I Do BBQ Wedding: Invitations and Sample Wording

Barbecue is a great choice for your wedding menu. You can plan a traditional wedding and serve BBQ as your meal. Or you can plan an I Do BBQ, where it’s your theme and your food. No matter which you decide, you’ll need to start inviting people 6 to 8 weeks before your wedding. There’s lots of options for an I Do BBQ invitation.

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How to Choose Wedding Invitations For a BBQ Reception

The main job of your wedding invitations is to let your guest know what to expect on your wedding day. Even though you’ve spent months planning all the details, they have no idea what’s going to happen. They’re not sure what to wear or what type of presents to bring. The only clues they have are what they’ll get from your invitations.

The first thing your guests will notice is the style of your invitations. If they’re expensive or traditional, your guests will expect a formal wedding. If they’re less expensive, more colorful or casual, your guests will expect a semi formal or casual wedding.

The wording of your invitations will tell them more about your wedding. If your wedding is formal, use the most formal version of invitation wording. If your wedding is less formal, you can use semi formal or casual wording. For example, use your full names for a formal invitation but your everyday names or nicknames for a more casual invitation. A formal invitation would use Elizabeth Mary Jones. A casual invitation could use Betty Jones.

Is Your Wedding Formal, Semi Formal or Casual?

Before you choose your invitations, think about the level of formality you want at your wedding. Try to match the expense, style and wording of your invitations to the type of wedding you’re planning. If you’re planning an elegant, medium or high priced reception, don’t choose the cheapest invitations you can find. If you do, your guests will expect a cheap wedding.

If you’re planning a wedding that’s traditional but you’re serving barbecue, you don’t need to use it as a theme, or make your wedding seem casual. If you’re having a traditional wedding, choose invitations that suit your style and level of formality.

How to Write a Casual Wedding Invitation

If you’re planning a casual wedding, choose invitations that match the look and style of your reception. If your wedding is less expensive, you can choose less expensive invitations. Use casual wording that will let your guests know what to expect.

If your main theme is BBQ, there’s tons of cute invitations with barbecue, rustic or plaid designs. If you’ve got a different theme, like sunflowers or cowboy boots, you can choose invitations to match those, as well.

What Do You Write On a Wedding Invitation?

Name of the Hosts

The first line is whoever is hosting your wedding. You can decide if you want to include your parents or not - either way is fine. If your parents are hosting, you can put their names first. If you choose to host your wedding yourselves, the first line can be your own names.

If you’re planning a formal wedding, write your full names - first name, middle name, last name. If your wedding is semi formal or casual, you can write just your first name and last name. Or use a shortened version, if that’s what you use every day. For example, a formal wedding invitation would use your full name: Ronald Bilious Weasley. A casual wedding invitation is better with your everyday name: Ron Weasley.

Request Line

Most wedding invitations include a request line next. On an I Do BBQ wedding invitation, the request line usually has fun wording already on the card.

After we say I do, let’s have a BBQ
Please join us for an I Do BBQ

Date and Time

For a formal wedding, write the time in words instead of numbers: at five o’clock in the afternoon. If you’re having a more casual wedding, use numbers: at 5:00 pm.

Location, Including the Address

Write the name of the venue and the street address. If you’re having your wedding at a private home, instead of a venue name, you can write: At the Smith’s Residence. Then include the address.

Reception Information

If the reception is at the same location as the ceremony, add a line at the bottom of the card:

Reception to follow
Dinner and dancing to follow
Reception immediately following

If your reception is in a different place than the ceremony you can write:

Reception to follow at (location)
Reception to follow at the residence of (name & address)

Outdoor Wedding Invitation Wording

If your wedding is outdoors, your guests will want to dress for it. If the name of the venue makes it obvious, you don’t need to add anything extra. If your venue is listed as Backyard Wedding at the Smith Residence, that’s enough information for your guests to figure it out.

If it’s not obvious from the location, you can add a line:

Reception will be held outdoor, please dress for the weather.

If the ceremony is outdoors and the reception indoors, add a few lines to let your guests know:

Ceremony will be held outdoors, please dress for the weather.
Reception immediately following in the main ballroom.

Where to Buy I Do BBQ Wedding Invitations

If you’re looking for themed BBQ invitations for your wedding reception, Etsy has tons of options. You can choose invitations that are personalized and printed by the seller, then shipped to you. Or if you want to DIY, you can choose templates that you’ll personalize and print yourself.