Bilingual wedding invitation wording in Ukrainian and English
Updated
Write each language as its own invitation, not as a translation: the same facts, in the words a native speaker would use. Below are wording pairs in English and Ukrainian for every part of an invitation, from the greeting to the RSVP, ready to copy and change.
Which language goes first?
On paper, the language of most of your guests goes first, or the language of whoever hosts the wedding. On a link invitation the question goes away: each guest gets a version in their own language, so nobody reads past the other one to find theirs.
How do you write Ukrainian names in English?
Use the spelling from your passports, which follows Ukraine’s official transliteration: Khrystyna, Andrii, Oleksandr. If your friends abroad know you by a short form, such as Max or Sasha, use that in the English version. In Ukrainian, write the names as your family says them.
Khrystyna & Andrii
Христина та Андрій
Anna and Max
Анна і Максим
How do you open the invitation?
With who is inviting and to what. Formal English names the families; warm English speaks for the couple. Ukrainian sounds warmer than English at the same level of formality, so a Ukrainian version can say a little more.
Together with their families, Anna Kovalenko and Maksym Shevchenko invite you to celebrate their marriage.
Разом із родинами Анна Коваленко та Максим Шевченко запрошують вас на своє весілля.
We’re getting married! Come and celebrate with us.
Ми одружуємося! Приходьте святкувати разом із нами.
Olena and Petro Kovalenko invite you to the wedding of their daughter Anna to Maksym Shevchenko.
Олена та Петро Коваленки запрошують вас на весілля своєї доньки Анни з Максимом Шевченком.
How do you write the date and the time?
In full, with the day of the week. British English writes 12 June 2027; American English writes June 12, 2027. Ukrainian uses the 24-hour clock and a lower-case month; English-speaking guests read 3 pm more easily than 15:00.
Saturday, 12 June 2027, at 3 pm
Субота, 12 червня 2027 року, о 15:00
How do you name the ceremony?
Ukrainian has two words where English has one: «вінчання» is the church wedding, «розпис» or «реєстрація шлюбу» is the civil one. In English both are the ceremony; add the place to show which.
The ceremony: St George’s Cathedral, 2 pm. The reception follows at Villa Rosa.
Вінчання: собор Святого Юра, 14:00. Після нього святкуємо у Villa Rosa.
The civil ceremony: 12 noon, family only. Everyone is invited to the reception at 4 pm.
Розпис: 12:00, у родинному колі. На святкування о 16:00 запрошуємо всіх.
How do you word gifts in two cultures?
At Ukrainian weddings a gift of money in an envelope is the custom; in the UK and Canada many guests expect a gift list. Words that welcome both, without naming a sum or a currency, work in each language.
Your presence is the best gift. If you would like to give something more, a contribution to our first home would mean a lot.
Ваша присутність - найкращий подарунок. Якщо захочете подарувати щось іще, внесок у наш перший дім буде для нас дуже цінним.
Instead of flowers, please bring a bottle of your favourite wine: we will open it on our first anniversary.
Замість квітів принесіть, будь ласка, пляшку улюбленого вина: ми відкриємо її на першу річницю.
How do you say adults only, or no plus-ones?
Kindly and once, in the details, not in the greeting. Ukrainian invitations rarely say it, so the Ukrainian line should be extra gentle.
Our celebration is for adults only. Thank you for understanding - we hope you can find a babysitter for the evening.
Наше свято - лише для дорослих. Дякуємо за розуміння - сподіваємося, вам вдасться знайти няню на цей вечір.
We have kept our wedding small, so we can only welcome the guests named on this invitation.
Ми святкуємо в тісному колі, тож чекаємо лише гостей, названих у запрошенні.
How do you ask guests to reply?
With a date and one way to answer. English uses RSVP as a verb; in Ukrainian, «дайте відповідь» or «підтвердьте присутність» is clearer than the abbreviation, which many older guests do not know.
Please RSVP by 1 May 2027 using the form below.
Будь ласка, підтвердьте присутність до 1 травня 2027 року у формі нижче.
Which word-for-word translations sound wrong?
The ones that are warm in one language and stiff in the other. Read each version aloud, or ask a friend who grew up with that language.
- «Дорогі гості» is warm in Ukrainian; "Dear guests" sounds like a hotel notice. Write "Dear friends and family".
- «Раді запросити вас» becomes "We are glad to invite you", which no English invitation says. Write "We would love you to join us".
- "Black tie" has no word-for-word Ukrainian equivalent. Write «Дрес-код: вечірній» and, if you like, add «чоловікам - смокінг».
Can one invitation hold both versions?
Yes. On Premium, or on Basic with the second-language add-on, a My Day invitation has a Ukrainian and an English version at one address, with the same photos, plan of the day, places and RSVP; each text has a field for each language. See how the bilingual invitation works.