How to word adult only wedding invitations

Wording adult only wedding invitations can be a delicate matter, understandably you don’t want to upset any of your friends and family who have children. If you have decided you want an adults only wedding then try to set the tone from the very beginning and address your save the date cards and invitations accordingly. There are a number of ways this information can be phrased sensitively and I’ve included some wording suggestions below, along with some tips on how to manage guest expectations:

We are very sorry, but due to restrictions at our venue, we can only accommodate children of close family members and those travelling overseas.

I like this wording a lot, it’s succinct and offers a very valid reason for having adults only. It also explains that any children in attendance are either close family members or have traveled from abroad. This prevents anyone from wondering why some children are there and others aren’t.

In order to allow all guests, including parents, an evening of relaxation we have chosen for our wedding day to be an adult only occasion. We hope this advance notice means you are still able to share our big day and will enjoy having the evening off.

This adult only wording is definitely parent friendly. It subtly acknowledges the time required to make childcare arrangements whilst clearly communicating the desire for adult guests to attend.

If you are only inviting children of close family, or those who are travelling from overseas, you may want to reach out to them before mailing your invitations to confirm this. This will prevent them from receiving your invitation and assuming that their children aren’t invited. Foreseeing problems such as this and addressing them before they occur is the best possible way to plan a stress free wedding.