Are you looking for just the right wedding card messages for friends or family? Wishing you all the best of life today and in the days to come. May the years.
We've been there: You shop long and hard to find the perfect wedding card for the soon-to-be married couple and then you get home and have a pretty rough time figuring out what to write in it. The good news is, there are no hard-and-fast rules about what to write in a wedding card. As long as your wedding congratulations message is heartfelt and offers the couple a positive wish for their marriage, you're good to go.
It should almost go without saying that wedding cards are customary for anyone who wants to send wedding wishes to an engaged or newly married couple. If you're following traditional wedding guest etiquette, you'll either want to bring the card to the wedding reception or mail it directly to the couple (usually between the time you receive the wedding invitation and a few weeks after the wedding). Honestly though, you can send it whenever you want. You could even send a nice card if the wedding is small and you're not invited. Simply put: Wedding congratulations are welcome anytime by anyone!
As for the card itself, wedding cards come in lots of different formats—from standard greeting cards you find at a cute stationery shop to homemade cards, small tags attached to gifts and even simple, digitally created wedding messages that are printed and shipped to the couple with their gift. All of the above pass as a wedding card and are considered okay, so don't feel the need to have more than one. (Then again, if you bought a gift off the couple's registry and want them to also have a pretty card from you, take one to the reception and drop it in a wedding card box or on a gift table!)
In short, yes. That said, it used to be saying or writing "congratulations" to a newly married woman was once considered a faux pas because it was thought of as congratulating her on actually landing a man! (Yep, you read that right.) Today though, that's considered an outdated rule and school of thought. Still, if the couple happens to be very traditional or come from a very traditional family, you might want to avoid the term altogether and just say "best wishes."
The perfect wedding wish is sentimental, sweet and totally tailored to the couple. Is it for your favorite cousin and his new wife? Or your hilarious college roommate who finally settled down? Below are dozens of examples of wedding wishes quotes for inspiration. Use the quick links below to craft an amazing (genius!) wedding message:
Just because it's a formal wedding with floor-length dresses and tuxes doesn't mean you have to send a formal card with stuffy wording. (The card doesn't have to perfectly match the event.) Still, if you want to write a nice message that's timeless and romantic, a formal note is the way to go.
Examples:
If you don't feel comfortable with formal wedding sayings, then don't do it. Be yourself. It's completely fine to write a more casual wedding message in the card, no matter the recipient. Put it this way: Short and sweet is always fine, as long as you're saying something nice or including a wish for the couple's future.
Examples:
Go ahead and write something funny in the card that you think will make them laugh. Just be careful with your marriage wishes. What might easily come across as a joke in conversation could be taken the wrong way on paper. As a rule of thumb, avoid jokes that are sarcastic or snarky. Also off-limits? Steer clear of anything that could be considered insulting, imply that one of them is the "better half" or mention anything about it having taken way too long (or way too little time) to get married. Oh, and no divorce jokes!
Examples:
If the couple is religious, then this might be the best option. Religious wedding card messages can mention God, tell them of your prayers or quote scripture. Before writing a religious message in a wedding card, consider the couple's beliefs and practices, and customize the message to them. If they aren't too religious or don't worship regularly, something very religious could make them uncomfortable, so it's be best to tone down religious elements or avoid them altogether. And if you're unsure of what religious message to write, opt for more general wedding words instead.
Christian Examples:
Jewish Examples:
When writing a wedding card for family, you can go very general or very personal—it's completely up to you and the type of message you want to convey.
Examples:
So you're writing a message on your brother's or sister's wedding card? The key here is personality. In some cases, sibling relationships are strained, in which case you might want to go general. But more often, your brother or sister is the person whom you know best, to whom you can make inside jokes or recall some of your favorite moments together. Just remember to mention the new spouse in your note!
Examples:
It's a big deal when your son or daughter marries. And when you're the mother or father of the bride or groom, you'll most likely feel a flurry of emotions that are extra tricky to get down on paper. What's most important is that you wish the couple well. From there, add in some personal touches to the otherwise standard wedding wishes quote to give your wedding card message meaning. If you're happily married, you could even add some of your own marriage advice.
Examples:
It's just as good of a choice to go classic with wedding wording on a friend's wedding card as it is to get specific and personal. Before you write, consider your relationship and how funny, serious, personal or sentimental you want to get with your wedding wishes. Then go from there.
Examples:
When writing a card to your coworker who's getting married, you're probably not going to want to wish them "lots of love." Instead, it's best to go with general wording. Use one of the formal or casual examples above, or see below for a few appropriate, work-inspired quotes. All that said, it's more than possible that your coworker is a good friend. If that's the case, scroll up to "Wedding Card Wishes for a Friend."
Examples:
Whether you're thrilled or lukewarm about the union, if your mom or dad is getting married (or remarried), it's completely normal to agonize a little over the right wedding card wording. Our best piece of advice? Be honest and tell the truth. Don't say you're crazy about the new husband or wife if you're not, but instead wish them both a happy future together. After all, isn't that what you want for your parent?
