Wedding invitation wording, with examples
The words on an invitation do two jobs. They tell your guests exactly where to be and when, and they set the tone of the day before anyone arrives. Here is what to include, with wording you can copy and change.
Updated 4 October 2026 · 6 minute read
What every invitation needs
Before the wording, the facts. An invitation that is missing one of these will bring you phone calls.
- Who is inviting: both families, the parents, or the two of you.
- Your names, spelt the way you want them remembered. By custom the bride’s name comes first.
- What the day is: a wedding, a roora or lobola day, a reception.
- The day, the date and the time. Write the day of the week as well as the date, so nobody comes on the wrong Saturday.
- The place, with enough for someone who has never been there: the venue, the suburb and the town.
- How to reply, and by when.
- Anything a guest must know before they dress or travel: the dress code, whether children are invited, where to park.
Who is inviting?
The first line says who is hosting, and it is where most couples get stuck. There are three usual answers.
- Both families together. “Together with their families” is the line most couples choose now. It is right when both families are helping, and it leaves nobody out.
- The parents. When parents are hosting, their names open the invitation. If both sets are hosting, name both, the bride’s parents first.
- The two of you. If you are hosting your own wedding, begin with your own names.
If a parent has passed away, many families still name them: “Tariro, daughter of Mrs Rudo Moyo and the late Mr Tendai Moyo”. Ask the family what they would like before you decide.
Wording you can copy
Change the names, the date and the place. Keep the order: who invites, who is marrying, when, where, and what follows.
Mr and Mrs Tendai Moyo
and
Mr and Mrs Sipho Ncube
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their children
Tariro & Tinashe
Saturday, 12 December 2026
at two o’clock in the afternoon
The Venue Avondale, Harare
A reception will follow
Together with their families
Tariro Moyo
&
Tinashe Ncube
invite you to celebrate their wedding
Saturday, 12 December 2026, at 2 pm
The Venue Avondale, Harare
Lunch and dancing to follow
Tariro & Tinashe
are getting married,
and they would love you to be there.
Saturday, 12 December 2026, at 2 pm
The Venue Avondale, Harare
Please reply by 21 November
With joy and thanksgiving to God
Tariro Moyo
&
Tinashe Ncube
invite you to witness their marriage
Saturday, 12 December 2026, at 10 am
[the name of your church], Harare
Reception to follow at The Venue Avondale
Wording for the roora or lobola day
The roora is held at the bride’s family home, so the invitation comes from her family. The list is usually shorter: relatives and close friends. Say what time guests should come. In many families the two sides talk first, in private, and the guests join for the celebration afterwards.
The Moyo family
invites you to the roora of their daughter
Tariro
to Tinashe Ncube
Saturday, 15 August 2026, from 1 pm
at the family home in Chitungwiza
Lunch will be served
Every family does this day in its own way. Ask the elders how they would like it worded before you send anything. Our guide to planning the roora day covers the rest.
A short message for WhatsApp
Most invitations here travel by WhatsApp, so write a message to go with the card. Keep it to three lines: the news, the day and place, and where to reply. There is more in our guide to invitations on WhatsApp.
Tariro and Tinashe are getting married!
Saturday 12 December 2026, 2 pm, The Venue Avondale, Harare.
All the details, directions and your reply are here: [your link]
Adding a line in Shona or Ndebele
One line in your home language makes an English invitation feel like yours. Keep it short, and put it first or last.
- Shona: “Tinokukokai kumuchato wedu.” (We invite you to our wedding.)
- Ndebele: “Siyalimema emtshadweni wethu.” (We invite you to our wedding.)
Ask an elder to read it before you send it. They will know how your family says it.
The details that save you phone calls
- The reply date. “Please reply by 21 November.” Three weeks before the day gives your caterer real numbers. Say how to reply: a link, or a name and a number.
- Who is invited. Write the names of everyone the invitation is for: “Mr and Mrs Dube”, or “Rumbi and guest”. It answers the question before it is asked.
- Dress. “Dress: formal”, or “African attire welcome”.
- Children. “Children are welcome”, or “We love your little ones, but this will be a celebration for adults.”
- Gifts. These do not belong on the card. If people ask: “Your presence is the gift. If you would like to give, the details are on our wedding page.”
- Directions. Send a map link with the invitation, not the week before.
When to send it
- As soon as the date is set, tell family who live abroad. Flights for December and for the holidays fill early, and they need time to ask for leave.
- Six to eight weeks before, send the invitation itself.
- Two to three weeks before, ask for the last replies, and follow up the people who have not answered.
Mistakes that are easy to make
- A date with no day of the week, or a day that does not match the date.
- A venue with no suburb or town.
- No reply date, so the replies come in the week of the wedding.
- Two versions going round on WhatsApp after something changed. Share one link that always shows the latest details.
Putting it on your invitation
On Murudo Weddings you choose a card from fifteen designs and write its opening line, such as “Together with their families”. Your names, the date and the place come from your wedding’s details, so your card and your page always say the same thing. The card shows as the picture beside your link on WhatsApp, and your guests reply in one tap. It is free to start.
