Wedding wishes: 66 messages sorted by relationship and tone

Every message is the length people actually write in a card: two to four sentences, pitched at the relationship. Square brackets, such as [Name] or [memory], mark where your own detail goes, and that detail is what the couple will remember.

How a card is put together, and where a line about money belongs, is covered in what to write in a wedding card; this page supplies the words, for guests. Couples looking for a line to print on their own stationery will find help in choosing a wedding quote.

None of the messages assumes a bride and a groom. First names are also the safer greeting, since Mr and Mrs [Surname] assumes a change of name many couples no longer make.

Family cards can be longer and more emotional than any others. Write the way you already talk to each other, and if the new partner is still something of a stranger, welcome them by name.

From parents

• [Name] and [Name], we watched you stand side by side today and knew this was right. We could not be prouder of you both, or happier that our family got bigger this afternoon. All our love, [Mum/Mom] and Dad
• We taught you to walk, to ride a bike and to swim. This part you worked out entirely on your own, and it is the best thing you have ever done. All the happiness in the world to you both.
• Our child got married today, and we gained someone we had quietly loved for years already. Welcome properly, [Name]. We hope you build a home that people are always glad to walk into.
• We have little wisdom to hand over, but we do have a door that is always open, at any hour, and the kettle will be on. With love, [Mum/Mom] and Dad

To a new son- or daughter-in-law

• [Name], you have been part of this family in every way that counts for a while now. Today it is official, and we could not be more pleased. Welcome, and thank you for making our [son/daughter] so obviously happy.

From grandparents

• We have been married for [number] years ourselves, so take it from us: the best years do not come at the beginning. You have all of them still ahead. With love, [Nan and Grandad]
• Being here to see this day is the best present we could have asked for. Look after each other, and come round for lunch often.
• Dear [Name] and [Name], we wish you good health, patience with each other and a table where there is always room for one more chair. With all our love, [Grandma]

From brothers and sisters

• I have been your [brother/sister] for [number] years and your harshest critic for most of them, so believe me when I say I have no notes. [Name], welcome. You are stuck with all of us now.
• You spent years telling me to knock before coming into your room. I am so glad you have found someone who never has to. Congratulations to you both, and I will still knock.
• Finally, someone who knows you almost as well as I do. [Name], you have my full support, my number for emergencies and my sympathy on the subject of the thermostat. Much love to you both.

From aunts, uncles and godparents

• I was there when you took your first steps, mostly into the coffee table. Today I watched you take a far steadier one. Every good wish to you both, [Auntie Name]
• Dear [Name] and [Name], congratulations on your wedding. May your marriage have as much music in it as tonight, and a great many more quiet Sunday mornings.

Messages for a second marriage or a family with children are in section 5.

Between friends, humour is welcome as long as it lands on both of them and embarrasses neither; the funny wedding wishes are built on that rule. The closer the friendship, the more a shared detail carries.

From a best friend

• I have heard every chapter of the [Name] story. None has made me as happy as the one that starts today. Here's to you both!
• You were there when I [memory]. I got to be there when you said yes. There is nowhere I would rather have been today. All my love, [Name]
• The first time you mentioned [Name], you spent twenty minutes insisting it was nothing serious. I kept the voice note. Congratulations to you both.
• You two are the couple people leave dinner with in a better mood than they arrived. Please never change that, and please keep inviting us.

From the maid of honour, a bridesmaid or the best man

• Months of lists, group chats and emergency safety pins, and I would do it all again. From today, you look after each other. Love, your [maid of honour/best man]
• I got to stand next to you today while you made the biggest promise of your life. It was the best seat in the house, and I am keeping it. Congratulations, both of you.

From the wider group of friends

• Dear [Name] and [Name], congratulations! We hope that in forty years you still have as much to tell each other as you did over dinner last week.
• Five minutes in a room with you two is enough to know this is right. Wishing you every good thing that comes next.
• We know you from [the running club, quiz night, the allotment] and are thrilled to be here. Here's to plenty of laughter and a fair split of the washing-up.
• We hope married life turns out to be exactly like the two of you: easy company, good food and a surprising amount of singing in the car.
• Wishing you a house full of friends, a calendar with a few blank weekends in it and the good sense to protect both. With love, [names]

At work, warmth matters more than closeness. Leave out anything the other person would have to explain to their partner, and if you would address someone as Ms [Surname] at work, do so on the card too. For a group card, one person writes the message and everyone else signs.

