Timing
If possible pick out a theme and start preliminary planning 6 weeks ahead of the party date. Send the invitations out 3-4 weeks early.
Phone them if they don’t RSVP (it’s amazing how many people don’t!)
Having your guest list ahead of time allows you to adjust for any shortfalls.
Style
Invitations can take many different forms with both the invitation style and method of delivery. Use your imagination for fun ways to invite your guests :
- Spy party : “ID cards” sent through the mail or have the birthday child drop the invite on the front door, ring the doorbell and run and hide.The recipient will see only the “secret invite” – not the deliverer …. very mysterious! Send the invite in code…
- Princess parties can be announced with rolled up scrolls
- Cowboy party invites can be teabag-stained and charred “wanted posters”.
- Pirate Invites can be a “message in a bottle”.
- If you like the look of Humorous Photoshopped Images but don’t know Photoshop, you can get the same effect with a “replace-a-face” card. Use a printed picture (4″ x 6″ ) and cut out the face area . In the face-shaped hole that you’ve cut out, artfully fill the empty space with a photo of your birthday boy/girl’s face. Tape this photo securely under the 4×6 image, and then slide the whole thing into the photo card slot (the photo card will hide the taped up back of your creation!)
Invitation Wording
You can have a lot of fun with the invitation wording:
- Your home can take on an alter ego: “Smith Cove” (Pirate Party), “Smith Spy School”, or The “Smith Ranch” (Cowboy Party).
- You can have your guests RSVP to:
- “The Royal Butler and Maid” (Princess Party)
- “Sheriff Smith” (Cowboy Party)
- “EGROEG and ARUAL” (George and Laura – spell your name backwards for Alien Space Party flare) … get creative with your invitation wording!
- Check out the Wording we’ve written up for all our theme parties (specific wording for each theme in our Party Help section).