What to write in a wedding card: messages for the couple
Updated 26 October 2026 · Written by Lysela
Write a few warm lines straight to the couple: congratulations, a memory you share or a wish for the years ahead, and sign with your name. Three to five sentences is plenty in a wedding card. Here is how a good message is built, wording to borrow for friends, family, colleagues and cards with money, and what to leave out. If you cannot go, the guest book on the wedding website is there for you.
Try it yourself, no account neededWhat do you write in a wedding card?
Write by hand if you can. A handwritten card is often kept for years, and couples read it again when they open the presents.
Address both by name
Start with "Dear [name] and [name]". Use both names, even when you mostly know one of them.
Congratulations
Keep it simple. "Congratulations on your wedding" works as a first line.
Something personal
A memory, something you have seen in them as a couple, or something you value about them. That line makes the card theirs.
A wish
What you hope for them ahead, short and warm. Finish with your greeting and your name.
Wedding card messages to borrow
Replace whatever is in square brackets, and choose the tone that suits the couple and how you know them.
Dear [name] and [name], We send you our warmest congratulations on your wedding, and wish you a long life together, filled with joy and security. With warm regards, [name]
Dear [name] and [name], congratulations. I have watched you grow together since [when], and today I saw it more clearly than ever. Thank you for letting me be part of it. Love, [name]
Dear [name] and [name], what a lovely day. We wish you many years together, with as much laughter as tonight. Love from [name] and [name]
Congratulations, [name] and [name]. It is official now, and we fully expect a dinner invitation for many years to come. [name]
Congratulations, [name] and [name], from everyone at [workplace]. We wish you a wonderful day and a long life together. Enjoy your time off, we will look after everything here. [name], [name] and [name]
Congratulations, [name] and [name]. It was a joy to watch you say yes. [name]
A wedding card with money
A card with money needs no big words. Thank them for the day, mention what the money could become if the couple have asked for something, and leave the amount out of the text. How couples can ask for money and how to give it is in the cash gift guide.
Dear [name] and [name], congratulations. Let this be a dinner or an evening on your honeymoon, with a thought for us. [name]
Congratulations, [name] and [name]. Make something lovely of this in the home you are building together. [name]
Congratulations, [name] and [name]. Enjoy the trip. [name]
Getting the tone right, and what to leave out
Messages read aloud at the dinner are called telegrams in Sweden, and they are written differently. Read the telegram guide if that is what you are after.
| Situation | Write this | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| You mostly know one of them | Write about the one you know and welcome the other in a sentence of their own. | Addressing only one of them. |
| You want to joke | A joke about something you have been through together, which the whole family will get. | Jokes about past relationships, money or how short a time they have known each other. |
| You want to give advice | One piece of your own, in one sentence. | Long lists, or advice that sounds like a warning. |
| The card is small | Three to five sentences. | Pages of text for the couple to read at a full table. |
Cannot come? Write in the guest book
If you cannot be there, you can post the card before the wedding. If the couple have a guest book on their wedding website, you can write the same lines there, from your phone, whenever it suits you. You add your name and your message, and the couple read it afterwards. Messages for the guest book are in the guest book guide, and on the example sites you can write as a guest would.
Dear [name] and [name], I am sorry to miss your day, but I am thinking of you. Congratulations, and I hope we see each other soon. [name]
The guest book on your wedding website
With Lysela, the guest book is on your wedding website in every tier. Anyone who cannot come, or who wants to write afterwards, leaves a name and a message on their phone, with no app or account. You read them all together, hide any you would rather not show, and download them as a file. With Premium, guests can also record an audio message of up to a minute.
You pay once, SEK 795, SEK 1,795 or SEK 4,900 including VAT, and the site stays up for 12 months.
What usually goes on a wedding website, and what one costs, is in the checklist.
Frequently asked questions
What do you write in a wedding card?
Congratulations to both of them by name, one personal line, a wish and your name. Three to five sentences is plenty.
How long should a wedding card message be?
Three to five sentences. That is short enough to be read and long enough to feel personal.
What do you write in a wedding card with money?
Congratulations, a thank you for the day and, if you like, what the money could become, such as a dinner on the honeymoon. The amount does not need to be in the card.
What do you write if you cannot come to the wedding?
Congratulations, that you are sorry to miss the day and a wish for them. Post the card or write in the guest book on the wedding website.