Traditional wedding invitation wording usually begins with the parents of the bride requesting the guest's presence. For example: "Mr. and Mrs. Julian Bruce Clemens request the honour" (using the traditional "u" spelling) "of your presence." The invite would later ask for "the favour of a reply." "Favour" would also appear in the traditional spelling.

On the Envelopes

When addressing formal wedding invitation envelopes, it's similar to the actual invitations in that abbreviations aren't used. "Street" and "Avenue" should be written out in full, but because the postal service prefers the use of two-letter state abbreviations, it's fine to do so. Children older than 13 should receive their own invitations, which you can mail in the same envelope as their parents' invitation (in a separate inner envelope), or they can get their own envelope. Since the way you address the invitation dictates exactly who’s invited and not invited to your wedding, it's important to make sure you write the names of everyone invited. Avoid writing "and family" because it can get tricky. Use it only if it's clear you're only inviting the people who live under their roof and not their uncle next door.

Read more about wedding invitations or search for invitation and stationers in your area.