From colleagues

• Dear [Name], congratulations to you both from everyone in [team]. Enjoy every day of the time off; the office will cope without you, though not quite as well.
• Congratulations on your wedding, [Name]. Wishing you and [Name] every happiness, and we look forward to hearing all about the honeymoon when you are back.
• [Name], the whole of [team] is thrilled for you both. We have made a pact not to email you until you return, and a quieter pact not to touch the snacks in your desk drawer.
• We watched you juggle seating plans and spreadsheets for months, often in the same window. Every good wish to you both.
• Warmest congratulations on your marriage, also from those of us who could not be there today. Wishing you both many happy years together.

From neighbours

• Dear [Name] and [Name], we have taken in your parcels, you have fed our cat, and today we are delighted to add one more thing to the list: congratulations. With love from next door.
• Congratulations on your wedding! Wishing you both many happy years, and it is lovely to have newlyweds on the street.
• We watched the two of you repaint the front door three times before you agreed on a colour. Marriage should be easy by comparison. Warmest wishes from across the road.

From the boss

• Dear [Name], on behalf of everyone at [company], warmest congratulations on your marriage. I wish you both happiness, good health and a celebration you will enjoy remembering.
• [Name], congratulations from me and from all of us. Take the time you both need; the rest will keep.
• I have seen you keep a cool head through [project]; I suspect married life will find you just as steady. Warmest congratulations to you both.

From a team to their manager

• Dear [Name], the whole team sends warm congratulations to you both. We hope the honeymoon is wonderful, and we promise not to ring you on it.
• Congratulations on your wedding! You have steered us through some difficult projects; for this one we wish you nothing but calm water. From your team

If you are not sure where you stand, as a plus-one or a distant cousin, choose by tone instead.

Classic

• Warmest congratulations on your marriage. May the years ahead bring you steady love, good health and a home that is always full.
• Congratulations to you both on your wedding day. Wishing you a love that deepens every year and a lifetime of reasons to celebrate.
• With every good wish for your marriage and for all the happy years to come.
• On this happy day we send our love and our warmest wishes for a long and happy life together.

Modern

• Big day, big feelings, bigger party. Congratulations, you two, and here's to everything you are building.
• Officially a team now. Same two people, better paperwork. Congratulations!
• Today felt so completely like you two, from the playlist to the shoes. Never let anyone talk you out of being yourselves.
• Here's to the adventures already on your list, and to the ones you have not thought of yet.

Personal, to fill in

• I knew you two were serious the day [moment you noticed]. Everything since has only proved it. Congratulations to you both.
• When [Name] first told me about [Name], [what you noticed]. That has not changed one bit, and I cannot think of a better compliment.
• I still think about [shared memory]. I hope you collect hundreds more moments like it, and invite me along to a few.
• What I love most about the two of you is [quality]. Hold on to it when life gets busy and loud.

Religious and faith-based

• "This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24) With joy and prayers for you both on your wedding day.
• "And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken." (Ecclesiastes 4:12) May God be the third strand in your marriage.
• "The LORD bless thee, and keep thee…" (Numbers 6:24) Every blessing on your marriage.
• We pray that you find joy together on the good days and strength together on the hard ones, and that you never face either alone. God bless you both.
• Mazel tov to you both! May your home always be open, your table always full and your years together long and sweet.

The verses are from the King James Version; if you prefer a modern translation, quote it in full rather than mixing the two.

Short

• Two names, one promise and all our love.
• Congratulations on the best yes of the year!
• A wonderful day for two wonderful people.
• So happy for you both. Enjoy every minute.
• Here's to love that lasts and plans that work out.
• To the happy couple, with love and every good wish.

More one-liners, sorted by mood and by where they will be written, are in the collection of short wedding wishes.

Some weddings fit none of the boxes above. These cases come up most often.

A tiny ceremony, an elopement or a courthouse wedding

• We were not in the room, but we have been thinking of you all day. Congratulations, and we will raise a glass whenever the party happens.
• You did it your way, and it suits you perfectly. Congratulations from all of us who are secretly a little jealous.

Belated, or from far away

• This card is late; our delight is not. Belated but very warm congratulations on your wedding!
• We were thinking of you all day and have since pored over every photo. You look exactly as happy as we always hoped you would be.

A second marriage, or a family with children

• Congratulations on your wedding! We wish you a home where everyone has their own place, [children's names] most of all.
• We are so happy for all of you. Wishing your family courage, warmth and plenty of lazy Sunday breakfasts.

Turning a ready-made message into yours

1. Put in both names, spelled correctly.
2. Add one sentence only you could write: a memory, a place, a habit of theirs, straight after the congratulations.
3. Match your own voice. If you never say "nuptials", do not write it. If you write "we", everyone in the "we" signs.

A copied message without the second step is not wrong, just interchangeable, and couples notice when they reread their cards.