If You Have Foreign Guests: Sample Invitations for Writing in English

What to Do for Invitations When You Have Foreign Guests?

Are there any brides-to-be planning to invite overseas guests to their wedding?

☑ Foreign colleagues at work

☑ Friends from studying abroad

☑ Foreign friends you met through hobbies or circles after becoming a working adult

and so on.

When inviting close foreign friends to your wedding, of course, it depends on their language abilities, but it is considerate to send the invitation written in "English"♩

Unless they have lived in Japan for many years, can speak Japanese, and have attended Japanese weddings multiple times,

for those who are attending for the first time or may not be proficient in Japanese, they will likely feel more at ease understanding the information in English rather than in a formal Japanese style they aren’t accustomed to.

Additionally, since English does not have the same concept of honorifics as Japanese, it is simply enough to convey the necessary information!

Here are several recommended sample phrases for creating invitations in English＊

First, check what you need to write＊

① A greeting to invite to the wedding

② Date and time

③ Location

④ RSVP deadline

⑤ A closing statement expressing happiness if they can attend

Points to keep in mind are as follows＊

・For dates and times, it is generally more polite and formal to write them out in words, such as "first" instead of using numbers.

・When writing the address, write the building name→block number→city→prefecture in that order (it’s the opposite of Japanese!).

・If including names, write the bride’s name first followed by the groom’s name (it’s the opposite of Japanese!).

・RSVP means "Please respond" (an abbreviation from the French "repondez s'il vous plait").

・You can decide between uppercase or lowercase based on the design.

Here are some sample texts for you♩

Sample Invitation in English ①

=========英語=========

Mari and Sho

Invite you to our wedding ceremony

Saturday, the first of May

Two thousand nineteen

at three o'clock in the afternoon

○○ CHAPEL

1-1-1 Nishishinjuku, Shinjyuku-ku, Tokyo

111-1111

Please RSVP by the thirtieth of March using the enclosed card.

=========日本語訳=========

真理と翔は、結婚式にあなたをご招待します

5月1日 土曜日

2019年

午後の3時～

○○チャペルにて

東京都新宿区西新宿1-1-1

〒111-1111

2019年3月30日までに、同封のはがきに出欠の返信をお願いいたします

Sample Invitation in English ②

=========英語=========

We request the honor of your presence

to share in the celebration of our marriage

on Saturday 22nd November 2019 at ○○ HOTEL

1-1-1 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Please RSVP by 15th of September 2019 using the enclosed card

We hope you can join us for our wedding ceremony.

=========日本語訳=========

○○ホテルにて2019年11月22日（土）に行われる結婚披露宴に、みなさまをご招待したく存じます

住所は東京都港区芝1丁目1-1です

2019年9月15日までに、同封のはがきに出欠の返信をお願いいたします

ご出席いただけたら嬉しいです

Sample Invitation in English ③

=========英語=========

Mari and Sho

We will have a wedding ceremony

We are pleased to invite you to our ceremony

Sunday the twelfth January two thousand and twenty

11 o'clock in the morning

We look forward to seeing you on your wedding day

Please RSVP by the 1st of Dec 2019 using the enclosed card

=========日本語訳=========

私たちは結婚披露宴を開催します

あなたをご招待できることを嬉しく思います

日付は2020年1月12日 土曜日

午前11時からです

お会いできるのを楽しみにしております

返信ハガキは2019年12月1日までにご返送をお願いいたします

Invitations in English Can Be Simple and Okay＊

I have shared sample invitation texts in English for inviting overseas guests to weddings.

If the guests have even the slightest concern about understanding Japanese, it is kind to create the invitation in English to hand to them.

This way, they can grasp the date, time, and location properly and feel assured about participating in the wedding♩