ
East Hampton, New York

Reception to follow

Christian Wedding Invitation Wording no. 6

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Davenport
request the honour of your presence
at the ceremony in which their daughter

Rebecca Elizabeth

and

Samuel John Thornton

will unite for eternity in Christ

Saturday, the fourteenth of April
two thousand twenty-two
at half after three

East End Church of Christ
East Hampton, New York

Reception to follow

Christian Wedding Invitation Wording no. 7

God has led two lives to journey
along the same path

Rebecca Elizabeth Davenport

and

Samuel John Thornton

invite you to share in their joy
as they unite in the holy covenant
of marriage

Saturday, the fourteenth of April
two thousand twenty-two
at half after three

East End Church of Christ
East Hampton, New York

Reception to follow

Christian Wedding Invitation Wording no. 8

Rebecca Elizabeth Davenport

and

Samuel John Thornton

request the honour of your presence
as they exchange vows and ask for
God’s blessing upon their union
as husband and wife

Saturday, the fourteenth of April
two thousand twenty-two
at half after three

East End Church of Christ
East Hampton, New York

Reception to follow

Christian Wedding Invitation Wording no. 9

Having been blessed by God
with love and friendship

Rebecca Elizabeth Davenport

and

Samuel John Thornton

request the honour of your presence
as they exchange vows and become
husband and wife

Saturday, the fourteenth of April
two thousand twenty-two
at half after three

East End Church of Christ
East Hampton, New York

Reception to follow

Christian Wedding Invitation Wording no. 10

God has led two lives to take one path
united in friendship and love

Rebecca Elizabeth Davenport

and

Samuel John Thornton

joyfully invite you to witness
the joining of their lives as one in Christ

Saturday, the fourteenth of April
two thousand twenty-two
at half after three

East End Church of Christ
East Hampton, New York

Reception to follow

Christian Wedding Invitation Wording no. 11

Two hearts entwined by God’s love
Two lives made one in Christ

Rebecca Elizabeth Davenport

and

Samuel John Thornton

invite you to share in their joy
as they become husband and wife

Saturday, the fourteenth of April
two thousand twenty-two
at half after three

East End Church of Christ
East Hampton, New York

Reception to follow

Christian Wedding Invitation Wording no. 12

Two lives, two hearts,
joined together in friendship,
and united for eternity in God’s love

Rebecca Elizabeth Davenport

and

Samuel John Thornton

joyfully invite you to witness the vows
that will make them husband and wife

Saturday, the fourteenth of April
two thousand twenty-two
at half after three

East End Church of Christ
East Hampton, New York

Reception to follow

CATHOLIC WEDDING INVITATION WORDING

Catholic wedding ceremonies use slightly different wording than Christian ceremonies. The following are a few examples. You may also choose to incorporate some of the spiritual wording used in the Christian Wedding Invitation Wording examples above.

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Davenport
along with Mr. and Mrs. John Thornton
request the honour of your presence
as their children

Rebecca Elizabeth

and

Samuel John

are united in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony

Saturday, the fourteenth of April
two thousand twenty-two
at half after three

Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church
East Hampton, New York

Reception to follow

OR

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Davenport
request the honour of your presence
at the nuptial Mass in which their daughter

Rebecca Elizabeth

and

Samuel John Thornton

will be united in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony

Saturday, the fourteenth of April
two thousand twenty-two
at half after three

Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church
East Hampton, New York

Reception to follow

OR

Together with our families
we invite you to share in the joy
at the Nuptial Mass uniting

Rebecca Elizabeth Davenport

to

Samuel John Thornton

in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony

Saturday, the fourteenth of April
two thousand twenty-two
at half after three

Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church
East Hampton, New York

Reception to follow

OR

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Davenport
request the honor of your presence
at the Nuptial Mass uniting their daughter

Rebecca Elizabeth

to

Samuel John Thornton

in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony

Saturday, the fourteenth of April
two thousand twenty-two
at half after three

Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church
East Hampton, New York

Reception to follow

BIBLE VERSES FOR CHRISTIAN WEDDING INVITATIONS

There are many beautiful Bible verses that you can use to add meaning to your Christian wedding invitations. These verses are usually added at the top of the invitation and may or may not be used as a decorative element.

Wedding Bible Verse 1

And now these three remain: Faith, hope, love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13

Wedding Bible Verse 2

I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine
Song of Solomon 6:3

Wedding Bible Verse 3

What God has joined together, let man not separate.
Mark 10:9

Wedding Bible Verse 4

Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
1 Corinthians 13:7-8

Wedding Bible Verse 5

Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4

Wedding Bible Verse 6

I have found the one whom my soul loves.
Song of Solomon 3:4

Wedding Bible Verse 7

And the two shall become one.
Genesis 2:24

Wedding Bible Verse 8

Do everything in love.
1 Corinthians 16:14

Wedding Bible Verse 9

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
1 John 4:16

Wedding Bible Verse 10

Be completely humble and gentle; Be patient, bearing with one another in love.
Ephesians 4:2

Wedding Bible Verse 11

We love because he first loved us.
1 John 4:19

Wedding Bible Verse 12

Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away.
Song of Solomon 8:7

Wedding Bible Verse 13

God has poured out his love into our hearts.
Romans 5:5

Wedding Bible Verse 14

I hold you in my heart, for we have shared together God’s blessings.
Philippians 1:7

Wedding Bible Verse 15

So she became his wife, and he loved her.
Genesis 24:64

Wedding Bible Verse 16

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.
Romans 12:10

Wedding Bible Verse 17

My beloved is mine and I am his.
Song of Songs 2:16

Wedding Bible Verse 18

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
John 4:7

Wedding Bible Verse 19

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
John 15:12

Wedding Bible Verse 20

My beloved said to me, “Get up, my true love, my beautiful one, and come with me.
Song of Solomon 2:10

I hope you have found this post useful and have drawn inspiration from it for your own Christian wedding invitations. Please share in the comments how you worded your Christian wedding invitations and what Bible verses you have used in your own wedding day stationery. I would be interested to know!