How to Write the Perfect Invitation

It is not really something you ever think about, but writing an invitation can be a daunting task.  You have to consider a huge range of aspects to get the feel, the formality and the content of your invitation across.

In this guide on how to write the perfect invitation we won’t be going over the technical creative details, instead we will be going over the actual content that you will write in to your invitation, and how it will convey the theme of your event to the readers.

So without further ado, lets start on how to write the perfect invitation!

First things first, when you are writing the perfect invitation you have to focus both the design and the style around the event. Likewise, the content you write should vary form a dinner party and a wedding.

If you are having a formal dinner party, keep the writing fairly formal, but relax it a little in parts, to convey this will be a party.  If you are younger and having a less formal dinner party then your language should be levelled at exactly the amount of drinking you intend to happen, and whether it will be wine tasting or beer guzzling!  If you are writing a Wedding invitation then there are a whole set of rules, which will be included in our how to write a wedding invitation guide, coming soon!.

But lets consider the first thing on the invitation, how do you address an invitation to a recipient?

For a formal party you would usually use the persons prefix followed by last name, for instance

Dear Dr Anderson % Mrs Anderson

This is however not required if you are inviting a few friends over, in which case it would simply be the first names.  You can decide whether to prefix this with the word ‘dear’ at your own discrestion.

The content of your invitation is crucial. You need to look at how to write your invitation so that it conveys not only the information about the party, but gives conotations as to the feel of the event.

For example, an invitation to a casual wine tasting evening may go as follows

Dear John and Sarah,

I would like to invite you to an evenings wine tasting on the evening of the 15th of February.  We will be providing some staple wines, but would be grateful if you could bring a bottle which you have discovered since the last event.  To begin the evening we will be tasting the different wines, before settling down to a small meal, with the remaining tipple.

Note how I maintained the formal tone, but gave it a casual finish to show that this would not be a snobby event, and teh wine would be more than tasted!

After the first paragraph I could include further information on the event, and in the last paragraph I would say where it is being held.

The final section nearly always includes to things.  The first is an RSVP, especially useful if you are stocking up on food and drink beforehand. The second is the farewell.

When writing an RSVP on an invitation it is important not to come across as rude.  You can ensure this by requesting a response, and being careful not to demand one.

ie. ‘We would be grateful if you could inform us if you will be able to attend the Wine Tasting on the evening of…’

Not ‘Please RSVP’ or ‘Please inform us if you can attend the….’

This may seem obvious, but you would be surprised how many disputes have arisen because of a snobby sounding RSVP request!

When signing off your invitation you can use several methods, from ‘Yours Sincerely’ and ‘Kindest Regards’, down to ‘See You Soon!’ or ‘See you There!’

If your invitation is formal you should keep your send off as such, Yours sincerely can often seem inappropriate for an invitation, in which case Kindest/Warmest Regards makes an ideal substitute.

Follow these steps and you should have written the perfect invitation with this how to guide!