Adults Only Wedding Invitation Wording

Communicating an “adults only” wedding ceremony and reception is less about wording your wedding invitations and more about addressing them properly.

There are ways to allude to an adult-only wedding in your wedding invitation wording without saying “adults only” or “no children” on the invitation itself, which can be considered distasteful by some.

You can say things like “intimate ceremony” or “cocktail reception” taking place at a “luxury hotel” or “downtown nightclub.” Guests will hopefully understand those venues aren’t child-friendly but if you're worried the subtle approach won't work, that's okay. We've got you covered...

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First Things First: Envelopes

Your first plan of action should be properly addressing the envelopes. Guests should understand that only the people listed on the inner envelopes are invited to the wedding. (Read Inner and Outer Envelopes Explained to learn more about properly addressing your invitations.) Here’s an example:

Outer Envelope: Mr. and Mrs. Michael Callan
Inner Envelope: Mike and Julie

If you were inviting Mike and Julie's children, you'd addres the envleopes like this:

Outer Envelope: Mr. and Mrs. Michael Callan
Inner Envelope: Mike, Julie, Adam, Greta and Harriet

Next, the Enclosure Cards

If you’re worried about guests not getting the hint, you can adjust the wording on your response cards accordingly:

We can’t wait to celebrate with you!
Please respond by November 4, 2027
Name _________________________
_______ Adults will attend
_______ Sorry to miss it!

Here’s another way to word your response card. On the second line, you’d write in the number of guests you’re attending (in this example, 2):

Please respond by November 4, 2025
We have reserved 2 spots for you.
Name _________________________
_______ Will attend
_______ Sorry to miss it!

If you want to be extra clear, make a note on the reception cards or create entirely separate information cards addressing the adults-only rule. Perhaps one of these examples will fit your style. They can be used with your reception card wording or on separate information cards:

Please celebrate with us
at an adults-only reception
immediately following the ceremony.

Although we love to watch the children
run and play, this is going to be
an adults only kind of day.

Due to restrictions at our venue,
children under the age of 16
are not able to attend.

Children are welcome at the ceremony
but the reception is an adults-only affair.

Although we love your children,
we regretfully cannot accommodate them
at the venue due to limited seating. We hope
you are able to join us anyway and enjoy
a relaxed evening with friends and family!

And, the Invitation

You certainly can add "adults only" wording to your wedding invitations if you like but as you can see from all of the options above, there are other ways to approach the topic that may feel more friendly to the families on your guest list. Want more ideas for wording your wedding invitations? Check out Wedding Stationery Wording Ideas.