First birthday invitation wording: 15 examples for the UK

A first birthday is the one party the guest of honour will not remember and the parents never forget. The invitation goes to grandparents, aunties, the antenatal group and the neighbours, and it has to answer the questions a first birthday raises: is it for the baby or for us, are siblings welcome, when is nap time, and do we bring a present. Here are fifteen invitations to copy, in a register that reads right in Britain.

What a first birthday invitation needs

• Whose birthday, with the name as you say it, and "turns one".
• Who is inviting. The parents, usually.
• Date, start and end. First birthday parties are two hours, timed around a nap. Say both ends.
• Where, with a postcode, and parking if it is at home.
• Who is welcome. Siblings, the whole family, "grown-ups too".
• Food. Afternoon tea, a buffet, cake only.
• Gifts. "No gifts" is common and usually ignored; "a book for the shelf" gives people a steer.
• The reply, with a date, and how many, because the cake is being ordered.

First birthday invitation wording

1. Classic, at home

Amira and Daniel invite you to celebrate Leo's first birthday on Sunday, 12 June 2027, 2pm to 4pm at home, 8 Elm Road, Great Missenden HP16 9AA Afternoon tea and cake · Siblings welcome Please reply by 5 June

2. Warm

Our Leo is turning one (how did that happen?). Come and celebrate with us on Sunday, 12 June from 2 to 4 at ours. Tea, sandwiches and a very big cake. Siblings and grandparents welcome. Let us know if you can come by 5 June.

3. Soft play

Leo is one! Join us at Little Monkeys Soft Play, Amersham, on Saturday, 11 June from 10am to 12. Party food for the little ones, coffee for the grown-ups. Socks required, siblings welcome. Reply by 4 June so we can book the right number.

4. Big family party

Amira and Daniel, with both sets of grandparents, invite you to Leo's first birthday on Sunday, 12 June from 1pm at Hawthorne Hall, Great Missenden. Lunch, cake and the garden. Everyone welcome, from the eldest to the newest. Please reply by 5 June with how many of you are coming.

5. Joint first birthday

Leo and Ada are both turning one, so we are having one party. Sunday, 12 June, 2 to 4pm, at Hawthorne Hall, Great Missenden. Two cakes, one bouncy castle. Siblings welcome. Reply on the link with your numbers.

6. Nap-friendly

Leo's first birthday is on Sunday, 12 June, and because he naps at one, the party is 10 to 12 in the morning at ours. Pastries, fruit and cake. Come for the whole thing or just for the cake at 11.30.

7. Cake smash

Leo turns one on Sunday, 12 June and we are letting him at the cake. Join us from 2pm at 8 Elm Road for the smash, the photos and a proper tea for the rest of us. Wear something washable if you are planning to sit near him.

8. Garden party

A birthday picnic for Leo's first: Sunday, 12 June, 2 to 5pm, in the garden at 8 Elm Road. Rugs, sandwiches, cake. Bring a sun hat; we will do the rest. Indoors if it rains.

9. From the grandparents

Rajesh and Sunita Mehta invite you to celebrate the first birthday of their grandson Leo on Sunday, 12 June 2027 at 1pm, Hawthorne Hall, Great Missenden. Lunch and cake. Please reply by 5 June.

10. Short, for the group

Leo's 1st birthday: Sunday 12 June, 2 to 4pm, 8 Elm Road. Tea and cake. Siblings welcome. Reply on the link so we know numbers: [link]

11. For the antenatal group

The babies are all turning one, so Leo's party is really a reunion. Sunday, 12 June, 2 to 4pm, at ours. Bring the babies, the partners and the buggy. Tea and cake, and a sofa for anyone who needs it.

12. No gifts, kindly

Leo has more toys than floor. Please bring nothing but yourselves. If you really want to, a book for his shelf, with your name inside.

Lines for the end

13. Practical

Parking on Elm Road. The garden gate will be open; come straight through. There is a quiet room upstairs for naps and feeds.

14. Reply

Please reply by 5 June and tell us how many are coming, so there is enough cake.

15. Closing

With love from Leo, Amira and Daniel

Things to get right

• Two hours. A first birthday party that runs longer than two hours ends in tears, and not only the baby's. Print an end time.
• Siblings. Say whether they are welcome. Most first birthdays are family parties and they are; say it so nobody has to ask.
• Gifts. If you write "no gifts" people bring gifts. "A book for the shelf" or "a contribution to Leo's savings account" is honoured far more often.
• The reply. You will be ordering a cake with a number on it. Ask for a reply by a date, and for how many.

Where the words go

Put the party on one page with the time, the house or venue with a map, the nap-friendly timings, the gift line and a reply form that asks each family how many are coming. Send one link to the group and the replies come to you, not to the chat. Our birthday invitation page shows it with the designs that suit a first birthday, and one payment of £40 covers any number of guests. The same page does the second birthday next year; change the date and send the link again.

If the same group came to the baby shower and the christening or naming day, you already have the list; the first birthday is the third link to the same people.