Formal Acceptance Or Regret
Acceptances or regrets are always written. An engraved form to be filled
in is vulgar—nothing could be in worse taste than to flaunt your
popularity by announcing that it is impossible to answer your numerous
invitations without the time-saving device of a printed blank. If you have
a dozen or more invitations a day, if you have a hundred, hire a staff of
secretaries if need be, but answer "by hand."
The formal acceptance to an invitation, whether it is to a dance, wedding
breakfast or a ball, is identical:
Mr. and Mrs. Donald Lovejoy
accept with pleasure
Mr. and Mrs. Smith's
kind invitation for dinner
on Monday the tenth of December
at eight o'clock
The formula for regret:
Mr. Clubwin Doe
regrets extremely that a previous engagement
prevents his accepting
Mr. and Mrs. Smith's
kind invitation for dinner
on Monday the tenth of December
or
Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Kerry
regret that they are unable to accept
Mr. and Mrs. Smith's
kind invitation for dinner
on Monday the tenth of December
In accepting an invitation the day and hour must be repeated, so that in
case of mistake it may be rectified and prevent one from arriving on a day
when one is not expected. But in declining an invitation it is not
necessary to repeat the hour.
