The start to the perfect party is a great customized invitation. The right invitation helps set the tone for your affair and gets people excited to attend. While the visual design of the invitation is important to attract attention, it's the wording of the invitation that ultimately sets the stage for a terrific event.
A formal affair - such as a traditional wedding, black-tie cocktail reception, or corporate event - generally requires simple, straightforward language, announcing the host, type of event, date, time and place.
For instance, there's plenty of fun to be had when it comes to celebrating milestone birthdays. Since statistics show another baby boomer turns 50 every 7.5 seconds, chances are you have a relative, friend, or colleague who's approaching their 50th birthday. Parties celebrating milestone birthdays often include lots of whimsical props and gag gifts focusing on being over the hill, so an invitation to such a shebang should be humorous, too. Consider this:
Fred's turning Fifty
it's downhill from here
so join us on Friday, May 15
to fill him with cheer!
Milestone wedding anniversaries also deserve special attention - and a special invitation. For that once-in-a-lifetime Golden Wedding Anniversary party, the invitation might read:
Fifty years ago
Phil and Emma said, "I Do"
come celebrate their Golden Day
on Sunday the fifth, at two.
There's no better way to convey the type of party you're having than with wording that fits the occasion. A Western-style barbecue calls for a verse such as:
Howdy Pardners! Come on down
to the Stevens' ranch on Saturday at sundown
We're firing up the barbecue and getting out the ribs
Don't forget your cowboy hats and wear your bibs!
A party with a '50s theme could invite guests using such wording as:
From poodle skirts and Elvis
to sock hops and Howdy Doody
our '50s Party will be a blast
dinner at six, dancing at seven-thirty.
Recently, cigars and martinis have been all the rage at many dinner parties. Lure guests with an invitation that reads:
Don't be late
Cocktails at eight
Dinner's at nine
Cigar smoking's fine!
An invitation to a surprise party compels guests to keep the secret with such versing as:
Hush! Don't tell Nancy!
her Baby Shower's a surprise
bring a wishing-well gift
but don't bring the guys!
Holiday parties provide plenty of options for interesting invitations. Halloween costume parties are always fun, and so should be the invitations. For example:
Calling all ghouls, witches, and ghosts
the Wolfsons are going to be your hosts
for a howling good time at quarter past nine
Wear your costumes and be on time!
Invite friends to celebrate the Christmas season with an invitation such as:
We're decking the halls with boughs of holly
Come celebrate with us and be jolly
Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres begin at three
Please bring an ornament for the tree.
With a cleverly worded invitation, you're sure to get the majority of your invited guests to R.S.V.P with an enthusiastic "Yes!"
