Dinner Invitation Etiquette

~Start The Party Right~

Having a dinner party? Using dinner invitation etiquette will make a for a happy host and a good time. It all begins when your friends receive the invitation for the evening. By sending them out in a timely manner you will be able to start you party smoothly, days, even weeks before it begins.




Whether it is a formal dinner party or a backyard barbeque, you should select an invitation that reflects the evening. Be creative and have fun with the invitation itself. However, a proper dinner invitation always includes the name of the hosts, the date, time, address and RSVP. If you are having a celebration, include that too.

Formal dinner invitations are special and they require extra care. They should be written out using proper invitation etiquette. Use the third person in the invitation (Jim and Lisa invite you to share an evening with them) Spelling out time (six o'clock in the evening) and the date (the twenty third of March, two thousand and ten) will add the class that is necessary with a formal invitation. They should be sent via postal delivery anywhere from 2 to 3 weeks in advance. This will allow your guests the appropriate amount of time to arrange their schedules.

Informal dinner invitation etiquette is much simpler in nature. These invitations can be sent using email, e-vites, the phone, fax or postal mail anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks in advance.  They can be fun in nature, however they do need to include all of the vital information, as discussed above. The dates and time do not need to be spelled out.

Placing an RSVP at the end of the invitations is very acceptable, you do need to be able to plan the food. There are times when the guests do not take advantage of the RSVP. This does not show dinner invitation manners. If this happens to you, it is good phone manners to call your guests and see if they are planning on coming. This will give you the numbers you need.

If you have received a dinner invitation, please use your manners and RSVP, even if you are not planning on attending. Along with your RSVP, express your gratitude to your would-be hosts for the invitation. It makes us all happy when we use our manners.

Getting the party started off on the right foot is key. Dinner invitation etiquette will do that for you. People love to be invited to dinner and share an evening with good friends.