Use creative wording to capture the spirit of your shindig.
An invitation conveys the spirit of a party and gives revelers an initial idea of what to expect. Guests take their cues for how they dress, what they bring and how they should act based on cues provided on the invitation. So the next time you're sending out invitations, make sure that you choose clever wording to let guests know they're in for a hip and happening bash. Does this Spark an idea?
Themed Party Invitations
If your party will have a set theme, use clever wording to put your guests in the right frame of mind. For a Wild West theme, address the invitation to buckaroos, cowpokes, floozies, outlaws and sharpshooters, on the lam and law-abidin' alike. Invite them 'round for a rootin' tootin' good time. For a Country-Western potluck, ask that they "rustle up some grub that sticks to yer ribs." If your party evokes an era, use slang from the appropriate time. Invite dancing queens and roller disco gods to a 1970s bash, for example. For a 1960s-inspired party, invite your guests to come wearing flowers in their hair and tell them to bring their grooviest tunes to help create a retro soundtrack.
Mix up your language's register, or degree of formality. Instead of a party, invite guests to a bash, blow-out, carousing, fete, do, soiree, banquet, ball, get-together, shindig, social hoe-down or klatch.
Humorous Wordplay
Wordplay can elicit groans or laughs--sometimes both simultaneously. If you and your guests all enjoy good linguistic recto-verso, use this option to set a fun-loving mood. Tie wordplay into the party's theme or the occasion. For a fiftieth-anniversary party, use golden stickers of individual letters to write out "Come celebrate our old marriage" on the outside of the invitation. Place a stray letter G inside the envelope so the clever recipients will realize it should have read "gold." On the inside of the card, write "Things may be starting to fall apart...but we're still sticking together." For a slightly macabre jab at aging, affix the response card to the invitation with a small adhesive bandage.
Puzzle-Based Invitations
To cleverly announce an informal potluck, write a long acronym across the front of the invitation, starting with BYO, such as BYOCDOSSBIYARBCOABSTDT. On the inside, spell it all out. For example, "Bring Your Own Covered Dish or Something Store-Bought if You're a Really Bad Cook. Oh, And Bring Something to Drink, Too!" Or make your invitation an acrostic poem, using the first word of each line to spell out another word. For example, for Halloween, a couple could write HALLOWEEN down the page, vertically, and then fill in each line to say: "Herb And Leslie'd Love Our Weird & Earnest Ensemble Near."
Tags: your guests, clever wording, each line, Party Invitations, party invite