The Journal · Wedding
Wedding Invitation Wording for Filipino Weddings, With Examples
What to include, how to word it formally or casually, and how to list your principal sponsors and entourage without a single name out of place.
By The RSVP Studio
Your invitation is the first thing guests hold of your wedding, and the wording does most of the work. It tells them who is hosting, how formal the day will be, and what you need from them. Here is what to include, with wording you can copy and make your own.
What every wedding invitation should include
Keep the invitation itself to the essentials, in this order:
- The hosts: your families, your parents, or the two of you.
- Your names: full names for a formal invitation, first names for a relaxed one.
- The request line: the sentence that asks guests to come.
- The date and time: written out in words on formal invitations.
- The ceremony venue, and the reception venue if it's somewhere else.
- How and when to reply.
The dress code, your motif, gifts, the program and directions are better on a details card or on your wedding website. An invitation crowded with details is harder to read and easier to get wrong.
Formal wedding invitation wording
For a church ceremony, the traditional request line is "the honour of your presence". For a civil ceremony or the reception, "the pleasure of your company" is the usual choice.
When your families are hosting together:
Together with their families, Isabel Marie Santos and Rafael Antonio Cruz request the honour of your presence at the celebration of their marriage on Saturday, the twelfth of February, two thousand twenty-eight, at three o'clock in the afternoon. San Agustin Church, Intramuros, Manila. Reception to follow at The Manila Hotel.
When both sets of parents are hosting:
Mr. and Mrs. Eduardo Santos and Mr. and Mrs. Ramon Cruz request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their children, Isabel Marie and Rafael Antonio...
Write the date and time in words, and spell out "o'clock". Formal invitations don't use abbreviations, apart from Mr., Mrs. and Dr.
Relaxed wedding invitation wording
If your day is a garden party or a beach wedding, the wording can sound like you:
We're getting married. Join us for a day of good food, family and a lot of dancing on Saturday, June 21, 2028, 4:00 PM at Villa Aurelia, Tagaytay.
Relaxed doesn't mean vague. Guests still need the date, time, place and how to reply.
How to list principal sponsors and the entourage
Filipino invitations traditionally name the people who stand with you: your principal sponsors (ninong and ninang), your secondary sponsors and your entourage. On a printed suite they usually go on a separate card or the inside page.
- Principal sponsors: list married couples together, as "Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin Saldaña". Families usually order them by seniority, or alternate between the bride's and groom's sides.
- Secondary sponsors: group them by role, such as candle, veil and cord, with each pair together.
- Entourage: best man and maid or matron of honour first, then bridesmaids and groomsmen, then the bearers and flower girls.
Ask each family to check the spelling of every name before anything goes to print. It's the most common mistake on wedding invitations, and the hardest to fix once printed. On a wedding website, a misspelled name takes seconds to correct, and you can list everyone under Entourage & motif with your motif colours.
RSVP wording
Give a clear deadline and one way to reply:
Kindly reply by the first of March so we can finalise our numbers.
If seats are limited, say so gently:
We have reserved two seats in your honour.
Ask guests to reply in one place, not by text, Messenger and a call to your mother. Our guide to tracking wedding RSVPs covers how to keep every reply in one list.
Dress code and motif
Formal. Gentlemen in barong or suits, ladies in long gowns. Our motif: sage and champagne.
Name colours guests can actually find in a shop. "Dusty rose" works better than a paint swatch number.
Gift wording
Most couples in the Philippines now prefer cash gifts, and a kind line makes that easy to say:
Your presence is the greatest gift. Should you wish to bless us further, a contribution toward our first home would be warmly appreciated.
On an RSVP Studio website you can add your GCash or bank QR code under Gifts, so guests can scan it straight from the page.
Frequently asked questions
What do you write on a wedding invitation?
The hosts, your names, a request line, the date and time, the venue, and how and when to reply. The dress code, gifts and program fit better on a details card or your wedding website.
Do principal sponsors go on the wedding invitation?
On Filipino invitations, traditionally yes, usually on a separate card or the inside page. List married couples together and order them by seniority, or alternate between the bride's and groom's sides.
When should wedding invitations be sent?
Most couples send them six to eight weeks before the wedding, and earlier for guests who need to travel. A Save the Date goes out months before that.
Is it okay to ask for cash gifts?
Yes. Keep the line kind and short, and put it on a details card or your website instead of the main invitation.
Putting it all together
Once your wording is ready, you have two ways to use it:
- Make your own wedding website for free. Pick a design, add your wording and entourage, and share one link. Our Simbahan design is made for church weddings.
- Have us design it with you. We design printed invitation suites, digital Save the Dates and monograms, and we'll help with the wording too. Tell us about your wedding and we'll reply within one business day.