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Birthday party invitation message ideas

Kids at a birthday party blowing out candles.

Sometimes, actually sending out your birthday invitations can feel like the most daunting part of the party planning process. It can be so difficult to figure out what to say and how to say it; you want your invitation to get guests excited for your party while also communicating the info they need to know. But, how on earth do you do that?

That’s why we’re here with a comprehensive guide all about birthday invitation wording. This guide covers it all, from what info to include, different formatting ideas and even age-specific birthday invitation message examples! 

Information to include in a birthday invitation

Provide the essential details:

Guest of honor’s name. Let your guests know who you’re celebrating!

Location. Clearly state the location of the party, including the full address. Add in specific instructions or landmarks if your location could be tricky to find!

Date and time. Be sure to provide the event’s start time! You can also include the event’s end time if there will be one.

RSVP details. Include information about how to RSVP and when to RSVP by. If you’re using Evite, this part’s easy as pie—guests can RSVP directly through your Evite invitation and you can track who’s coming in real-time!

Include special instructions:

If your party has specific instructions or requirements, such as a dress code, bringing a dish to share or a surprise element, make sure to include them in the invitation. Clear communication ensures that your guests can prepare accordingly and feel comfortable participating in the planned activities.

Add fun on-theme language:

Your birthday party invitation serves two purposes: 

1) To let your guests know key details about your party and 

2) To get your guests STOKED for your party! 

Using fun and clever language in your birthday invitation message can help your invitation go that extra mile. Consider throwing in a pun or joke related to the guest of honor’s age or adding a nod to your party’s theme. We’ve included some fun ideas by age below, starting with some bonus kids’ birthday invitation ideas for ages 1 through 3:

1st birthday punny themes:

There are plenty of clever puns when it comes to 1st birthdays. Here are a few of our favorite to celebrate a kiddo in your life turning one year old:

Wild one

  • Animal-themed birthdays are all the rage!

Woodland one-derland

  • Think woodland critters and plenty of plant imagery!

One happy dude

  • A fun & groovy theme for celebrating your groovy little dude!

Berry first birthday

  • Perfect especially for summer babies and berry-lovers!

First trip around the sun

  • Celebrate your little astronaut with a celestial celebration!

Rookie year

  • Baseball is America’s favorite pastime after all, so why not throw a baseball party for your little one?

Hole in one

  • You can’t go wrong with a golf-themed party!
Race car-themed cake next to a matching invitation.

Browse All First Birthday Invitations

2nd birthday punny themes:

There is no lack of puns for 2nd birthdays either! These are some of the cutest ones we’ve seen lately:

Two rad/sweet/wild/groovy

  • We could go on, but we’ll spare you.

Ain’t my first rodeo (it’s my second!)

  • Say “Yeehaw!” and throw the ultimate rodeo-themed party! 

Two the moon

  • Another fun, astronaut-themed celebration!

Chugga chugga, two two!

  • The cutest theme for kiddos who love (you guessed it) trains!

Off two the races

  • If your kiddo loves horses, this is *the* theme. Check out this pony birthday for pony party inspo!

Browse All Kids’ Birthday Invitations

3rd birthday punny themes:

3rd birthdays are a pretty big deal, too! These two ideas are super popular—and for good reason!

Young, wild, and three

  • Go heavy on peace signs, smiley faces and flowers for this theme!

Three-rex

  • Rawr! Kids love dinos, need we say more?
Dino-themed birthday party next to a matching invitation.

Browse All Kids’ Birthday Invitations

Birthday invitation message ideas

1st birthday:

"Our little star is turning one! Join us for a day filled with joy and cake as we celebrate [Name]'s first trip around the sun!"

2nd birthday:

"Double the fun, double the joy! Help us celebrate [Name]'s second birthday with games, treats and plenty of fun!"

3rd birthday:

"Calling all superheroes! Join us as we celebrate [Name]'s third birthday with an action-packed party!"

10th birthday:

"Get your game face on and join us as we level up in celebrating [Name]'s tenth birthday gaming party! Bring your skills and prepare for an epic gaming marathon!"

13th birthday:

"Welcome to the teen years! Help us celebrate [Name]'s thirteenth birthday in style with a totally fabulous party!"

Sweet sixteen:

"Get ready for a night of glitter and glam because it’s [Name]'s Sweet Sixteen!"

Fashion doll-inspired invitation next to a Barbie-themed party.

18th birthday:

"Adulting can be hard, but partying sure isn’t. Join us as we celebrate [Name]'s 18th!"

