Invitation Wording: Answering A Wedding Invitation

by Emily Post

Answering A Wedding Invitation

An invitation to the church only requires no answer whatever. An invitation to the reception or breakfast is answered on the first page of a sheet of note paper, and although it is written "by hand" the spacing of the words must be followed as though they were engraved. This is the form of acceptance:

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Gilding, Jr.,

accept with pleasure

Mr. and Mrs. John Huntington Smith's

kind invitation for

Tuesday the first of June

The regret reads:

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Brown

regret that they are unable to accept

Mr. and Mrs. John Huntington Smith's

kind invitation for

Tuesday the first of June

It is always special to receive a wedding invitation and the way we answer gives us an opportunity to show how honored we are to be invited. If the invitation is only to the wedding ceremony and not the reception, then you do not need to respond. However, if the invitation is to the reception then you should respond either using the response card if one is provided or by a handwritten note. This is not the time to quickly write a “Yes, I’ll be there” but take the time to write a formal respond which should be something like: Mr. and Mrs. William Jones, accept with pleasure Mr. and Mrs. Frank Smith’s kind invitation for, Monday the seventh of May.

When using a response card you only have to fill in the blanks. For example, a card might read M______, ____will attend, _______will not attend. The M stands for the first letter in either Mr., Mrs., or Ms. Fill in your name and check whether you will or will not be attending.

Sometimes for one reason or another you cannot attend a wedding and your regrets must be sent. If you have been supplied with a response card, simply check” will not attend”. You do not have to give a reason. However, if this is a family wedding you may feel you need to enclose a handwritten note. For a handwritten regret, you might write something like: Mr. and Mrs. Bill Smith, regret they are unable to accept. Mr. and Mrs. James Wilson’s, kind invitation for Sunday the sixth of August.

Whether you will or will not attend, it is rude to ignore the invitation and leaves the wedding planners wondering about food, favors, and space.
Special thanks to Emily Post on her wonderful tips on etiquette and invites.
Wedding Invitation Response