a wedding evening invitation with a sky blue floral design in the corners

How to word evening wedding invitations

Here are my pro tips on how to word your evening wedding invitations. I will lay out what details you need to include in them, and some suggestions for additional information to add. I will also give you some suggestions on wording styles and formats depending on who is hosting the reception and whether it’s a formal, traditional affair or contemporary, relaxed celebration.

a wedding evening invitation with mauve floral design

What details do you need on your evening wedding invitations?

Your evening-only guests will probably need less information than those that will join you all day. The evening invitations are usually, therefore, a lot more simple. Often a pared-back version of the day invitation. It should be quite obvious, from the wording used, that an evening wedding invitation is not an invitation to the full day celebration. These are the important details you need to include, regardless of the style of wording you use.

Host names
Who is doing the inviting? Couple, parents, someone else?

Who is the celebration for?
This will be the happy couple

Date, time, and venue for the wedding evening wedding reception
You can also include a ‘carriages at’ time if you like, you your guests know what time to book their taxi

RSVP
How to reply (for example via a website, or by phone or email), and when by

Do you need to include an extra information? There is no right or wrong answer here, and it really depends on your celebration. Some couples choose to add additional details about accommodation, transport, and even gift lists. And this info can be added in various ways e.g. print on the back of the invitation, additional cards, a link (possibly a QR code) to a wedding website. I put together the checklist below with ‘all day’ wedding invitations in mind, but it can be handy to look over when you are putting together your evening invitations too.

Click here to read more about what time to put on your evening wedding invitations
Click here to find out what to include in your wedding invitation details card

How to word your evening wedding invitations

So, you have all the important details down. Now, how you actually word your evening invitations will depend on the sort of celebration you are holding. A formal, black tie evening reception will have very different wording on the invitation to a relaxed barbeque in a marquee. Here are my suggestions for how to word evening wedding invitations.

evening wedding invitation with a modern greenery swag design and a grey border

Traditional, formal evening wedding invitation wording

Here the bride’s parents are hosting, for a more formal evening reception. This can easily be adapted if the groom’s parents are hosting

Dr & Mrs T R Thomas
request the pleasure of the company of
………………………………………
at an
EVENING RECEPTION
to celebrate the marriage of their daughter
Joanne
to
Mr Richard Shaddick
at
The New House Country Hotel
Thornhill, Cardiff
on
Friday, 24th August 2025
at 7.00pm

Carriages at midnight

RSVP by 25th May 2025
07070 123456 or wedding@email.com

an evening wedding invitation with blush pink flowers at the top and bottom

How to word evening wedding invitations for a more relaxed celebration

It’s very likely that you, as a couple, will be the hosts for your evening wedding reception. If so then you can use a wording like this. You can adapt this to be more formal by including your surnames, and the ‘request the pleasure’ wording shown in the example above.

Thomas & Richard
would be delighted if
……………………………………………………………….………………..
would join them for an
EVENING RECEPTION
to celebrate their marriage
at
Canada Lodge and Lake, Creigiau
on
Friday, 24th August 2025
from
7.00pm until 12.30am

RSVP by 25th May 2025
via weddingwebsite.com/tomdick

an evening wedding invitation with pretty blue and pink floral details

Do you have to write the guest names on your evening wedding invitations?

You don’t HAVE to, no. But I always advise doing so if you need the invitation to be specific. For example, if you give an invitation to a family of four people (two parents, two teenage children), they could assume that the whole family is invited, while you meant only for the parents (or the children) to attend. Including names on the invitation will avoid this awkward situation. Both of the examples above have a line for you write in your guests’ names.

You can, of course, just write the names on the envelope and choose a more general wording like this. Again, this style can be adapted to me more formal if you want to.

Zoe & Laura
invite you to join them at an
EVENING RECEPTION
to celebrate their marriage
at
St. Tewdrics House, Chepstow
on
Friday, 24th August 2025
from
7.00pm until 12.30am

RSVP by 25th May 2025
Z: 07070 123456

So that’s my super simple guide to how to word evening wedding invitations. I hope you’ve found it useful. Remember that each of the suggestions I have made here are exactly that, suggestions. When it comes to your invitations choose a wording style that works for you and your individual celebration. Whether that’s formal and traditional, or relaxed and contemporary. The important part is that you include all the important details that your guests will need to be in the right place at the right time to celebrate your big day with you.

evening wedding invitations with a pine cone and evergreen design, shown with a recycled kraft brown envelope

Your all day guests won’t need separate evening invitations

Remember that evening wedding invitations are the ones you will send to those extra guests you would just like to join you for the ‘after party’. Your nearest and dearest, who will have been with you all day for the ceremony and reception (wedding breakfast) will not need a separate evening invitation. Their full day wedding invitation should let them know that the celebration continues into the evening.

Click here for wording ideas for ‘all day’ wedding invitations

I have a few other blogs about evening wedding invitations that you will find useful. Do go and have a read:

When you choose me to make your wedding invitations and stationery, wording is one of the things I will guide you through step by step. Not only that, I will advise on things like when to send your wedding invitations, ensuring you order the right quantity, and all those other bits of stationery that you need and/or want for your big day. I offer a fully personalised service and I’m there every step of the way to answer your questions.

Ready to find out more, book a studio visit, or arrange a call with me?

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