Did you ever think we’d be talking grammar on a wedding invitation blog? Well…maybe you could have seen that coming. Grammar is actually one of my favorite topics because I’m a huge reader and learning English as a second language made me acutely aware of all the rules there are in the English language. Although I will say that some of the grammar etiquette around weddings is less about rules and more about tradition.
I had a lot of these questions when planning my own wedding so hopefully this will help you too! Let’s get into it!
Common Wedding Stationery Grammar Mistakes
StationEry vs stationAry
First, this one bugs the heck out of all stationers so let’s get it out of the way! LOL It’s stationery with an E, not A. Stationary with an A means something that is not moving, like a stationary bike.
Honor/Honour or Favor/Favour
Adding the U in honor and favor are usually just preference and are a little more formal/traditional. It could be considered the British spelling of the words, and it is oftentimes seen when the wedding ceremony takes place in a house of worship.
Aisle, not isle
Generally, for your ceremony, you walk down an Aisle, not an Isle. Unless you’re Elon Musk and own your own private island.
Fiancée and Fiancé
Fiancé, with one E, is a man who is engaged to be married. Fiancée, with two Es, is a woman who is engaged to be married. They are pronounced exactly the same. I’ll admit, I still make this mistake all the time!
Spelling Out Your Wedding Year
This one comes with a caveat from me. While there are rules about grammar, some of them can be broken if you’re less formal. With that being said, if you choose to spell out your wedding year on your invitation, you should not include the word “and” or have any punctuation. For example, you would write 2023 as “two thousand twenty three,” not “two-thousand and twenty-three.”
RSVP
RSVP stands for “répondez, s’il vous plaît,” which means “please respond” in French. So if you have a sentence on your response card that says something like “please RSVP by May fifth” it is redundant. Kinda like saying ATM machine. Instead, you could just say something like “please reply by” or “kindly respond by”. You could also just have the word “RSVP” on top as opposed to having a sentence.
TIME
Times should be spelled out in all lowercase. When referring to a time on the hour, it should be followed by “o’clock” (note the lowercase and the apostrophe). When referring to a time not on the hour, it should be hyphenated (e.g. “two-thirty” instead of “two thirty”). In addition, for maximum clarity, references to time should always be followed by “in the morning,” “noon,” “in the afternoon,” “in the evening,” or “midnight.”
CAPITALIZATION
Proper nouns, such as the names of people and places, should always be capitalized. The beginnings of sentences, or of each new thought on an invitation, should also be capitalized. In addition, always capitalize the “t” in two (e.g. “Two thousand eighteen” instead of “Two Thousand Eighteen”). When it comes to a dress code, only the first word will be capitalized (e.g. “Black tie” instead of “Black Tie”). I do break this rule for aesthetics but this is GENERALLY speaking.
I know, I know. Some of these are odd but hey, I don’t make the rules. I just follow them. TO A T! In case I get in trouble with the stationery police. You never know…
I hope you found this helpful! If you have any additional questions, just hit reply and shoot them on over to me! I would LOVE to answer them for you!
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