[509kari]

My husband and i were married by Justice of the Peace almost two years ago right before he spent a year in Iraq. Now we want the real thing. I understand this will be a vow renewal and not a wedding, but is it necessary to include the words "...Reaffirmation of their wedding vows" on the invitation, or are the words "...Request the honor of your company at the celebration of their marriage..." appropriate? And will guests get the picture with only this?

Or would "...Request the pleasure of your company at the celebration of their marriage and the reaffirmation of their vows.." be suitable? Or is that too wordy? I'm confused about this.

This event is more than just a small vow renewal. It's a combination of the wedding we never had and a reaffirmation of our vows. Although I am omitting some aspects of a wedding, it has the feel of a semi formal wedding and I want this to come across in the wording on the invitation. What should i do?

[Etiquette Now]

Dear Wants a Wedding,

Calling it a celebration of your marriage makes this sound as if you are inviting your guest to more of a party, somewhat like a reception. Your example: "Request the pleasure of your company at the celebration of their marriage and the reaffirmation of their vows.." works well. This still implies that there may be a party afterward, so hopefully this is in the works.

Congratulations and I'm glad that your husband is safe.

Best wishes,