MisterGreetingCard teaches Invitations 101

One of the most important items in any party planning is making sure your guests have all the necessary information needed for the event.  Whether it’s a big event or a very simple affair creating an invitation is essential.

Normally it takes us forever to make our own invitations so we just get those printed invites with blanks and fill in the details.   While this may seem fine for a child’s birthday party they may not look nice for a more formal event like a debut, an adult’s birthday or a wedding.  Personalizing your invitations not only makes it more formal and heart felt, it looks more polished.  It shows you took time to actually plan your party well. 

It is not really that hard.  Remember to have the vital information in mind and always think a step ahead on possible questions your guests might ask before the event.

The most important data are those that answer the 4 Ws: Who, What, When and Where.

Who – the celebrant(s) and the hosts (if not the celebrant)

What – the purpose or occasion (the reason you are inviting everyone)

When – the exact date and time of the happening

Where – the specific location of the event

Answer that, and you basically have the invitation ready.  There are of course a few things you must remember, especially when you are making a formal invitation since jotting the 4Ws won’t really look great on fancy paper.

• For a formal event, write the dates in words as such – Saturday, the Third of March.  Should you want to include the year do not use the th or nd on the dates.
• When indicating time it is also best to use words and o’clock at the end like Eight o’clock in the evening.  Remember that Afternoon is before 6 p.m. and anything beyond that is Evening. 
• For a less formal event you can simply use a.m. or p.m. (lowercase letters) to indicate time.  Should your time fall on a 12 o’clock make sure to indicate that it is either noon or midnight. 
• Always write the name of the venue first then the exact address but avoid including the zip code in a formal invites.
• Write your RSVP succinctly indicating either your email address or phone number and the name of the person to inform.  Include a date to tell them when you will be expecting their confirmations.
•  While a lot of planners have started using “Regrets only” instead of RSVP, it is best to stick with the old on this one.  This is very important specially if you have a strict budget for the catering or the seating capacity.  Some “regrets only” can surprise you in the end that a lot of people may not actually be coming and you are end up with so much food and so little guests during the party.
• Dress Code /Attire must be included! Indicate precisely how you want your guests to look.  If it’s a black and white party or a cocktail event, spell it out for them.  On formal occasions you don’t have to indicate the attire as everyone will assume what they have to wear.  However if you have a theme or prefer a certain hue in their clothing make sure to indicate this using small prints at the bottom of the invitation card.
• Some couples or individuals who are starting a new life prefer to receive money than actual gifts and if you are one of them it is best to check first if the guest you are inviting will take this request in a bad light.  Some guests especially your family will understand while some may find this impolite.  If you must indicate it, be sure to write this down in small prints and make it sound like a sweet suggestion or a very polite request.    
• Read your invitation over and over again! Let other people read it as well.  Check for any misspelled words or grammatical errors, typographical errors, wrong information etc.  You wouldn’t want to edit when all the invitation cards have already been printed!

After all these wording, remember to send out your beautiful invitations as soon as possible!  Any planner would suggest you allot at the very least 8 weeks before the actual event to give you time to handle all the logistics.  Should the event happen a few months away try to send them a reminder or what some would call a “save the date” card.

Too much to do? Do not worry, MisterGreetingCard can make all these easy for you.  Simply log on to www.mistergreetingcard.com , go to invitations, choose your design, fill in the details and send! We will print all of it for you and send it out!  You don’t have to painstakingly put each card to its own envelope, seal and line up in the post office!  MisterGreetingCard will do it all for you at the least cost than most invitation makers!

MisterGreetingCard, where Invitations are easy to make and party planners get less headaches.