Birthday invitation wording with RSVP: 25 examples for every age

A birthday invitation has one job more than a wedding invitation: it has to be read in the two seconds someone gives a message in a group chat. So the wording is short, the details are up front, and the RSVP line tells people exactly what to do. Here are examples for every age, and the RSVP line to put at the end of all of them.

What every birthday invitation needs

• Whose birthday, and which one if you are saying.
• The date and the day of the week.
• Start time, and an end time if it is a children's party or a venue booking.
• The place, with a postcode. If the invitation is a link, the map is on it.
• What to expect: food, drinks, a theme, a dress code, "bring a bottle".
• Whether children or partners are included.
• How to reply and by when. This is the line most people forget and the reason the group chat fills up with "who's going?".

The RSVP line

Use the same line on every version below. Change the date.

Please reply by Friday 3 April so I can confirm numbers. Tap here to let me know: [link]

For a sit-down meal, add the question you need answered:

Reply by 3 April and let me know if you'd like the chicken or the veggie option, and about any allergies.

If people are replying in a group chat instead of on the link, nudge once: "Could you tap the link so I've got everyone in one place? Thank you!"

Children's party invitation wording

Parents need the practical details: whether they stay, what to bring, and allergies.

Leo is turning 5! Come and celebrate on Saturday 11 April, 2pm to 4pm, at Little Kickers, Wandsworth. Football, cake, and a lot of noise. Parents welcome to stay or drop off. Please let us know about any allergies on the reply form.

Ava's 7th birthday sleepover Saturday 18 April from 4pm, collect Sunday at 10am. Pizza, a film and not much sleep. Bring a sleeping bag and a torch. Please reply by 10 April.

Party time for Max, who is 3 Sunday 26 April, 10.30am to 12.30pm, at ours (postcode on the page). Soft play, snacks for all ages, and a very small cake. Siblings welcome. Please reply by 19 April.

Keep it short for the youngest: Noah is 2! Join us for cake in the park on Saturday 2 May at 11am. Reply by 25 April, and tell us if you're bringing a buggy so we can save you a spot.

Teenage and 18th birthday invitation wording

Sophie is 16. Saturday 9 May, 7pm till late, The Loft, Brighton. Dress to dance. Parents, there'll be adults on the door all night. Reply by 1 May.

Jack's 18th He's legal and we're celebrating. Friday 15 May from 8pm at The Crown, Guildford. Food till 10, music till 1. Reply by 8 May so we can tell the pub.

21st birthday invitation wording

Twenty-one, finally. Come and celebrate Amy's 21st on Saturday 23 May from 7.30pm at the Old Bakery, Bristol. Cocktails, a DJ, and a speech her dad has been writing since 2005. Reply by 15 May.

Relaxed version: Amy's 21st. Sat 23 May, 7.30pm, Old Bakery. Come. Reply by 15 May.

30th birthday invitation wording

Thirtieths are the first birthday that gets a proper invitation again. The tone can be wry.

Daniel turns 30. He says he's fine about it. Join us for dinner on Saturday 6 June at 7pm at Luca, Clerkenwell. Smart-ish. Reply by 29 May and pick a main course on the page.

Thirty years of Rhiannon A garden party on Sunday 14 June from 2pm, at her mum's in Dulwich. Bring a bottle and a hat. Kids welcome. Reply by 5 June.

40th birthday invitation wording

Priya is 40 and throwing a party about it. Saturday 4 July, 7pm till late, at the Village Hall, Barnes. Dinner, dancing, a bar. Dress code: a bit of effort. Reply by 20 June, with any dietary needs.

Tom's 40th: a weekend in Norfolk Friday 17 to Sunday 19 July, Holkham. Rooms are held at the Victoria until 1 June. Reply by 30 May and tell us which nights you can make.

50th birthday invitation wording

Half a century of Caroline Join us for lunch on Sunday 13 September at 1pm, the Hare and Hounds, Henley. A long lunch, a short speech. Reply by 4 September and choose a main course on the page.

Mark is 50. Please help us embarrass him. Saturday 26 September, 7.30pm, at ours. Drinks and a barbecue, weather allowing. Bring stories. Reply by 18 September.

60th, 70th and beyond

Keep the type clear and the wording warm; many guests will be of the same generation.

A celebration for Margaret's 70th birthday Sunday 11 October, 12.30pm, at the Old Rectory, Winchester. Lunch, family and friends. No gifts, please; your company is the present. Reply by 2 October.

Grandad is 80 Afternoon tea on Saturday 24 October at 3pm, Winchester Cathedral Refectory. All the family. Please reply by 16 October so we can tell them how many scones.

Surprise party invitation wording

The invitation has to say it is a surprise, say it twice, and tell people when to arrive.

Shh. It's a surprise. Claire thinks she's going for a quiet dinner on Saturday 7 November. She's not. Please be at the Dog and Duck by 7pm; she arrives at 7.30. Do not mention it, do not post about it, do not tell her sister. Reply by 30 October.

A surprise 60th for Dad Sunday 15 November, 1pm at the Cricket Club. He arrives at 1.30 thinking it's lunch with Mum. Please park round the back and keep it off social media. Reply by 6 November.

If the invitation is a link, send each guest their own rather than posting in a family group the birthday person might see, and keep the replies between the organisers.

Joint birthday invitation wording

Sam and Jess are 60 between them. Two thirtieths, one party. Saturday 21 November, 8pm, Trinity Bar, Manchester. Reply by 13 November.

Wording for "no gifts" and "a contribution"

No gifts, please. If you'd like to do something, there's a collection for the hospice here: [link]

Your presence is the present. If you insist, a bottle of something for the table is more than enough.

Five mistakes to avoid

• No reply-by date. "Let me know!" is not a date.
• An image instead of text. Pictures of invitations cannot be read in a chat preview, tapped for directions, or updated when the venue changes.
• Posting one link in a group and nothing else. Send a two-line message with it: date, place, "reply on the link".
• Forgetting the end time for children's parties and venue bookings.
• Asking for replies "by text or on the link, whatever's easiest". You will get both and lose one.

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RSVP Websites puts the invitation and the reply form on one link: the details, a map, the dress code, and a form that asks what you need to know. Send it to the group chat and the replies come back to you, not to the chat. One payment, any number of guests.