When it is small and family only

With twenty guests or fewer, the invitation can afford to be personal. Many small weddings skip formal wording entirely and write as the couple would speak, because everyone receiving it knows them well.

Traditional Warm Modern

Traditional

Priya & Etienne
request the pleasure of your company
at their marriage
Saturday, the twelfth of June
at four o’clock

Small does not mean informal. The couple as hosts and “the pleasure of your company”: the same words as a large wedding, for fewer people.

Warm

Priya & Etienne
would love to have you with them
just the people they love most
Saturday 12 June 2027
at 4pm

It tells each guest they were chosen, which in a small wedding is exactly true.

Modern

Priya & Etienne
are getting married.
Small wedding, long lunch.
Saturday 12 June 2027
at 4pm

For a lunch, a registry office and a long table. Says what it is.

What people ask

How do we tell people they are not invited?: There is no need for a formal note. If it comes up, “we’re keeping it to family” is enough, and kind.
Do we still need a website for twenty guests?: It helps more than you would think: one place for the time, the address and the dress code saves twenty phone calls.
Can we invite more people to a party later?: Yes. That is the courthouse-then-party wording, and many couples do both.

Last checked 4 October 2026.

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