Dinners & gatheringsRelaxed: warm and easy-goingDinners

Dinner party invitation

A short, friendly dinner invitation for home, ready to paste into email, text or WhatsApp. It asks about food needs up front.

When to use it

  • You're having a few friends over for dinner and want to give them a proper invitation without making a fuss.
  • You'll be cooking, so you need to know about dietary needs.

Preview

Come for dinner

Dinner at Nina and Tom's

  • Saturday 14 November
  • 7pm
  • 4/18 Park Avenue

Let us know by Tuesday 10 November

The card shows example details until you add your own.

Your details

Optional. Anything you type goes straight into the wording. Nothing is sent or saved.

The wording

Email subject

Dinner at ours on [Date]?

Hi!

We'd love to have you over for dinner on [Date] at [Time].

We're at [Address]. Bring [What to bring].

It'll be a relaxed evening, nothing formal. Let us know by [Reply by] if you can make it, and tell us if there's anything you don't eat or can't have.

See you soon,
[Your name(s)]

Words in [brackets] are the details to fill in, here or after you paste it.

Variations

The same invitation, adjusted for a different setting or channel. Your details carry over.

Text or WhatsApp

The whole invitation in one message.

Dinner at ours on [Date], [Time]? We're at [Address]. Let us know by [Reply by] and tell us if there's anything you don't eat!

Themed dinner

For a cuisine or occasion theme.

We're cooking [cuisine or theme] on [Date] at [Time] and would love you to join us at [Address]. Let us know by [Reply by], plus any foods you avoid. [Your name(s)]

What to ask in the RSVP

Ask only what changes your plans. For this kind of event, that's:

  1. Can you come? (Yes / No)Seats at the table.
  2. Anything you don't eat or can't have?You're cooking: allergies and preferences matter.

Leave out

  • Plus-ones: for a dinner at home, invite people by name instead of asking.

More on this in what to ask guests when they RSVP.

Tips before you send

  • Send it one to two weeks ahead.
  • Ask about food in the invitation so you don't need a second message.
  • Mention parking or which buzzer to press if it's not obvious.

Sending it by email, text or WhatsApp, and tracking replies

  • Email: paste the wording into a new message, use the subject line above, and put guests in BCC if they don't all know each other.
  • Text or WhatsApp: use the short version. Send it to each guest, or to a group chat if everyone already knows each other, and pin it so the details are easy to find.
  • Tracking replies: for a handful of guests, a note on your phone works. For more, collect answers in one place, like a shared spreadsheet or a simple online form with the RSVP questions above.
  • EvntBuild: event software that will send invitations by email, text and WhatsApp, with RSVP forms that only ask what applies and replies kept in one place. It's opening soon and isn't live yet. Join the EvntBuild waitlist to hear when it opens.