The design of the invitation is up to you; the contents are less flexible.
Birthday invitations can be as varied and original as the birthday boy, girl, man or woman. They can be designed and written out by hand, or they can be purchased at card and gift shops. Regardless of the particular birthday invitation you choose to use, there is essential information regarding its contents that should not be left out. There are also extra touches that personalize the information inside. Does this Spark an idea?
Who and What
Unless she recognizes the return address on the envelope, your guest won't necessarily know who the party is for if you don't tell her. It's very important to include the number of the birthday as well. In case a guest forgets how old the guest is, she can refer back to the invitation to quickly find out. These should be the first pieces of information she sees inside the card. For example, "You're invited to Danny's 10th birthday party!"
Where and When
The next piece of information on the card should be the address or location of the party. It's not enough to say, "Our House!" or "The Olive Garden." Give the formal address of the location; in case a guest wants it, he won't have to go elsewhere to look it up and he can more easily find directions to the location, if you choose not to include them yourself. After you list the location of the party, give the beginning and ending times. Some adult parties held at bars or houses don't have a specific end time. Still, it's courteous to give some time frame, even if the invitation reads, "7 p.m. 'til late night!"
Contact and RSVP
Don't forget to list your personal contact information and/or RSVP information. RSVP is an acronym for the French, "r pondez s'il vous plaît", meaning "please reply." The RSVP information usually includes a contact name, phone number, email address and date by which to reply. Informal parties rarely have RSVP requirements. However, if you're planning a birthday party where the number of guests attending matters, such as a dinner party, you'll want to include it.
Special Instructions and Directions
It's thoughtful to your guests to include a description of what the party will be like and what activities will take place; it helps them to come prepared. If the party is on a beach you might want to say "Clam bake on the beach! Bring a towel, sunscreen and a sweater for when the sun goes down." If you wish guests to bring a dish to share, this is the time to ask them to. If it's a child's birthday, and you've hired a clown, you'll want to include that "Curly the Clown will be entertaining the children from 3-4 p.m." If you're serving food, you should include a note to ask the guest to call you if he has any special dietary restrictions.
Directions aren't a must-have on an invitation, but a courtesy. Many people hand-draw a small map, photo copy it and place a copy in each invitation. You can write out instructions from a general starting off point as well.
Personalization
For a child's party, you might want to include a ribbon that cascades down as the card is opened, or perhaps a small amount of confetti, to make opening the invitation memorable and fun for guests. When it comes to confetti, less is more. You don't want to cause a mess. For an adult's party, include a funny quote or anecdote about getting older, the meaning of life or something that is unique to the personality of the birthday man or woman.
Tags: want include, address location, birthday party, case guest, information RSVP, location party