21st birthday:

"Cheers to the big 2-1! Join us for plenty of drinks and lots of fun at [Name]'s 21st birthday bash!”

Disco balls next to a matching invitation.

30th birthday:

"Let’s help [Name] say ‘Bye, bye 20s’ and ‘Hello, thriving 30s!’ at [his/her/their] 30th bday bash!"

40th birthday:

"40 years of fabulous! Join us as we raise a glass and dance the night away for [Name]’s 40th!"

50th birthday:

"Half a century of love, laughter and amazing memories! Join us in celebrating [Name]'s 50th birthday and the many years of joy ahead!"

60th birthday:

"Sixty looks good on [Name], so let's celebrate with an evening of good food and good times."

70th birthday:

"Seventy years young! Join us as we honor [Name]'s remarkable journey and celebrate a lifetime of wisdom, love and joy!"

80th birthday:

"Eight decades of life, love and laughter! Please join us as we come together to celebrate [Name]'s 80th birthday."

Invitation for an 80th birthday next to a "Happy Birthday" balloon display.

90th birthday:

"Ninety years of AWESOME! Join us as we celebrate [Name]'s incredible journey."

100th birthday:

"A century of treasured moments and love! Join us as we celebrate [Name]'s 100th birthday, a true inspiration to us all!"

Surprise birthday:

“Shh…it’s a surprise party for [Name]!”

Animating balloon invitation next to a party filled with balloons.

Feeling inspired? Check out our collection of kids’ and teens’ birthday party invitations or our full selection of birthday party invitations to get started!

Birthday invitation formatting examples

Example 1: Traditional

Please join us for

[Name]'s birthday!

Date: [Date]

Time: [Time]

Venue: [Venue]

Address: [Address]

Please RSVP by [RSVP Date]

Example 2: Informal

Hey there!

Come join the fun at

[Name]'s birthday bash!

Date: [Date]

Time: [Time]

Location: [Venue]

Address: [Address]

RSVP by [RSVP Date]

Example 3: Creative

Counselor [Host's Name]

invites you to Camp [Name]!

Get ready for games, crafts & plenty of s’mores.

Date: [Date]

Time: [Time]

Under the Big Top at [Venue]

Address: [Address]

RSVP by [RSVP Date]

Example 4: Formal

You are cordially invited to

a birthday celebration honoring

[Name]

Date: [Date]

Time: [Time]

Venue: [Venue]

Address: [Address]

Kindly RSVP by [RSVP Date]

Birthday party tips

Plan in advance: Start planning the party well ahead of time to ensure you have enough time for all the necessary preparations. Once you’ve picked a date for your party, consider sending out birthday save-the-date cards to make sure your family and friends keep their schedules clear.

Set a budget: Determine your budget early on and allocate funds for essential elements such as venue, decorations, food and entertainment.

Plan activities and entertainment: Incorporate age-appropriate activities, games or entertainment options to keep guests engaged and entertained throughout the party.

Prepare food and refreshments: Decide on a menu that suits the theme and guest preferences. Consider any dietary restrictions or allergies of the attendees.

Have a backup plan: Be prepared for unexpected circumstances, such as weather changes or last-minute cancellations, and have a backup plan in place. If time is ticking and the big day is approaching, don’t despair: check out our guide to last-minute birthday party planning here!

Capture the memories: Assign someone to take photos or videos during the party to ensure you capture the special moments and create lasting memories.

Plan for party favors: Consider providing small tokens or party favors as a gesture of appreciation for your guests' presence.

Be flexible and enjoy: Remember that the most important thing is to celebrate and have fun. Stay flexible and adaptable throughout the event to ensure everyone has a great time, including yourself!

Birthday tips Q&A

Q: What do you say on a birthday invitation?

A: Your birthday invitation should capture the festive spirit of the event while providing all relevant information guests will need. Include the guest of honor’s name, a brief message, the date and time of the event, the location and address of the venue, a request and deadline for RSVP if applicable and any relevant information about the party’s activities and/or theme. 

Q: What do you put on a birthday invitation for RSVP?

A: 

1. RSVP deadline: Specify a date by which you would like to receive the RSVPs. This allows you to plan accordingly and make necessary arrangements.

2. RSVP contact information: Provide a method for guests to respond. This can include your phone number, email address or both. If you prefer a specific method of communication, such as a phone call or email, mention it as well. Or, use Evite and watch as your guests seamlessly RSVP directly to your Evite invitation!

3. Response request: Clearly state that you would appreciate a response from your guests. You can use phrases such as "Kindly RSVP" or "Please RSVP by [date]".

