Formatting an Invitation

So youre throwing a party?! Whoo hoo! Choosing the right invitation and wording it properly can set the tone for the entire shin-dig, and even influence your turn-out. To help you pack the house, clearly outline all the details guests will need on the actual invite, making it as easy as possible for them to say yes. Sometimes even the most verbose of us are at a loss for words. So weve provided some guidelines on what information to include. Add your own personal flair to get the party started and let the party animal out of the cage. Rrraww!

Invitation Basics
Determine what kind of event you are hosting on a casual to formal scale. Our invitations and announcements are perfect for a casual to semi-casual fte. Your personal wording should reflect the nature of the party. Then follow the old who, what, where, when and why rule of thumb, only not necessarily in that order. Imagine yourself standing face-to-face with an invitee in what order would you normally give the information in a casual conversation? Well let that imaginary conversation guide us below. YOU: Hey Im having a party for Sams birthday. Wanna come? First up is usually the What and Why. I.e. Surprise Party for Sukis 55th. Or a Wedding Shower for Mary and Robert. Be explicit enough to hook them, but dont feel that you need to go into detail here. If this is a more formal event, you may use lead-ins such as: You are cordially invited to, The honor of your presence is requested at, We request the pleasure of your company at, Please join us for a, etc. If its a casual thing, just say what it is. INVITEE: Oh a party for Sam?! When is it? Second is usually the when. Date and time go here. Again, formality will dictate whether you use numerals or abbreviations. For informal events its acceptable to write Sunday, June 5 at 6:00 p.m., while formal affairs might warrant Sunday, the fifth of June at six oclock in the evening. If you have a hard and fast ending time, or you want to manage the time, indicate the ending time as well: Sunday, June 5, 12 noon to 4 pm. Its your responsibility to set expectations up front and provide them the information needed to be considerate guests. If you didnt put an ending time, dont blame your guests when the neighbors call the cops! INVITEE: I think Im in free that weekend. Where is to going to be? Location, location, location. Your party spot usually comes next. Your guest list will dictate how much information you need to put here, as well as whether or not you will have any inserts in the envelope. If youre inviting the Bunko gang, a simple Sherris House may suffice. However if its a wedding and out-of-town guests are on the list, give more detail: St. Pauls United Methodist Church, 5501 Main Street, Houston, Texas. Dont put directions here unless they define the location, for instance, City Park Gazebo at the corner of Main and Broadway.

INVITEE: Cool. I know where that is and I think I can come. Is there anything else I should know? Heres where additional and critical information comes in. Who are the hosts? What is the dress code? Should guests bring anything? Are other guests, kids, dogs or even aliens welcome? Is there anything else pertinent they need to know? Nows the time to succinctly list it. YOU: Just let me know for sure if youre coming so I can lock up the valuables! Ha ha! Last, but definitely not least, is the RSVP. RSVP is the abbreviation for the French: rpondez s'il vous plait, or please respond. There are several ways to reply, including an enclosed formal reply card (a smaller card they mail back to you with their written attendance response), the telephone number of the host(s), or these days, an email address. Again, formality and personal preferences will dictate how you ask for a response. A reply card is laughable for a backyard BBQ, and an email address is inappropriate for all but the most casual weddings. But a phone and/or email is just fine for that same BBQ invite. If you need to know by a certain date (so food can be ordered for instance), state that date clearly: RSVP 800-555-1212 by March 15. Other options instead of RSVP might be The favor of a reply is requested, Please reply or Regrets only if you like to live on the edge.

