Engagement party invitation wording

Ways to gather your friends and family in style

A toast to you – you just got engaged! Once you’ve had a couple of weeks to let your romantic news sink in and enjoy spending some quality time with your new fiancé/fiancée, it’s time to start thinking about how you might want to celebrate with friends and family. Whether you and your other half are all about dancing and dressing up or the pair of you prefer smaller gatherings, every engaged couple deserves some sort of celebration to honour the special adventure they’re about to begin.

Engagement parties are a great way to introduce both sides of the family as well as different friendship groups. Everyone gets to mingle which means your wedding is likely to be much more fun and relaxed. And if you’re having a more formal affair, it’s a good opportunity to plan and organise an event – a practice-run for you big day, let’s say.

When it comes to celebrating, there are endless ways to do so. Sunday brunch, a black tie event, BBQ in the garden, cocktails and canapés at your favourite restaurant, a home-cooked meal for your closest friends. Our tip: choose a party invitation that reflects the formality and theme of your event and the time of year it’s taking place. What about the wording? Scroll on for our simple guide to getting your loved ones together in style.

Information must-haves for engagement party invitations

It’s your party and you can say what you want to, right? Whilst you have the freedom to make your invitation your own, there are a few key pieces of information you’ll have to include for guests. Once you’ve got these down, the tone and anything else you want to add is up to you.

Compared with wedding invitation wording, engagement party invitation wording is pretty simple. All you really need to include on your engagement party invitations is the following:

The names of the engaged couple

Let your guests know which couple is celebrating their happy news!

Date and time of the party

So guests can save the date in the diary and know what time to arrive. Some couples choose to write an end time as well as a start time if they only have use of their venue for a set amount of time.

Location of the party

Share the venue name and its whereabouts so guests can make travel plans. Remember to include specific directions if your venue is tricky to find.

RSVP details (when to respond by and how)

Add your email, address or phone number, depending on how you’d like guests to respond. We recommend asking people to let you know 2-3 weeks before your party.

Extra optional info to include

Here’s a look at some additional information you might like to feature on your invitation.

(Remember, too much text can begin to look cluttered so play around with the letter and paragraph spacing if you’re choosing to include a lot of information. This’ll help to keep the presentation chic and digestible to read.)

The names of the host(s)

For a more formal approach, some couples will state if their parents are hosting the party, similar to a wedding invitation. You may like to call yourselves out as the hosts or sometimes friends might even be throwing the party in honour.

Dress code

Whether it’s fancy dress, smart casual or cocktail attire, tell your guests if they need to wear something in particular to your party. If there’s no dress code, you can simply omit this.

Dietary requirements

If you’re hosting an event with food, it’s polite to ask guests if they have any special dietary requirements.

Deciding on the right tone for engagement party invitations

The tone of your invitation should echo the nature of your event and the style of your party invitation. For example, an Art Deco invitation for a formal dinner party suits a traditional, polished tone, whilst fun and floral designs for garden parties in the sun or low-key gatherings at your local pub are best suited to relaxed wording.

Wording examples & templates

Ready to personalise your own engagement party invitation?