Wording library
Milestone birthday
wording.
From a thirtieth to a hundredth — including the version for someone who would rather the number were not printed anywhere.
How do you word a milestone birthday invitation?
Name the host, name the person, and state the occasion. The number is optional — "a celebration for Marion" is complete and correct if they would rather it were not printed. For a surprise, put the instruction first and the arrival time in bold, because late arrivals are what ruin surprises.
01
The wording.
Please join usfor dinner and dancingin celebration ofMarion Whitfield's sixtieth birthday
Numbers are conventionally spelled out on a formal invitation — "sixtieth", not "60th".
A celebrationfor Marion
Complete, elegant, and the right answer for anyone who does not want their age on a card. Nobody reads it as an omission.
Amara, Daniel and Priyainvite you to celebratetheir mother's eightieth birthday
Naming the hosts as the children is warm and explains who to reply to.
It's a surprise!Please arrive by seven o'clock —Marion arrives at half past.
Surprise first, arrival time second, in that order. This is the one invitation where the instruction outranks the occasion.
02
Common questions
Do we have to print the age?
How do we ask for no gifts?
How far ahead?
A design worth the occasion.
A sixtieth or an eightieth happens once. Evorrah designs the whole evening — invitation, menu, place cards, signage — as one identity.
See milestone birthday design