Christian wedding invitations for your church wedding

A traditional church wedding invitation is issued by the bride’s parents, who “request the honour of your presence” at their daughter’s marriage. Many families now name both sets of parents, and some couples invite guests in their own names. Grandparents, including those who have passed away, are often mentioned too.

Name the service accurately. Catholic families often write “Nuptial Mass” when the marriage is celebrated within Mass, which runs longer than a marriage service alone; others write “Holy Matrimony” or “Solemnisation of Marriage”. If you are unsure which applies, ask your parish priest or pastor.

• The church’s full name, parish and locality, and the start time of the service
• The reception venue and time, which is usually somewhere else
• A dress code if the church has one, for example covered shoulders
• A reply-by date so you can plan seating and dinner

Goan and Mangalorean Catholic families often hold the roce a day or two before the wedding, separately at the bride’s and the groom’s homes. Family and close friends anoint the bride or groom with coconut milk, and it is usually followed by music and food, so it deserves its own line on the invitation.

Kerala Christian weddings may include a betrothal in church, which many Syro-Malabar families call manasammatham, and a madhuram vekkal on the eve of the wedding. During the service the groom ties the minnu and presents the manthrakodi saree. In Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram and elsewhere in the North East, the church service is commonly followed by a feast, and some families write the invitation in their own language as well as English.

A common order is the engagement or betrothal some weeks earlier, then the roce or madhuram vekkal, the church ceremony, and the reception the same evening. The Cathedral template shows this shape for a Goa wedding, with an engagement blessing, Holy Matrimony, a nuptial blessing and the reception. Love Letter suits a smaller chapel ceremony followed by drinks and a long-table meal.

Confirm the date with your parish first, as many churches read the banns or need paperwork weeks ahead. Then send the invitation six to eight weeks before the wedding, earlier for guests who have to travel, and a short reminder in the final week.

One invitation can hold every function, each with its own date, time, venue and map link, so the church and the reception hall never get confused. Guests reply per function, and you see each family’s reply and headcount for the service and the reception separately.

You can add photos and background music, perhaps the hymn you will walk in to. Your wording, including any verse you choose, is shown exactly as you type it. You can see every template with your own names before signing up.