A single verse at the top of an invitation tells guests what kind of day they’re being invited to before they’ve read a single name. The trick is choosing one that fits the space. A card has room for a line or two; a passage like 1 Corinthians 13 reads better on your wedding website, where guests can take it in slowly.
Every verse below is quoted exactly from the King James Version. The KJV is in the public domain, so you can print it freely, and its cadence suits formal invitation wording well.
Short verses that fit on the card
These are one sentence or less, which is about as much as an invitation can carry without crowding the names and details.
I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go
The most-loved line from this verse is only part of it; the full verse continues, so many couples print just this phrase. That’s a fair use of the passage, and you can mark the omission with an ellipsis if you prefer.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
The same sentence appears in Matthew 19:6, which begins “Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh.” Either citation is correct; use the one your pastor or priest will read, if you know it.
We love him, because he first loved us.
My beloved is mine, and I am his
This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.
Longer verses for the website or the ceremony
These are beautiful but long. They work best on your website’s home page or Our Story section, in a ceremony reading, or as the one verse on an otherwise very simple card.
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God
Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another
Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
In the King James Version, the love chapter uses the word “charity,” which meant self-giving love when the translation was made. Some guests may not expect it, but it’s the accurate KJV text, and many couples love it for exactly that reason. If you want the familiar line on a card, verse 13 is shorter: “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”
Where the verse goes on the invitation
Above the names
Placing the verse at the very top, before the hosts’ names, makes it the first thing guests read. This works best with short verses and gives the card a reverent, formal tone.
At the foot of the card
Placing it below the reception line lets the invitation read normally and ends on Scripture. It’s a good choice for longer verses or for couples who want the verse to feel like a quiet signature rather than a headline.
Citation format
Give the book, chapter and verse on its own line beneath the text, such as “Ecclesiastes 4:12.” Write out the book name rather than abbreviating it. Adding the translation is optional on a card; if you quote the King James wording, it’s accurate to note it.
Shortening a passage with care
It’s common to print part of a verse, as with “a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Keep the words exactly as written, don’t change their meaning by cutting, and cite the verse the words come from. If you leave out words from the middle, use an ellipsis.
Full invitation examples
“What therefore God hath joined together,
let not man put asunder.”
Mark 10:9
Mr. and Mrs. David Allen Carter
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Hannah Grace
to
Mr. Samuel James Brooks
Saturday, the twelfth of June
two thousand twenty-seven
at two o’clock in the afternoon
Grace Community Church
Nashville, Tennessee
Reception to follow
Together with their families
Emily Rose Parker
and
Jonathan Lee Hayes
request the pleasure of your company
at the celebration of their marriage
Saturday, September 18, 2027
at four o’clock in the afternoon
Willow Creek Farm
Franklin, Tennessee
Dinner and dancing to follow
“And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”
Ecclesiastes 4:12
“This is the day which the LORD hath made;
we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
Psalm 118:24
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Thomas Rossi
request the honour of your presence
at the Nuptial Mass uniting their daughter
Maria Therese
and
Daniel Joseph Walsh
in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony
Saturday, the ninth of October
two thousand twenty-seven
at eleven o’clock in the morning
St. Patrick’s Catholic Church
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Choosing one verse
If you’re torn, ask what you’d want guests to remember. Ecclesiastes 4:12 speaks to marriage with God at its center; Ruth 1:16 suits a couple joining families; Psalm 118:24 is pure joy about the day itself. You can use one verse on the invitation and a longer one on the website so neither has to do all the work.