4. Guest count: Ask your guests to indicate the number of people attending from their party. This helps you plan for the appropriate amount of food, drinks and seating.

Q: How do you make the best birthday invitation?

A: 

Choose a theme (if you want to!)

  • Select a theme that reflects the birthday person's interests or the overall tone of the celebration. This could be a specific color scheme, a favorite hobby, a movie, or a character.

Select the right design

  • Find an invitation that matches the party’s theme and vibe. Evite offers thousands of awesome, customizable digital birthday invitations. 

Include essential details

  • Clearly state the purpose of the invitation, including the birthday person's name, age (if relevant), date, time and location of the event. Add any additional important information such as dress code, special instructions or surprises planned.

Craft a catchy heading

  • Create an attention-grabbing heading or tagline that adds excitement to the invitation. For example, "Join us for a roaring adventure!" or "You're invited to a magical celebration!"

Personalize your invitation

  • Add personal touches to your birthday invitation. Try using one of Evite’s upload-your-own templates to add a photo of the birthday person. With Evite, you can also personalize your invitation by adding fun stamps and stickers or choosing a colorful or patterned background!

Use fun fonts and colors

  • Choose fonts and colors that complement the theme and enhance the overall visual appeal of the invitation. Evite allows you to adjust text font, color and size until it’s just to your liking. Customizing can be fun, but just make sure the text stays legible and stands out against the background.

Keep it simple and organized

  • Avoid cluttering the invitation with excessive information or design elements. Maintain a clean and organized layout that allows recipients to quickly grasp the important details.

Customize your birthday party invitations with Evite

Evite offers a wide range of customizable templates that suit every birthday style and theme, allowing you to create a personalized and eye-catching invitation that captures the essence of your big day. Whether you're throwing a small birthday gathering or a grand celebration, Evite provides a seamless platform to manage RSVPs, send event updates and even track guest responses. With features like built-in RSVP tracking and guest messaging, you can effortlessly stay organized and ensure a smooth guest experience.

With our easy-to-use platform, you can effortlessly customize your invitations to match your vision. Choose from a wide selection of beautifully designed templates, then use our design tools to personalize! 

Edit your birthday invitation’s text

  • Choose your favorite font and color, adjust the size of your text and move text boxes around as you please!

Select a custom background

  • Elevate your invitation by selecting your fave background; we offer dozens of patterns and solid colors to choose from!

Add fun stamps and stickers

  • With plenty of stickers ranging from hilarious to heartwarming, it’s easy to add some personality to your Evite. You can even upload your own photo to use as a stamp!

Bonus tip: Find birthday party supplies & decor to match your theme

Once you've chosen the perfect theme and sent out invitations for your birthday party, find party supplies and decor to match! Our editors have curated Amazon shops for our top kids' birthday party themes so you can shop for everything you need in one place.

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All of the products we feature are hand-selected by our editors! You see only what we love and what we think you'll love too. If you buy something through links on our site, Evite may earn a commission. Prices are subject to change.

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What makes Evite SignUp Sheets different from SignUpGenius?

Developed hand-in-hand with community organizers, PTA presidents, parents and teachers, Evite's signup sheets are designed to make organizing volunteers a breeze. Here are a few ways SignUp Sheets are different than SignUpGenius:

  • 100% free: SignUp Sheets are free to use.
  • Ad-free: No popup ads ever! Our signup sheets remain clutter-free, keeping your volunteers focused on signing up.
  • No extra login required: Seamlessly use your Evite account to create and manage your signup sheets, keeping all your events in one convenient location.
  • Automatic reminders and notifications: Stay on top of your event with automated reminders and notifications for you and your participants. Perfect for busy parents, teachers and anyone juggling multiple commitments.
  • Customization options: Tailor your signup sheets to your specific event, whether it's a school fundraiser, potluck, volunteer opportunity or team activity. Add custom tasks, time slots and requirements for smooth coordination.
  • User-friendly experience: Our intuitive interface makes creating and sharing signup sheets simple for everyone, regardless of tech experience.
  • Real-time updates: Get instant notifications whenever someone signs up or makes a change, so you always know where things stand.

Choose Evite SignUp Sheets for the easiest, most streamlined way to get volunteers and signups for your next event!

What is a signup sheet?

Signup sheets are the perfect way to streamline scheduling, volunteer recruitment, class parties, snack duty, potluck organization, parent-teacher conferences and more! You can think of them as your digital assistant for coordinating events and tasks and ensuring that your event is a success.

