What wording should I use on the invitations to my nuptial mass?

Question

I am going to be married in a Roman Catholic Nuptial Mass, and I need my invitations to state something about it being a nuptial mass, because my family is not Catholic (I'm a convert) and I want them to know what to expect if they decide to come! Yes, I will have programs explaining everything. Just wanted to see how to word the invitations. Thanks!

Answer 1

The honour of your presence is requested

at the marriage of

Tracey Michelle,

daughter of Mark and Helen Gressel

and

Aaron Charles,

son of Frank and Susan Gerrard

and your participation in the offering

of the Nuptial Mass

Saturday, the twentieth of ....

---OR----

The honour of your presence

is requested at a Nuptial Mass uniting

Tracey Michelle,

daughter of ....

and

Aaron Charles,

son of ......

in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony

Saturday, the twentieth of March

at a ten o'clock in the morning

Saint Joseph 's Cathedral .....

Answer 2

You are respectfully invited to the Nuptial Mass at so and so church joining our hands in marriage with your names in the place of our.

Answer 3

Hi.  Yes, I like what you written.  Another option, since the invitation will be extended by you and your fiance, is:

Mary Lou Johnson

and

Gerald Thomas Jones

invite you to the Nuptial Mass

uniting them in the

Sacrament of Holy Matrimony

Saturday, the twentieth of March

two thousand and nine

two o'clock in the afternoon

Saint Joseph Catholic Church

121 Main Street

Answer 4

Miss Jane Lastname

requests the honour of the presence of

--->blank name where you will handwrite the name of the guest<--

to the Nuptial Mass celebrating her wedding to

Mr John Groom

on <date> at <venue> at <time> o'clock.

=====================

I am assuming that your parents are not hosting the wedding, or they would issue the invitation, in the form "Mr and Mrs Parent Lastname/ request the honour of the presence of /   /  at the nuptial mass celebrating the wedding of their daughter/ Jane Lastname &tc.

In the absence of your parents being hosts, you issue the invitation as a single woman. You do not say "Miss Jane Lastname and Mr John Groom..." because joining your names together as a couple suggests that you have already formed a household for social purposes. The church frowns on couples forming a household without the blessing of the sacrament, so even if you have done so, you do not flaunt it.

You use the phrase "honour of the presence of" to underscore that it is a religious event.

If you are using inner envelopes and outer envelopes, you may write the guests names on the inner envelope and use the form "requests the honour of ***your*** presence". If you aren't using inner envelopes, you need the write-in space because the guest's names have to go somewhere -- and because write-in names are actually more proper.