Examples:
Introduction: Writing a Wedding Wish to Your Friend as a friend of the bride and /or groom, include the best wedding wish possible in your card (or in person) to them. Congratulations and my best wishes for your wedding!.
For all those wishing the happy couple well, finding the right wording to match the personality of the bride and groom can be tricky. Especially when your date is the ex of one of the soon-to-be-spouses (or you are), or when it’s not the first marriage of one or both parties. (Cringe-y memory: the father of the groom crooning “Love is lovelier the second time around,” as the guests shifted in their seats and looked queasily into their bread plates.) Such complications speak to why we often go for the tried-and-true, the generic and cliché. But there’s a middle ground between TMI and dull. Here’s how to do it.
This is your opportunity to be specific by sending targeted wedding wishes—but only if you know the couple reasonably well. If they’re really looking forward to that overwater bungalow honeymoon in Bora Bora or are planning to move into that dream house in a month, imagine them being happy in those places and write your wedding congratulations descriptively, from the heart.
Again, you have to know the couple well for this to come off, because it’s so easy to step in it. It’s best to write about something funny that the bride and groom shared, an experience that both found equally humorous—preferably, one that you witnessed them enjoying (because a one-party, after-the-fact recounting can be a trap). This probably isn’t the time to recall what the groom texted you about his eventual wife the day after their first date. That only works in rom-coms.
The spontaneity of writing wedding card wishes while actually at the reception may result in a memorable missive. Beginning the note with “When…” (as in “When I saw you two sharing your first dance…”) will lead you down the right romantic path. Should be attempted only by confident writers who are reasonably sober when they’re scrawling “Happy Wedding Day” at the urinal.
Still drawing a blank? Check out some of these examples to get the wheels turning. Whether it’s for a best friend, a friend of a friend, co-worker, or relative, we’ve got you covered. Use them as a starting point and then add your own personal flair based on your relationship with the happy couple. Or, hey, if you’re really feeling stuck, just go ahead and copy one down—we won’t tell. In this case, borrowing from the internet is still better than copying off the guy next to you.
Writing a wedding card for a friend, especially your best friend, involves a unique kind of pressure you probably never really anticipated. It’s the biggest day of his life, and he’s the biggest person in your life. The good (and bad) news is, he has a new biggest person in his life, and this day has much more to do with her than it does with you. Fortunately, this takes some of the pressure off: your wedding card message doesn’t have to be the perfect, all-encompassing testament to your friendship. Sure, make it personal, but no need to sweat it too much. Just keep it cool, keep it classy, and above all, remember your audience. You’re not just writing to your buddy; you’re also writing to his new bride. If there’s even the slightest chance, your well-wishes might result in a cringe, a fight, or an awkward explanation about that inside joke from the bachelor party, leave it out. It’s never worth the gamble.
In this case, it’s usually best to keep things short, sweet, and to the point. You won’t lose any points here for not having the most creative card in the bunch. Frankly, it would probably be weird if you did. Err on the side of caution and enjoy the freedom to relax and write something totally generic and boring.
You have some creative license here, but, as always, use your judgment. When deciding what to write, keep your relationship to your family member (and your new in-law) in mind. It’s fine to poke a little fun if it’s your brother or a close cousin you grew up with, but don’t go overboard. No need to reference any embarrassing moments from childhood or, worse yet, adolescence. It’s also good to remember who else might be reading this card. If you don’t want Great Aunt Wanda to see it, leave it out. Again, the golden rule for wedding card writing is pretty much the same across the board: keep it cool, and keep it classy.
Bottom Line
What you write in a wedding card should be thoughtful and positive, especially depending on how well you know the couple. You can never go wrong with “Congratulations!”
Your presence, your gift and a few special words are all the ingredients to make your friend’s wedding more special for him/her. The two first are generally more easy to find, but when it comes to words, there is often a huge problem. Many things to say and so little space in a single wedding card. No worries, because below you can find a bunch of beautiful wedding day wishes for friends that can make fit in anybody’s heart!
[read also: Wedding Wishes and Happy Married Life Messages]
Maya Taylor
During your best friend's wedding I am sure they need you more than anyone else. Send one of these messages to your best friend during this beautiful day.
Do you hear the wedding bells?
Say congratulations with a beautiful message and some flowers to celebrate! Writing messages for wedding cards doesn’t have to be difficult! We collected over 40+ best example from a variety of messages – formal, informal, funny and much more.
Choose the one that suits your relationship with the couple the best and send it on a pretty wedding card.
sources:theknot.com, hitched.co.uk, youandyourwedding.co.uk
Lily Calyx is our in-house flower whisperer, an expert on all things botanical and an enthusiastic orchids collector. She loves discussing the insights of the secret world of flowers, shares her gardening tips and hacks and moons over the latest additions to Serenata Flowers flower range. Ask Lily anything about flowers and we can guarantee she will have the answer.
The big day has arrived and all you've got left to do is write a card for the I hope through the years you become even better friends and share every possible Congratulations on your wedding day and best wishes for a happy life together!.
