How to Word an Evening Wedding Invitation

Deciding who to invite to your wedding is a great challenge! Feeling the desire to celebrate with everyone you know is completely normal. Yet, your budget constraints and venue limitations often call for careful decisions. There might be people close to your heart whom you can't imagine not having at your wedding, but the guest count creates a limit. Hopefully, there’s a simple solution: move some guests to your evening wedding invitations. This way, you can strike a balance between having those essential people present and managing your expenses wisely.

Obviously, the decision of inviting guests to the entire wedding day or just the evening reception is entirely on you. Your guests won't get upset; finally, they'll be thrilled to celebrate with you. Friends understand budget constraints and will be happy to be part of your celebration in any way. Just ensure your evening wedding invites are clear to avoid any confusion if someone is invited to the reception only.

Evening Wedding Invites Etiquette

The etiquette for wedding evening invites emphasises ensuring that every guest, whether attending the entire day or just the evening festivities, feels welcomed. It aims to create a warm and inclusive atmosphere for all attendees. Here are some essential guidelines to keep in mind.

• Promote equality and inclusiveness by sending consistent invitations. Consider inviting family, friends, or colleagues from the same social circle to either the complete wedding or solely the reception. For instance, invite all your second cousins for the same duration to avoid any feelings of exclusion. This way, you’ll foster a sense of unity among attendees.

• If someone is invited to pre-wedding events like the hen party or bridal shower, it's courteous to invite them to the entire wedding day. In addition, all the guests who are invited to your ceremony must be at your wedding reception. It's not acceptable to have someone in your ceremony but not to invite them to your reception.

• If possible, personally greet your evening guests at the entrance or during the reception.

• Ensure there's ample comfortable seating for all your evening guests. If you have assigned seating, ensure they are seated with people they know or will get along with.  

• Additionally, ensure your evening guests feel welcomed with an abundance of drinks, snacks, canapés, a hog roast, or a BBQ. Also, make sure there's enough cake or a buffet dinner available to keep your evening guests happy.

• Provide them with small wedding favours as a token of appreciation for their attendance.

• To make evening guests feel special, reserve key wedding moments like the first dance, cake cutting or your firework display exclusively for the evening celebration. This ensures they are included in these memorable experiences. Additionally, consider saving heartfelt speeches or toasts for the evening, allowing all guests to partake in the emotional aspects of your celebration.

• Generally, it's not considered appropriate to include a gift registry with evening invitations. So, it's best to wait for your guests to enquire if they wish to know.

Evening Wedding Invitations

If some of your guests are only coming to the evening party of your wedding, you might want to send out separate invitations to them.

Evening invitations are just for the evening celebration and often say "Evening Invitation" on the front, while the "Wedding Invitation" is for those attending the whole day. Your evening wedding invitations can use similar wording as your day invitations and include some of the same important details. However, they will only provide information about the reception's time and venue.

You can opt for the same design for your evening invitations as your daytime ones and customise the wording. There's no necessity to select a different design, and it's wiser not to do so. After choosing your wedding invitations from a wide array of options, the next challenge is deciding on the wording for your invites, which can be a bit tricky.

Your wedding evening invites can have similar wording to your day invitations and contain some of the same key information. However, they will only relay information about the time and location of the reception. 

Every wedding invitation should consist of the following components:

• Host Names
• Couple's Names
• Date
• Time
• Location
• Reception information
• RSVP Information
• Dress Code

Evening Wedding Invitations Wording

Your evening invites should follow a comparable format to your wedding invitations. The key is to ensure that the details are presented clearly, indicating that it's an invitation exclusively for your evening reception.

When extending invitations specifically for the evening festivities, it's essential to ensure your wording is both warm and explicit. Be mindful of the tone, maintaining the excitement of the occasion while setting clear expectations. 

1. Start with a Warm Greeting

Show your sincere excitement about having your evening guests join you for the later part of your celebration. You can start your invitation with an inviting and heartfelt statement such as "Come share in the joy of..." or "Join us as we celebrate..."

2. Host Names

Mention the names of the hosts. For example, "Hosted by [Your Name] and [Your Partner's Name]..."

3. Event Details

Specify the date and time of the evening reception clearly. Indicate that it's an evening affair, using phrases like "Join us for the evening reception..." Clearly mention the starting time of the event along with additional information such as the venue address, transportation details, and dress code, if applicable.

4. RSVP Information

Include a deadline for RSVPs. Specify how guests can RSVP, whether it's by email, or through a wedding website.

5. Closing

End the invitation with a closing phrase like "We look forward to celebrating with you!" or "Your presence is our gift."

6. Additional Inserts (Optional)

If you have additional events or accommodations, consider including separate inserts with these details.

Remember, the wording can be adjusted based on the formality of your wedding and your personal preferences.

When to Send Evening Wedding Invitations

We recommend that you send your evening invitations at the same time as your daytime invitations. That way, people won’t be left wondering if they’ve been sent an invitation and you’ll give your guests plenty of time to plan and reply. 

Sample Evening Wedding Invitations

Parents Hosting:

Mr & Mrs Parker

kindly request the pleasure of the company of

[Guest's Name]

at an evening reception honouring

the union of their daughter

Emma Parker

and

William Anderson

The celebration will take place at

Minstrel Court, Cambridgeshire.

Mr & Mrs Parker

Cordially invite you to join them

Minstrel Court, Cambridgeshire

on Saturday, the 5th of September, 2024

at 8:30 PM

to celebrate the marriage of their daughter

Emma Parker

and

William Anderson.

Mr & Mrs Parker

would like you to invite

[Guest's Name]

to Minstrel Court, Cambridgeshire

on Saturday 5th September 2024

at 8.30pm

to celebrate the marriage of their daughter

Emma with William Anderson.

Mr & Mrs Parker

request the pleasure of the company of

[Guest's Name]

at Minstrel Court, Cambridgeshire

on Saturday 20th November 2024

at 6.00pm

to celebrate their daughter’s marriage.

Bride & Groom Hosting:

Emma & William

joyfully invite

[Guest's Name]

to an Evening Reception

to celebrate their wedding at

Minstrel Court, Cambridgeshire

on Saturday 15th May 2024

at 7.00pm.

Emma & William Anderson

request the pleasure of the company of

[Guest's Name]

at an Evening Reception to be held at

Minstrel Court, Cambridgeshire

on Saturday 8th August 2024

at 8.00pm.

Emma & William Anderson

We invite 

[Guest's Name]

to join us to celebrate our marriage

at an Evening Reception

on Friday 3rd December 2024

Minstrel Court, Royston, Cambridgeshire.