Eighteen free wedding invitation templates in Microsoft Word, ready to edit and print. The designs are the quick part — the wording is what people get stuck on, so most of this page is examples you can adapt.
- Designs18 layouts
- FormatMicrosoft Word
- Opens inWord, Google Docs, LibreOffice
- CostFree, no signup
The designs
Eighteen invitation layouts, formal through to contemporary. All are editable in Word, so you can change the wording, colours and fonts to match the rest of your stationery.
Wording: who is hosting decides the opening
This is the part that stalls people for an evening. Traditionally the invitation comes from whoever is hosting, and that sets the first line. Modern weddings are hosted in all sorts of combinations, and all of the following are perfectly correct.
| Hosted by | Opening wording |
|---|---|
| The bride’s parents, traditional | Mr and Mrs [Parents’ names] request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their daughter [Name] to [Name] |
| Both families together | Together with their families, [Name] and [Name] invite you to share in their joy as they exchange marriage vows |
| The couple themselves | [Name] and [Name] request the pleasure of your company at their marriage |
| Couple, naming parents | [Name], daughter of Mr and Mrs [Name], and [Name], son of Mr and Mrs [Name], invite you to celebrate their marriage |
| Where a parent has died | [Name], daughter of [Surviving parent] and the late [Name], and [Name] invite you to their wedding |
| Informal | We’re getting married! Join [Name] and [Name] on [date] at [venue] |
One convention worth knowing: “the honour of your presence” is traditionally used for a ceremony in a place of worship, and “the pleasure of your company” for a secular venue. Nobody will object if you mix them, but a older relative may notice.
What the invitation has to say
- Both full names, spelled as they will appear on the day.
- The date in full, including the day of the week. “Saturday, the fourteenth of June” in formal wording, or “Saturday 14 June” informally.
- The ceremony time. If the reception is elsewhere or later, say so clearly — guests arriving at the wrong place is the most common invitation failure.
- Venue name and full address, with the postcode so a map application finds it.
- RSVP: a name, a method and a deadline. Set the deadline about three to four weeks before the day, which is usually when your caterer wants final numbers.
- Who is invited. Covered below — it causes more awkwardness than anything else.
- Dress code, if you have one.
- A website address, if you have one, for directions, accommodation and gift information. It keeps the card itself uncluttered.
Gift requests traditionally do not go on the invitation itself. Put them on a details card or the wedding website.
Saying who is invited, without saying it awkwardly
Children and plus-ones cause more difficulty than any other part of this, and the conventional solution is quiet and effective: the envelope names exactly who is invited.
- “Mr and Mrs James Ahmed” invites two people.
- “The Ahmed Family” or naming the children individually includes them.
- “Ms Sarah Ahmed and Guest” grants a plus-one.
- A single name, alone, is the polite signal that the invitation is for one.
If you are having an adults-only wedding, a short line on the details card — not the invitation — saves repeated conversations. Something plain like “We have chosen to keep our wedding an adults-only occasion” is enough, and expecting people to infer it from the envelope alone rarely works.
When to send them, and how many
- Save the dates: commonly six to eight months ahead, or longer for a destination wedding or a date near a holiday.
- Invitations: commonly six to eight weeks before the day. Earlier for guests travelling internationally.
- RSVP deadline: three to four weeks before, giving you time to chase the people who will not reply.
On quantity, the mistake almost everyone makes: you need one invitation per household, not per guest. A guest list of 100 people is frequently 55 or 60 invitations. Count your envelopes, not your guests, then add around ten per cent for mistakes, late additions and keepsakes — yours, and one for each set of parents.
Printing them yourself
-
Buy the envelopes first
Then size the invitation to fit them. Doing it the other way round is how people end up with 60 beautiful cards and nothing to post them in. A6 and 5 by 7 inches are the sizes with easily available envelopes.
-
Use proper card
Around 250 to 300 gsm, heavier than you would use for anything else. Weight is most of what makes an invitation feel expensive. Feed it one sheet at a time and check your printer’s maximum paper weight first.
-
Proofread with fresh eyes
Names, date, day of the week, time, address, postcode, RSVP date. Have someone who is not you check it, then check that the date and the day of the week actually match. This error is more common than it sounds and it is unrecoverable once printed.
-
Print one, then weigh it
Assemble one complete invitation with its envelope and any inserts, and weigh it at the post office before buying stamps. Heavy card plus extra cards frequently crosses into the next postage band, and finding that out after buying 60 stamps is irritating.
Common questions
Do I need Microsoft Word?
No. Upload the file to Google Docs or open it in LibreOffice. Decorative layouts can shift slightly between applications, so check before printing a batch. Export to PDF before sending to a print shop.
Can I change the fonts and colours?
Yes. Select the text or shape and use the Home or Shape Format tab. Keep to two typefaces at most — one decorative for the names, one plain for the details.
Should I use a professional printer?
Worth comparing. Home printing is cheaper for small numbers and gives you full control; a print shop handles heavy card better and can offer finishes a home printer cannot. Send them a PDF, not a Word file.
What goes on a details or information card?
Accommodation, directions and parking, timings for the day, dress code, gift information, and any adults-only note. Keeping these off the invitation itself is what stops it looking cluttered.
Can I send digital invitations instead?
Yes, and many people do. Export the design to PDF or an image and send it by email or message. Consider posting physical cards to older relatives, who often keep them.
Can I use these commercially?
Yes, including invitations you design for clients. You may not resell or redistribute the template files themselves. See our Terms of Use.
Pingback: 20 Free Wedding Seating List Templates for Word & Excel