— Guide
How to write the date, time and venue on a wedding invitation
Write the date with its weekday, the time the ceremony starts, and the venue name followed by its address. Formal invitations spell the date and time out in words, while casual ones use numerals and keep each part to a single line.
Formal wording, all in words
A traditional invitation writes the weekday, the day and the month in full, and the time in words. The year is optional on a formal card, and if you include it, spell it out as well. Leave out numerals, abbreviations and pm, since a phrase such as "in the evening" already says it.
- British formal. Saturday the ninth of May, and the year, if you want it, as two thousand and twenty-seven. Then the time, half past five in the afternoon
- American formal. Saturday, May ninth, two thousand twenty-seven, at half after five o'clock in the afternoon
- On the hour. At five o'clock, never at five o'clock pm
Casual and modern formats
A relaxed invitation can use figures, as long as the style is the same everywhere on the card. British English usually puts the day before the month, Saturday 14 June 2027, and writes the time as 4.30pm. American English puts the month first, Saturday, June 14, 2027, and separates hours and minutes with a colon. If most of your guests live in Turkey or elsewhere in Europe, the 24-hour clock is what they read every day.
Which time to print
Guests treat the time on the invitation as the start, so print the moment you want everyone seated, not the moment the doors open. If the ceremony is short and the meal follows later, give both times on separate lines, so nobody arrives an hour early in heels with nothing to do.
Writing the venue and address
Put the venue name on its own line, then the street and the town underneath. Formal cards usually drop the postcode and write the town in full. Include the full address even for a well-known hotel, because guests copy it into their maps app, and say which room, garden or terrace if the venue has several.
Ceremony and reception in different places
Give each part its own short block, with the time first and the place second, in the order guests will travel. Say how they get from one to the other if it isn't obvious, for example a shuttle after the ceremony or a five minute walk along the shore.
On a Digitally Invite invitation
The date has its own field and the countdown runs from it. Times go in the programme, one line per part of the day, each with its own time and title, and the calendar button starts at the earliest of them. There is one venue with a map, so use it for the place guests must find first and write the second address in the programme beside its time. You don't need to repeat any of this in your note.
Frequently asked questions
Does a wedding start at the time on the invitation?
It should. Print the time the ceremony begins and expect most guests a little before it. If you need them early, say so in a separate line.
Do you put the venue address on a wedding invitation?
Yes. Give the venue name and the full address, even if the place is well known. Guests use it to plan travel and parking.
Should I write the year on a wedding invitation?
On a formal card it's optional, and if you write it, write it in words. On a casual or digital invitation, include it in figures.
Do I write half past or half after?
Half past is the usual British form. Half after appears on traditional American invitations. Both mean thirty minutes past the hour.