Wording guide
Christian wedding invitation wording for Indian church weddings, with Bible verses
By the Wishly team · Updated
A Christian wedding invitation in India names the parents who invite, the bride and groom, the church and the time of the service, and the reception that follows, and many open with a verse from the Bible. Families request the honour of your presence at the church and the pleasure of your company at the reception.
Below are verses from the King James Version with their references, the order of lines, samples for a formal card, a couple-hosted invitation, a WhatsApp message and the reception, and the etiquette.
Bible verses for a wedding card
Print the verse word for word from one translation, with its book, chapter and verse. These are from the King James Version, in which charity means love.
What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.
Whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.
And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
We love him, because he first loved us.
The order of lines on a church wedding card
Indian church cards borrow the English formal style and add local touches, such as the family's parish or a line asking for prayers as well as presence.
- A verse, a cross or By the grace of God at the top.
- The hosts: the bride's parents, both sets of parents, or the couple themselves.
- Request the honour of your presence, for a ceremony in a church.
- The bride and groom, with their parents, and in South India often the family or house name and the parish.
- The service: Holy Matrimony or the Nuptial Mass, the church, the date and the time, and the officiating priest or pastor if the family wishes.
- The reception, introduced with the pleasure of your company, and its venue and time.
- A name and a number for replies.
Formal church wedding wording from the bride's parents
This sample is for a Catholic wedding within a Nuptial Mass; for another church, use the name your church gives the service.
By the grace of God
Mr and Mrs Joseph D'Souza
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Sharon
with
Daniel
son of Mr and Mrs Prakash Rodrigues
on Saturday, 27 February 2027, at 4 pm
at St. Anthony's Church, [town]
Nuptial Mass, followed by the reception at [venue]
We solicit your presence and prayers.
Couple-hosted, WhatsApp and reception wording
When the reception has a smaller list than the church, as often happens, give it a card or a message of its own so that nobody is left guessing.
Together with our families,
Sharon and Daniel
invite you to witness our marriage
on Saturday, 27 February 2027, at 4 pm, at St. Anthony's Church, [town],
and to celebrate with us afterwards at [venue]
Sharon and Daniel are getting married!
Nuptial Mass on Saturday, 27 February 2027, 4 pm, St. Anthony's Church, [town]. Reception to follow.
Invitation, directions and RSVP: [link]
Please keep us in your prayers.
Mr and Mrs Joseph D'Souza
request the pleasure of your company
at the reception of
Sharon and Daniel
Saturday, 27 February 2027, 7 pm
[venue], [town]
Dinner and dancing
Roce
Friday, 26 February 2027, 5 pm
At the D'Souza home, [address]
Join us as Sharon is anointed with coconut milk and oil, with songs and a family dinner.
Etiquette for a church wedding invitation
Fix the date with the parish before anything is printed. Catholic parishes publish the banns, a public notice of the intended marriage, on the Sundays before the wedding and need the couple's papers early; other churches have their own preparation and paperwork.
The service is open to everyone you invite, but the reception may not be, so make the invitation say clearly which events each guest is invited to. Elders still expect a visit or a call from the parents, as they would for any wedding in the family.
- Give a time for guests to be seated, before the bride's entrance.
- Mention the church's own rules on photography or dress in the notes.
- Check the verse against the Bible itself at the proof stage; a single wrong word is noticed.
Questions families ask
- Which Bible verses suit a wedding card?
- Mark 10:9, Ecclesiastes 4:12, Ruth 1:16 and Song of Solomon 6:3 are long-standing choices. Pick one, print it exactly, and give the book, chapter and verse.
- What is the difference between the honour of your presence and the pleasure of your company?
- The first is used for a ceremony in a place of worship, the second for a reception or a party. An invitation that covers both can use each line for its own event.
- Should the card say Holy Matrimony or Nuptial Mass?
- Use your church's own term: Catholic weddings within a Mass often print Nuptial Mass, while other churches print Holy Matrimony or the solemnisation of marriage.
