How to write formal letter of Invitation?

Weddings, birthdays, Community gatherings, Spiritual/professional events or seminars are quite common in our country. A proper invitation is very important for such events. Sometimes, in South of India, women go around to different houses dabbing some kumkum on the ladies’ forehead, which indicates that they have been invited. Nowadays, we either send an invite or make a phone call. In this video, we will learn how draft a formal invitation card.

There are two types of invitation - Formal and Informal. The first picture here is an invitation card which is the formal letter of invitation and the second one is an informal one.

In order to draft a formal invitation, let us first look at its features.

Instead of using first person, in such invitations, third person is used. The host’s name is used. If your are Ram, .. you will have mention your name in the third person

- example Mr Ram cordially invites you…

The tense used is simple present and the sentences are short. Details such as date of the event, venue and the purpose of the event are important. Unlike other letter writing tasks, date of writing the invitation is not mentioned.

The invitation has to be enclosed in a box.

Let’s take a quick look at the format. Beginning with the name of the host, there is a standard expression which you commonly see in wedding invitations – such as – solicits your gracious presence/cordially invite you/ requests the pleasure of your presence…etc. Next, the purpose has to be mentioned. It could be a wedding anniversary or a golden jubilee – This includes the names of the honouree. It could also be an annual sports event. Date, venue and location has to be mentioned after that RSVP is a French expression which means – Please respond. Though it is used only for smaller events to confirm participation, it is widely used through Google forms. The host/contact to whom we respond has to be mentioned. Read the question given in this video - You are Amar/ Ambica Sharma, resident of 49- B, Rosewood estate, Ooty. You plan to organize your parents silver jubilee. Draft a formal invitation to family and friends in not more than 50 words for the ceremony to be held at your residence.

Carefully read the letter of invitation and check if all the attributes are present. In case there is any mistake, please let us know.