Holiday party invitation etiquette

Fall and winter bring plenty of holidays, like Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas, which means there will likely be more than a few parties in your future. No matter which holiday you're planning on hosting a party for, your event will require holiday party invitations. Follow proper etiquette for your invites by keeping these tips in mind:

Include all the necessary information
Make sure you don't forget about the party's most important information: name of the party, date, time, location and a contact for the host. Your friends and family should be able to call you with any last minute questions or to ask about directions.

Include directions to your home as well, or wherever the event is being hosted. Should you be having your party at a hotel or a restaurant, recommend nearby parking garages for your guests. Including all of this information ensures that your event will be as stress-free as possible for everyone on your guest list.

If your guests need to dress a certain way or bring something to the event, make that clear on your invitations.

Make a note about guests on invitations
Your invitations should make it clear to guests whether or not they can bring a date to your event. If plus ones are welcome, address the invitations to include "and guest." If you aren't inviting plus ones, guests should assume that they're the only ones invited.

Font should match style
The font on your holiday party invitations should match the formality of the event. For instance, if your party is elegant, you'll likely want an elegant script font. However, if you're throwing a casual get-together, you have a few more options. Here are some typefaces to consider for both formal and casual holiday parties:

Formal

• Ambassador Script
• Aphrodite Pro
• Emily Lime
• Harmony
• Jane Austen

Casual

• Cheap Pine
• Honey Bee
• Matilde
• Verner
• Victoria

Send them early
Your party guests should have enough time to fit your event into their calendar. After all, the holiday season can be busy when it comes to everyone's social schedules. Therefore, your invitations should be sent out about four to six weeks before the date of the party.

Order a few extra
Once you have your guest list finalized, make sure to order a few more invitations than you need. This way, if you forgot to include someone on your list or you choose to invite someone last minute, you won't have to go through the trouble of ordering new invitations.