One thing that I think is important with invitations is to be very clear about what they are for, and what they aren't for.
They are for telling people what they are being invited to, who is hosting, when it takes place, where it takes place, and who specifically is invited.
They are not for telling people who is footing the bill, your feelings about the event (since you wouldn't be inviting them to anything you weren't pleased about), or really anything else except the stuff I mentioned above.
The specific words of the invitation are also really not the place to get creative or show your personality. A lot of creative wording is a) not that creative in the end, and b) not easy for others to understand. You might know exactly what you meant, but your guests could still end up being confused. Sticking with the traditional words (even if not the traditional aesthetic or formality level) helps make sure everyone understands what you're doing.
You should also keep in mind that the formality of the words (and invitation overall) should match the formality of the event itself. If you'll be having a formal wedding, you should stick with formal wording (no abbreviations, spelled out years, full names with titles, more traditional centered text, etc.). If you're not having a formal wedding, you absolutely should remove some of the formality from the invitation, because it will help people know what to expect. So you can skip titles, you can use numbers for years, you can do things like abbreviate street addresses, etc. You do want it all to look cohesive and be aesthetically pleasing to you, but it's good to keep in mind that the invitation is the very first thing any of your guests will see that communicates information about the event, so you want the invitation to be in keeping with what your event will actually be like.
One other thing I will say is that I can completely understand wanting to acknowledge your families and the work they have put into your wedding. But I would caution you against doing it on your invitation unless your families can function as hosts (even if they aren't the main ones). The reason why invitations say who is inviting you to a wedding is so that you know who you're supposed to RSVP to and who knows the details of what's going on if you have questions. If your families can fulfill those roles, then definitely list them on the invitation if you want to. But if they can't, or you don't want them to, it would be better to leave them off and acknowledge them in another way.
Truly, the best way to communicate a unique style or personality through the invitation is to let that inform your choice of things like colors, fonts, graphics, and text layout. The words themselves have to serve enough other purposes that expecting them to communicate your personalities on top of it all is just expecting too much.
Topic: Invitation Wording (Read 2590 times)