The Rules
Were all for bucking tradition, but there are some standards we will discuss here. Fishing for gifts: We all know that many parties involve some sort of tacit solicitation for gifts. It is always acceptable to state no gifts on your invites, but the situation will dictate when you should list registry information on invites. For weddings, even second nuptials or beyond, it is never appropriate to put registry information on the invitation. For showers you may discretely include cards from registry stores that guests can select from, or list if gifts should fit a theme (e.g. a hardware shower for the groom, a lingerie shower for the bride, or a book shower for baby). And never ever, under any circumstance, ask for money on an invite. Mailing timeframe: Pull out your calendar for this one. First, the scale of the party will help dictate the lead-time necessary, as well as whether guests are coming from far away. For a wedding, or ball, where travel plans or specific wardrobes might need to be arranged, the more advance notice, the better. Then consider the surrounding dates. Does it fall near a holiday weekend, or big event? If youre hosting a party on a bowl game weekend, more notice will improve your turn-out. Even for a simple childrens birthday, mail your invitations so they arrive no less than 2 weeks before your event date. Childrens parties: You will most definitely want to put a start and ending time on any party involving minors. Not only do parents need to know when to pick up older kids, its a savvy mom who realizes that kiddie tantrums get more frequent the longer the party goes on. Keep young guests lists at a manageable level experts recommend one attendee per year of the child. Expert mommies recommend four hours or less. Because theres nothing worse than watching the guest-of-honor have a melt-down. Thank yous: As the host, be prepared to send out a thank you or two after the party. A short note to thank guests who went above and beyond normal helper mode may be in order.

Sample Invitation Wording

When wording invitations, the possibilities are endless (see Formatting an Invitation). It all depends on the unique event and the personality of the honoree and host. Weve provided a few basic samples below. If you have invitation text youd like to share with us (personal information will be excluded), contact us and share your creativity with other Expressionery invitations and announcements customers!

Formal Generic Function

You are cordially invited to a celebratory dinner honoring fifty years of marriage of Dale and Naomi Wilson Friday, the tenth of April Seven oclock in the evening Grotto Ristorante 4715 Westheimer Houston, Texas No gifts, please. RSVP 713-555-1212 by the sixth of April

Paula Marcus and Joe Jamison are tying the knot! Come celebrate the couple with us at a kitchen shower and pizza party Well stock their new kitchen with gourmet goodies and chow on Joes famous brick oven pizza! Saturday, July 25 5 pm 10 pm 2435 Goodwin Lane New Braunfels, Texas Please respond by Friday, July 24 Michelle Santos 830-555-1212

Informal Generic Function

Sample Childs Birthday Invitation

Its a Baby Shower for Jen Duley and baby girl Duley! Saturday, July 15 2 pm 6 pm 2435 Goodwin Lane New Braunfels, Texas Hosted by Johanna Martini and Nydia Perez RSVP Johanna@email.com NydiaP@email.com OR call Johanna at 210-555-1212

Little Lilys turning two and she wants to celebrate with you! Sunday, November 12 2 5 pm 2435 Goodwin Lane New Braunfels, Texas Dress for fun and crafts! Were going to get creative! RSVP to Liz Williams 830-555-1212

Sample Wedding Shower Invitation

Sample Rehearsal Dinner Invitation

Regrets only 858-555-1212

Sample Baby Announcement

Grayce and John Smith cordially invite you to a Rehearsal Dinner on the eve of the wedding of Glenn Smith and Kristine Wilson Friday, April 7 7 pm The Wendeltrap 2301 Strand Galveston, Texas

Its a Boy! Alyssa and Jeremy Hines proudly announce the arrival of Brando Vincenzio Hines August 12th 5:38 am 7 lbs. 8 oz. 22 inches Kyle, Texas

http://www.expressionery.com/line.aspx?lineid=350

Pengumuman, dalam bahasa Inggris disebut "Announcement" adalah salah satu short functional text yang sering ditugaskan guru kepada siswa, iya kan? Sebenarnya, membuat announcement text (pengumuman) lebih mudah jika dibandingkan dengan membuat advertisement (iklan). Mengapa pengumuman dianggap lebih mudah? Karena announcement hanya sekedar memberitahukan apa saja yang perlu diumumkan. Lain lagi ketika kita membuat iklan (baca : iklan bahasa inggris), kita dituntut untuk bisa merayu agar pembaca bisa tertarik. Pada dasarnya antara iklan dan pengumuman tidaklah jauh berbeda, keduanya samasama memberitahu. Contoh yang paling mirip adalah informasi mengenai lowongan kerja; bisa dikategorikan iklan pun bisa termasuk pengumuman. PENGERTIAN ANNOUNCEMENT Announcement berasal dari kata announce; dalam bahasa Inggris kata kerja announce bermakna "make a formal public declaration about a fact, occurrence, or intention. Jadi bisa dikatakan "announcement" bermakna pemberitahuan fakta, kejadian atau niat, baik tertulis atau terucap yang disampaikan kepada publik.
http://www.englishindo.com/2012/03/contoh-announcement-text.html