Evite SignUp Sheets offers parents, teachers and event planners customizable online forms that organizers and volunteers can access and update effortlessly. Volunteers can choose their preferred time slots, sign up for tasks or indicate what they'll bring to the event. It only takes organizers a few minutes to create a signup sheet and send it out with a shareable link, so they can get the word out via text, email or social media—whichever way they prefer! 

Long story short, signup sheets save everyone involved tons of time, avoid scheduling headaches and ensure everything runs smoothly before and during the event.

How do I create a signup sheet?

Creating a signup sheet has never been easier than with Evite! Here’s how to create a sheet that’s sure to make your event an absolute success:

  1. Go to Evite SignUp Sheets and choose the template that best fits your needs. Evite offers multiple signup sheet templates perfect for every occasion, including:some text
    • Signup sheets for standalone events (without different time slots), perfect for when you’re organizing a class party, potluck or end-of-season party.
    • Signup sheets for recurring or multi-day events (without different time slots), perfect for when you’re organizing a meal train, post-game snack duty or during appreciation week.
    • Signup sheets for single or multiple day events (with time slots), perfect for when you’re organizing concession stand volunteers, fundraisers and parent-teacher conferences.
  1. After selecting your sheet template, create a title for your signup sheet and add the date, the location, the time (if applicable), who the organizer is, the organizer’s phone number or email and an optional note describing the event to your volunteers. You can also change your signup sheet background and title image if you wish!
  1. Next, create slots for your signup sheet. If you aren’t logged into your account, you will need to do so at this point, but luckily, you can use your existing Evite account (no need to create yet another login!). What you’ll include here will depend on what your event needs, but you can include a list of what’s needed (along with optional descriptions), how many volunteers are needed, and dates and times.
  1. After creating your slots, you can then add a wish list from any retailer or include supply suggestions from Evite’s retailer partners. These are to help your volunteers find and purchase supplies quickly and easily.
  1. Finally, review your sheet, copy your shareable link and send it out to everyone on your list! Every time a volunteer signs up for a slot on your signup sheet, Evite will email you. We will also send reminders to you and your volunteers before your event so no one will forget about it, and we’ll even let volunteers know if you remove their slot or cancel your event sheet so you don’t have to!

What information should be included on a signup sheet?

When it comes to signup sheet information, there are some essentials to include regardless of what you’re organizing:

  1. A title for your signup sheet. Tip: Aim to keep your signup sheet title concise but clear. You want volunteers to read it and have a general understanding of what your event is about, and also make it easy for them to look for later if they need to reference your sheet again. You have the option to include a more descriptive note in a different field about your event, so save the more in-depth details for that!
  1. When and where the event is taking place. 
  1. The organizer’s name and phone number.
  1. Slots for volunteers to choose from. Once you choose the SignUp Sheets template that fits the occasion, the slots you’ll need for your sheet will be right there and ready for you to add the relevant info, such as dates, times, items to bring and tasks to complete. 

When adding your slot information, clearly define what people are signing up for, especially for a what-to-bring list or role assignments. If you want someone to bring healthy snacks for kids to enjoy after a game, specify that. You want your volunteers to feel confident in what they’re bringing and to make it easy for them to know what’s expected of them. It will save them time and stress (and you, too!). That being said, if you make your ask too specific (for example, asking for a hard-to-source item or something expensive), you may not end up with a volunteer for it. So be clear about what you expect, but also be reasonable!

Aside from providing the basic signup information, you can also add optional descriptions to both your entire signup sheet and individual slots. While not required, they can help guide your volunteers further and provide more information. You can add information about allergies, preferences and general info about the event. You can also add a wish list to make it easier for your volunteers to bring exactly what you need!

What are the benefits of using a signup sheet template?

Signup sheet templates offer a ton of advantages for both organizers and volunteers and with Evite SignUp Sheets, you'll enjoy even more benefits than other digital and paper signup sheets! Some benefits our signup sheet templates offer include:

  • A 100% free experience (no subscriptions required!).
  • Shareable links for quick and easy sharing.
  • No need to create another login—you can use your existing Evite account.
  • The option to add a wish list to help your volunteers out.
  • Automatic reminders—we’ll remind everyone on your behalf.
  • An easy-to-use experience with eye-catching guided templates.
  • Clean, modern designs with no pop-up ads.

With Evite SignUp Sheets, you can enjoy organizing and coordinating all your events with ease. Signup sheets streamline the signup process for everyone involved, ensuring that everything will go to plan on the day of your event while saving you precious time in the process.

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