Traditional
Mr and Mrs Vikram Rao
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their daughter
Priya & Etienne
The classic sequence: the hosts, the request, “their daughter”, then the couple. Nothing to add and nothing to argue with.
When the bride’s parents are hosting
The oldest form of the invitation, and still the commonest on formal paper: her parents host, so their names come first and the request is theirs. It works the same when two brides marry: whichever parents host say “their daughter”.
Warm
Anita and Vikram Rao
would love you to join them
for the wedding of their daughter
Priya & Etienne
Both parents by their first names, and a sentence that sounds like them rather than like a printer.
Modern
Anita and Vikram Rao
invite you to the wedding of
Priya & Etienne
One host line, one request line, the names. Formal enough for the hosts, short enough for the card.
What people ask
- Should the groom’s parents be mentioned too?
- Not as hosts, if they are not hosting. If they are sharing the hosting, use the both-families wording. If not, a line on your website is the kind place for them.
- “Mr and Mrs Vikram Rao” or “Anita and Vikram Rao”?
- The first is the formal convention; the second names both parents and is now widely accepted, even on a formal card. Use one form throughout.
- Do we use her surname?
- Not when her parents host: their name already says it. Her partner’s full name is the one given in full.
Last checked 4 October 2026.
Your names, every piece of paper
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