Think my Debrett's Etiquette and Modern Manners must be in the loft! Can anyone help?

[Carla]

Wedding invitation, addressed to The Us Family, reads:

Blah and Blah

have much pleasure in inviting you to a service of blessing at blah college Chapel, at 5pm on blah and to a reception in college, following the service.

What should the formal (or not so formal) reply be? I'm a bit stumpted 'cos the envelope was addressed to us as a family, and normally you say something like 'Mr and Mrs have great pleasure ....' or something like that. TIA

I'd list out all your names, ie, "Carla, Gregory, Ermintrude and Xavier Us thank x and y for their kind invitation to a service of blessing at blah on date, and are delighted to accept"

Given all the threads on no-kids weddings, good on them for asking Ermintrude and Xavier, by the way.

Why worry /care?

Just send them a nice little note saying in your own words that you accept their invitation....

LOL, binkie!

I did think you were supposed to reply in that 'wedding invitationy' poncy way.

No, just send them back a note saying 'Thank you, we'd love to come'.

Wording like 'Mr & Mrs so-and-so request the pleasure' is pretty standard when you order the invitation cards, isn't it? All our invites said that but all the replies said 'Cheers - see you there!' or suchlike

The invitation wasn't in the third person, so neither should your reply be.

I'm with Snafu on this one. Unless they are up their own arses they probably won't mind one iota.

So your Debretts is in the loft but luckily they have an online FAQ for this kind of thing! But I agree with Snafu.

Whose wedding is it? Prince William's? I would just reply as binkie suggested or buy one of those printed acceptance cards which usually just leave romm fo you to sign your names in which case I might put The X Family to avoid writing out all 6 of our names!

I would reply 'Mr and Mrs blah and family are delighted to receive the wedding invitation and are very pleased to accept' or similar

I think it is nice that you want to use the proper wording - if they have gone to the trouble and expense of sending out a nice invitation it is good manners to reply equally.

Carla, its up to you really. If you think they'd appreciate the formal reply, then it is courteous to go for that. If you think they would just appreciate a response, something in your own words is fine.
Or......... you could go for the formal response and underneath write a little note saying hope all's well, looking forward to seeing you on the big day.

Sorry - had another thought: have you been invited by the couple or by the bride's parents? - if it's the parents I would definitely write a formal letter unless you know them really well.

Binkie is correct.

Tanzie Debrett (The Hon.)

i would rip a bit of paper fromt he botom of the 'daily mirror' and write "ta muchio chuck, cya there - save some boozo pour moi sil vous plait!"