Invitation Wording: Card Of General Invitation

by Emily Post

Card Of General Invitation

Invitations to important entertainments are nearly always especially engraved, so that nothing is written except the name of the person invited; but, for the hostess who entertains constantly, a card which is engraved in blank, so that it may serve for dinner, luncheon, dance, garden party, musical, or whatever she may care to give, is indispensable.

The spacing of the model shown below, the proportion of the words, and the size of the card, are especially good.

The Dinner Invitation

The blank which may be used only for dinner:

Mr. and Mrs. Huntington Jones

request the pleasure of

company at dinner

at eight o'clock

at Two Thousand Fifth Avenue

Invitations may take many forms, from elegant formal invitations to fun brightly colored ones. Often either type will be printed. Elegant formal invitations may be engraved. Many hosts prefer to handwrite their invitations, sometimes with calligraphy. When a host or hostess entertains a great deal using cards of general invitations will be a real timesaver. With general cards of invitation a host can be certain that the invitation will look nice and not just thrown together, while being very convenient.

Cards of general invitation are preprinted cards or engraved with the standard information that will not normally change, but with the details that are specific to a particular event left blank.

They work very well for dances, dinners, parties, luncheons and other general occasions. It is a good idea to use white or cream for this type of card because it is elegant and goes well with any type of occasion. Hosts that use these often keep a supply on hand because they save so much time and effort.

The wording on a card of general invitation would be: Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Jackson requests the pleasure of (blank space for guest’s name) company at (blank space for type of occasion) at (blank space for time) o’clock at 123 Apple Lane.

Some cards of general invitation include the type of event. In that case you may consider having cards of general invitation for the several types of occasions that you normally host in a given year. One word about the handwritten portion of the cards, the handwriting should be well done and easy to read.
Special thanks to Emily Post on her wonderful tips on etiquette and invites.
General Invitation