Party Invitation Etiquette

Party time without guests — highly improbable! An actual fun party starts only when the guests start pouring in. And guests pour in to a party only when they receive an invitation. The style of the invitation should very well reflect the purpose of the party. Not only that, the host must also be able to keep up the flame of expectation until the day of the celebration. If you are on the guests list then, as soon as you receive your invitation, kindly check your availability for the dates mentioned and send your reply to the host within a couple of days. This makes it convenient for the host to plan and make the necessary preparations for the party. If a particular theme has been stated in the invitation then, be prepared accordingly. Being a host comes with an altogether different set of etiquette. You must make sure that the invitation is properly worded, correctly addressed and timely sent. A celebration calls for enjoyment to the maximum and has loads of good memories attached to it. So, do your best by sticking to an etiquette that would make it all worthwhile. Read on for party invitation etiquette.

Etiquette For Invitation

Choose Wisely
The first impression is the last impression. Based on the type of the party that you are hosting, the invitation should lay down the theme with its wording. Be it a formal, casual or semi-formal party, the format of the invitation should depict the picture of the event. The sense and overall feel of the party is delivered to the guests through such invitations. Hence, you must style your invitation accordingly and express the kind of environment and fun that can be expected at the gala.

Content Of The Invitation
The invitation should clearly specify what kind of a party is being organized. Whether it’s a birthday party, a surprise party, a cocktail party, a general get-together or anniversary, all details must be clearly mentioned. Use simple language that emphasises the occasion and is easily understandable by the common man. If you are planning to invite your guests verbally then write down the details on paper nearby; this would ensure that you do not miss out any crucial information. Honor the guests and invite them humbly in a pleasing manner.

Proofread
It is very important that the invitation is proofread several times in order to make sure that there are no errors. Make several people check the invitation, if required, for errors that might have missed your notice initially.

Must Include

• Name of the person who’s organizing the party.
• Purpose of the party—whether it’s a birthday party, anniversary, house warming, wedding, etc—should be clearly mentioned.
• Day, date, year and venue ¬¬— another critical piece of information would be when and where. This information should be clearly laid out so that the guests can make themselves available accordingly. The venue must be clearly stated, with full address, to make things all the more easy for the guests.
• Dress Code — If a particular theme is being followed, then mention the details very clearly in the invitation.

Font To Be Used
According to the event, the font may be formal or casual. While a formal event generally calls for fonts like Times New Roman and Arial etc, an invitation for a casual event can be framed with casual fonts like Comic Sans also.
Whatever fonts you use, make sure that it doesn’t compromise on the clarity of the invitation. Also, consider the color contrast of the text and the paper on which it is being printed.

Wordings Of The Invitation
There are certain rules regarding how the wording of an invitation must be done.

• The phrases used in the invitation should be done in the third person. For example: Mrs. and Mr. XYZ invite you to be a part of their son’s first birthday party.
• To make the invitation easy to understand for the people, it is advised not to use abbreviations.
• Time, date as well as the day should be spelled out and not mentioned in short form.
• Proper punctuation must be used in the lines so as to make the text appear meaningful.
• Address the invitees with their correct names written on the envelope. Prepare a list prior to writing the invitations and cross check with others before you actually send them across. For example, for married couples, you can write Mr. and Mrs. Smith or Mrs. and Mr. Enrique Immanuel and family.

When To Send The Invitation
On occasions like weddings, anniversaries, etc where the guest has to spend a couple of days at the venue, the invitations should be given at least two months in advance. This would give your guests ample time to make travel arrangements for the trip. In case of informal or casual parties, a notice of up to two or three weeks is considered sufficient. Try to make sure that the party is not held during the holiday season or else travel arrangements might just make your guests dizzy. Make the travel convenient for your guests and, if required, arrange the accommodations also.

Being A Guest
Etiquette for guests would revolve around timely response. All the arrangements that a host makes depend mostly upon the number of guests. Hence, you must be a responsible guest and RSVP as soon as possible with the number of people that would be attending the party from your end. Do not shy away from sending regret letters if you can’t make it to the party; this is also an important part of invitation etiquette.

Certain factors have to be kept in mind before planning for a party invitation. Right from the beginning, be it sending invitations or hosting the party, everything has a lot of work involved. And to make sure that none of your efforts are futile, send your invitations across timely so that the turnout of guests in your party is good enough to guarantee a great time.