Guide
Same-sex wedding invitation wording: name order, host lines, examples
Updated November 7, 2026
The short version: there are no special rules. Same-sex and nonbinary couples use the same building blocks as anyone else (host line, request line, names, date, place, reply line). The only real decisions are whose name goes first and which words fit the two of you.
Whose name goes first?
Traditional wording put the bride’s name first because her parents were usually hosting. With two brides, two grooms or a nonbinary partner, that rule has nothing to hold on to. Joy’s wording guide says names “can be arranged alphabetically by last name or based on esthetic preference”. Some practical ways couples decide:
- Alphabetical by last name. Neutral and easy to explain to relatives.
- What sounds better out loud. “Jordan and Marcus” or “Marcus and Jordan”: say both and pick the one with a better rhythm.
- Whose family is hosting. If one set of parents is giving the wedding, their child’s name often comes first, as it would for any couple.
- Match the link. If your link is
jordan-and-marcus.honored.page, the same order on the invitation keeps everything consistent.
In the Honored builder there are two name fields, Partner 1 and Partner 2, never “bride” and “groom”, and a switch for the display order.
Formal wording
The formal request lines follow the Emily Post distinction: “the honour of your presence” for a ceremony in a house of worship, “the pleasure of your company” anywhere else.
Mr. Jonathan Rhodes
and
Mr. Alex Garcia
request the pleasure of your company
at their marriage
Saturday, the eleventh of September
at five o’clock in the evening
The Belmont Hotel · Detroit, Michigan
(The first line pair is a sample from Joy’s guide; the venue is our fictional demo hotel.)
Two brides, parents hosting
Mr. and Mrs. David Lindqvist
and
Dr. and Mrs. Arjun Raman
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their daughters
Maya Lindqvist
and
Priya Raman
Together with their families
The most-used inclusive opener works for every couple, and it is a graceful choice when families are blended or when only some relatives are involved. Pemberly Fox and Joy both use this form:
Together with their families
Kai Smith and Riley Jones
invite you to join in a celebration of their marriage
Nonbinary partners and honorifics
If one or both of you use “they”, avoid gendered words in the lines around your names: “their children” instead of “their daughter”, “the wedding party” instead of “bridesmaids and groomsmen”, “marriage” instead of “bride and groom”. On formal invitations that use honorifics, Mx. is the gender-neutral option. You can also leave honorifics off entirely; the builder treats them as optional for each partner.
Mx. Sam Ortiz
and
Ms. Dana Whitfield
request the pleasure of your company
at their wedding
Relaxed wording
Jordan and Marcus are tying the knot
and we want you there
Saturday, September 11 · 5 pm
Two brides, one big party.
Maya and Priya invite you to celebrate with them.
The rest of the invitation
- Wedding party. Use the roles people actually have: maid of honor, best person, “person of honor”, flower dog. Our builder’s role field is free text for this reason.
- Family lines. If you want to honor parents without making them hosts, name them in your story or the wedding party section rather than the host line.
- Traditions. Mixing traditions from two families? A short “what to expect” card on the website helps guests who have not been to that kind of ceremony before.
- Guests who might be unsure. Clear wording is kind to everyone: say who the celebration is for, when to arrive and what to wear, and let the website answer the rest.
Save-the-dates and texts
The same choices carry over to everything else you send. A save-the-date text can be as simple as “Maya and Priya are getting married on September 25, 2027, in Chicago. Invitation to follow!” Our save-the-date guide has more examples, written so they work for any couple.
A checklist before you send
- Both names spelled the way each person wants them, with or without honorifics.
- The order is the same on the invitation, the link and the website.
- No leftover “bride”, “groom”, “bridesmaid” or “his and hers” in a template you started from.
- The request line matches the venue.
- A reply-by date and an easy way to answer.
Our Gallery Edit sample, Maya Lindqvist and Priya Raman, and our Gilded Hour sample, Jordan Ellis and Marcus Bell, both show these choices in a finished invitation. Both couples are fictional.
Questions couples ask
Whose name goes first on a same-sex wedding invitation?
There is no rule. Couples go alphabetically by last name, choose the order that sounds better out loud, put the hosting family’s child first, or match the order in their invitation link.
What honorific should a nonbinary partner use?
Mx. is the gender-neutral honorific on a formal invitation. You can also leave honorifics off entirely, for one partner or both.
Does “Together with their families” work for every couple?
Yes. It is the most-used inclusive opener, and it is a graceful choice when families are blended or only some relatives are involved.