Civil wedding invitation wording: examples and tips

More and more couples hold their civil ceremony separately: a few weeks or months before the church wedding, as a small wedding with just the family, or as the only ceremony, followed by a party. Each calls for a slightly different invitation, and the wording has to tell guests exactly what they’re invited to.

Below you’ll find what a civil ceremony invitation should include, wording examples for each situation and a few practical tips about the time and place of the ceremony.

What a civil ceremony invitation should include

1. Your names.
2. The date and exact time. Civil ceremonies are booked back to back, so the time matters even more than at a church wedding.
3. The venue: the register office (in Romania, usually at the town hall) or wherever the ceremony takes place, with the full address and, ideally, a map link.
4. What happens afterwards, if anything: a meal, a party, a photo session.
5. The RSVP, with a deadline. Ceremony rooms are often small, and seats at the table are counted.

On an online invitation, the schedule, the addresses with a map and the RSVP form have their own sections, so the wording can stay short.

Civil ceremony invitation wording examples

Classic

With joy in our hearts, we invite you to join us for our civil ceremony on Friday, 10 September 2027, at 1 pm, at the Sector 1 Register Office.

Maria & Alexandru

Short

We’re getting married! Join us for the civil ceremony on Friday, 10 September, at 1 pm.

For a ceremony with just the family

We’ve chosen a quiet day, with only those closest to us. We’d love you to join us for the civil ceremony and the meal afterwards, on Friday, 10 September 2027.

For a civil ceremony followed by a party

Come and witness us say “I do” in front of the registrar, then celebrate with us late into the night. The ceremony starts at 4 pm and the party at 6 pm.

When the church wedding comes later

We’re saying our first “I do” now, at the register office, on 12 June 2027. We’ll say the second one in church on 11 September, and you’ll receive the wedding invitation soon. Until then, join us for a glass of champagne.

When the two ceremonies are on different days, tell your guests clearly which one they’re invited to now. Otherwise some will think this is the wedding.

For an outdoor ceremony

We’re saying “I do” under the open sky, in the garden of the manor house, on Saturday, 4 June 2027, at 5 pm. We’d love you to join us for the ceremony and dinner afterwards.

In many Romanian towns, a marriage can also be performed away from the town hall, usually for a fee and with advance booking. Ask the register office about the conditions.

Modern

No big speeches: we’re getting married. Friday, 10 September, 1 pm, at the town hall. Then lunch, good company and lots of photos.

Playful

We’ve filled in every form, brought every document and, at last, we have a date: on 10 September we officially become a family. Come and be our (unofficial) witnesses!

Practical tips for a civil ceremony

• Ask guests to arrive early. Ceremonies start on the dot and don’t last long. Add “please arrive 15 minutes early” to the invitation.
• Ask how many people the room holds. If it’s small, invite close family to the ceremony and everyone else to the meal afterwards.
• Witnesses. A Romanian civil ceremony needs two witnesses, who are most often the godparents. You can name them on the invitation, as you would the godparents.
• Parking. Town halls in city centres rarely have parking. A line about it in the invitation saves you from latecomers.

A separate invitation or the same one?

If the civil and church ceremonies are on the same day, put both in the schedule of one wedding invitation. Each part of the day has its own time, venue and map link, and guests RSVP just once.

If they’re on different days with different guests, make two invitations: a small one for the civil ceremony and one for the wedding. For the wedding invitation itself, there are ten examples in the guide to wedding invitation wording.

How to make a civil ceremony invitation online

Any template on the online wedding invitations page works for a civil ceremony: add the register office ceremony as a part of the day in the schedule, and rewrite the opening lines with one of the examples above. For a small ceremony, an understated template such as Monogramă or Editorial suits it beautifully.

Guests RSVP right from the invitation, so you know in good time how many seats you need at the table. The steps are in the guide on how to make an online wedding invitation.

Frequently asked questions

Do people send invitations for a civil ceremony?

Yes, especially when the civil ceremony is a separate event from the church wedding. For a ceremony with just the family, a personal message may be enough, but an invitation with the exact address and time avoids any confusion.

Whom should I invite to the civil ceremony?

Usually close family, the godparents and your closest friends. If a big party follows the ceremony, you can invite more people to the party than to the ceremony.

Do the witnesses need to be on the invitation?

No. If your witnesses are the godparents, you can name them with “together with our godparents”, as on a wedding invitation.