Courthouse and small wedding invitation wording: 22 examples

What to include

A small wedding needs the same facts as a big one. With fewer guests, the card can be shorter and warmer.

• What guests are invited toSay plainly whether guests will see you marry, join you afterward, or celebrate a wedding that already happened. “Join us at city hall as we say I do” and “Come celebrate our marriage” promise two different afternoons.
• Who is invitingAt a small wedding, the couple usually invites, so your names lead the card. That’s how our cards print it by default. When parents host, their names come first: type them in the optional “Hosted by” field.
• The date, time and placeFor a courthouse ceremony, give the building, the room or floor if the clerk gives you one, and the time of your appointment. Guests need time for the security line at the door, so they’ll want to know exactly where to go.
• The meal or party afterIf everyone moves on to lunch, dinner or drinks, give that its own time and place. If it’s at the same place, “Dinner to follow” is enough.
• How and when to RSVPEven with twelve guests, ask for replies. A restaurant or caterer wants a final number, and a courthouse room may only hold a few people. Name one person and a phone number, or your wedding website.
• Gifts only if you mustEtiquette keeps gifts off the invitation. Put a registry on your wedding website, or leave it out: many couples who marry small ask for nothing.

Small wedding invitation wording examples

Change the names, places and dates to your own. Each group is for one kind of day; formal and casual examples are in every group.

Wedding invitations

Designs from classic to relaxed, for a courthouse wedding, a dinner for twelve or the party after. Pick one and add your names, the date and the place.

Common mistakes

• Inviting before you’ve asked the clerkCourthouse rooms are small, and rules differ from county to county: how many guests may come in, whether you need witnesses, and which days and hours they marry couples. Ask before the invitations go out.
• Leaving guests to find the roomA courthouse ceremony can be over in minutes. Give the room or floor, and ask guests to arrive early enough for the security line, or they may miss it.
• Not saying what guests are invited toA guest who reads “wedding” expects to see the vows. If they’re invited to the party only, word it as a reception or a celebration, and say the ceremony is private.
• Inviting someone to the ceremony but not the partyEveryone who watches you marry should be invited to the meal or party after. The other way around is fine: more guests at the party than at the ceremony.
• Letting family read it on social media firstIf you marry quietly, call your parents and closest friends before the announcement or the party invitation goes out. Hearing it from you matters more than any wording.
• An RSVP date the restaurant can’t useA private dining room or a caterer wants a final number, often a week or two before. Set the RSVP date before their deadline, not on it.

Invitation or announcement?

An invitation asks guests to come somewhere: to the ceremony, to a dinner afterward, or to a party weeks later. An announcement only tells people you’re married. It asks for nothing.

According to Emily Post, announcements are ideally mailed the day after the wedding, but may go out up to several months later. They carry no obligation to send a gift, and they’re never sent to anyone who received an invitation.

If it was just the two of you at the courthouse and there won’t be a party, an announcement fits. If you’re planning a celebration, invite people to that, and say on the card that you’re already married, as the elopement examples above do.

• Emily Post: Announcing Your Marriage

Do you send invitations for a courthouse wedding?

Yes, if you’re inviting people to watch. A printed card turns a fifteen-minute appointment into an occasion, even for six guests, and it tells them exactly where to go. For two or three people on short notice, a phone call is fine.

Before you invite anyone, ask the clerk’s office or city hall how many guests the room holds, whether you need witnesses, and which days and times they hold ceremonies. Some marry couples only on weekdays, by appointment.

If only a few can fit, invite those few to the ceremony and everyone to the meal or party after. Many couples send one card to the family who’ll be in the room and another to the guests who’ll join them later.

Under 20, 30 or 50 guests: what changes

There’s no fixed line between an elopement, a micro wedding and a small wedding. Most often, an elopement is the two of you with a witness or a few family members, and a micro wedding is up to about 50 guests, often far fewer.

Under 20 guests, everyone fits at one table. First names and a personal line feel right, and the RSVP can go to one of you by phone. Plus-ones are rarely offered beyond spouses and partners.

With 20 to 30 guests, you’re usually in a restaurant’s private room or a backyard. Ask for replies before the restaurant’s deadline for a final number, and say on the card if dinner follows.

With 30 to 50 guests, the invitation looks like any wedding invitation: full names, a reply date three to four weeks before, and your wedding website for directions and anything else. Etiquette says married, engaged and live-in couples are invited together; beyond that, no one should expect a plus-one at a small wedding.

When to send small wedding invitations

The usual timing holds for a small wedding too: six to eight weeks before the day. Courthouse weddings are often planned faster. Send the invitations as soon as your appointment is booked, and call the people you most want there first.

For a party after an elopement, treat the party like the wedding: invitations six to eight weeks before it, and a reply date two to three weeks before, or before the restaurant’s deadline for a final number.

Gifts at a small wedding or an elopement party

Etiquette keeps gifts off the invitation: the moment you mention them, even to say “no gifts,” they get the attention. A wedding website is the place for a registry, and word of mouth works for “nothing, please.”

Guests invited to a party after you eloped will often bring something anyway. If you don’t want gifts, tell your families and closest friends; they’ll pass it on when asked. If you’d like one discreet registry line on the card after all, our design assistant offers it while you write the card.

Making a small wedding invitation with us

Choose a wedding design and type your names, the date, the time and the place of the ceremony. For a dinner somewhere else, add its time, venue and address in the reception fields; leave them empty if it’s at the same place.

For a party only, after a private ceremony or an elopement, type the party’s date, time and place where the ceremony’s go. The card labels that time “Ceremony”: tap the word on the card and change it, for example to “Celebration.” Many of our designs also print “We’re getting married.” On some you can tap that line and change it too; on others it’s part of the design, so for a party only, choose one without it. To add a line such as “We eloped!” or “were married on April 3, 2027,” ask our design assistant to put it on the card.

You can order as few as 10 cards, enough for a courthouse wedding with a handful of guests. You see a proof of both sides before you pay. The examples on this page are free to copy, wherever you make your invitations.

Questions and answers