Inviting guests

If you’re wondering what you should put on your party invitations, Confetti has the answer

What your party invitations need to say

Whatever you’re celebrating, the invitations need to include the following information:

• what the event is
• who it’s for
• who is hosting it (if different from who it’s for)
• when and where it will take place
• a request for a reply (RSVP) either with an address or an enclosed RSVP card.
• additional information:
• dress requirements if necessary, eg black tie, smart, no jeans etc.
• whether food is being served (if it’s not a dinner/lunch party)
• the time the party ends

If children are invited, make this clear and include their names on the invitation. However, if you want a child‐free party, include a short tactful note, such as: ‘We are sorry we are unable to accommodate children.’

Once you’ve covered these basics, you can leave it at that. Anything else you add, such as an introductory sentence about why you’re celebrating for example, is entirely optional, although it can be a nice way to personalise the invitation and make it less formal.

The traditional approach

If you want to follow traditional invitation style, there are several basic rules to follow:

Invitations are written in the third person eg Mr & Mrs Jones, rather than ‘we’

When you’re listing the time, date and venue in your invitation, the date and time should be written first, the venue last.

Use titles eg Mrs, Dr, Sir etc. when appropriate. There is no need for a full stop after Mr, Mrs or Dr.

How you break up the lines is up to you. Generally speaking, however, names, times and places are placed on separate lines. For example:

Mr & Mrs Jones request the pleasure of your company at the 21st Birthday Party of their daughter Brigitte on Saturday 26th August, 2006 from 8pm in Bedmington Hall, Upper Street Guildford, Surrey.

Bear in mind, that fairly equal line lengths generally look better on the page than an array of different line lengths ‐‐ aside from the information it contains, you want the invite to look good.

For great, and individual invitations no matter what the occasion, why not create your own and use our Print Centre.

You can find out  helpful inspiration and advice from our stationery and invitations articles!

Find more wedding stationery collections and ideas in the Confetti Shop!