Invitation Etiquette: Question of the Week

February 16, 2009 | Filed Under etiquette 

Q: How do I word the time on my invitations? I am getting married at 4:30 (on the upswing because my mom said it is good luck) and want to use something like “in the afternoon”. -Maggie – Zanesville, OH

A: The time of your ceremony should always be spelled out and you should never use abbreviations like a.m. or p.m. You may instead use descriptive phrases such as “in the afternoon” or “in the evening”. A ceremony that begins at or before five o’clock is considered an afternoon ceremony.

For your specific time of 4:30, you could use any of the following options (listed most to least formal):

• half past four o’clock
• half past four o’clock in the afternoon
• half past four
• four thirty in the afternoon
• four thirty

If you were not getting married on the half hour, your could use

• four o’clock
• four o’clock in the afternoon

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