How to word corporate invitations for office parties

Whether you’re planning a holiday party or a company outing, there are many things to consider before sending out your corporate invitations. Once you’ve chosen your venue or decided on a team-building activity, it’s time to focus on the details. Spending just a few minutes on your invitation now can save you from a lot of emails, Slacks, questions from employees, and headaches down the line.

First things first, determine the tone you want to use when writing your corporate invitations based on a few factors. Is it a casual happy hour or a more formal dinner party? Can guests bring plus ones or their children? Once you’ve nailed down specifics, it’s easier to pick the matching corporate invitation and wording for the event.

To give you a head start, ahead are we wording ideas and helpful tips to keep in mind for six of the most popular professional events.

The corporate cocktail party invitation

If you’re hosting outside the office, you should make sure your corporate cocktail party invitation or reception differs from a typical happy hour invitation. You’re putting extra love into the event, so reflect that with an elevated tone of voice and design.

Unlike a typical company email, keep the wording short and sweet. Be warm and friendly, but make sure whatever you write is appropriate for corporate invitations. Though it might seem straightforward, it’s always polite to include a dress code (especially if you’re planning to invite clients, investors, or friends of the company).

When writing the primary copy on your invitation, you can have a bit more fun, but remember our first rule to keep it short and sweet. Our favorites are Cocktails & Conversation, Cheers, Salut, or Wine & Dine. Need more wording inspiration? Browse our wide selection of cocktail party invitations for more ideas. All of our card invitations come with RSVP tracking to help you stay on top of your guest list. Your venue will appreciate the headcount and so will your guests—is there anything worse than running out of champagne?

The corporate holiday party invitation

There’s no better way to end the year than with a company-wide holiday party. There are so many ways to make corporate holiday party invitations extra festive, so don’t be afraid to have fun with your wording. Some of our favorite sayings are Let it Snow, Oh What Fun!, Holly Jolly, Warm Company & Hot Drinks, or Celebrate the Season. Sticking to a winter theme is your best bet.

Because the holiday party is typically the biggest event of the year, employees will want to know if they can bring their families or significant others. Make sure to note if the party is kid-friendly or if you’re allowing everyone to bring a plus one. While still keeping the wording brief, give guests a sense of what to expect at the event. Is there a White Elephant or Secret Santa exchange that means they need to bring a gift? Will there be a seated dinner or light appetizers? A quick sentence should do the trick.

To start crafting your message, take a look at our festive selection of corporate invitations for the holidays. Our invitations make tracking RSVPs easy no matter how large your company is. If you have a big guest list, you can easily upload a spreadsheet of contacts to your Paperless Post address book for easy event management. Head to our post on throwing a better holiday party for more inspiration.

The retirement party invitation

After a long career, the least we can do is throw a fellow employee a retirement party to celebrate their accomplishments. While some retirement party invitations are filled with jokes about getting old, it’s best to keep things positive and show them you’re thankful for their years of hard work. When thinking about retirement party wording, keep it simple, and use their name when possible. Some of our go-to phrases are Wish Susan Well, Join us to Honor Susan, Toast Susan, Bon Voyage, or The Best is Yet to Come.

When it comes to the retirement party guest list, don’t forget to invite the honoree’s family and possibly some of their close friends (such as clients or former students). Sending a Flyer is one of our favorite ways to send casual retirement party invitations because its more flexible.  You can send invites using your company email, text a link to friends, and share via LinkedIn or social media. Are you planning a more formal farewell party? We have classic card retirement party invitations, too.

The corporate dinner party invitation

Whether you’re celebrating a company milestone or looking to impress a client, a dinner party is a great way to celebrate. After you settle on a venue (and menu) make sure your invitation has all the right details, starting with the time. If you’re hosting a seated dinner make that clear on the invitation, so guests know to arrive on time and plan to stay throughout the entire dinner. Add in a 15 to 30-minute buffer with pre-dinner cocktails before everyone is seated, if possible. That way (hopefully) everyone has arrived when it’s time to serve the food.

When you’re writing the central message of your invitation, the wording should be more formal for a seated dinner party. If you’re stuck, keep our favorite phrases in mind: Cheers with the Chairman, Annual Client Dinner, or Dinner & Digestifs. Browse our wide selection of elegant dinner invitations to get started planning your own corporate dinner party. The built-in RSVP tracking helps you keep tabs on the headcount.

The company summer party invitation

Throwing a summer soirée is a great way to break up the year and take advantage of beautiful weather. With endless options for outdoor activities and venues, it’s hard to go wrong with your game plan. However, when it comes to the wording for your company summer party, pay attention to the details.

From bocce to kickball, if the summer party includes an activity, give your employees a heads up, so they know what to expect, and (more importantly) what to wear. If you’re hosting in a park, make sure the directions are clear, so no one gets lost.

When you’re ready to start designing your invitation, summer-themed Flyers are easy to customize. Flyer invites have plenty of room for all the essential details and directions. For a summer party, you can have more fun with the message using words like Party, Bash, or Summer Fun. Set the tone for an upbeat and casual event by uploading your image, adding text effects, or animated stickers. The more personal, the better!

Happy hour invitations

Less formal than a dinner or cocktail party, happy hours are most likely a dime a dozen in your company. Since you might send happy hour invitations out a few times a year, there’s room for creativity.

One often overlooked caveat to the happy hour invitation is that some of your employees might not drink. Make sure the venue is a place where everyone on the team would feel welcome, not just those drinking. Keep your invitation wording casual, but inclusive. Your invitation is a great chance to set the tone for the party, whether you’re thanking the team or hyping up a new initiative. Feel free to use one of our go-to phrases like Network & Chill, Team Drinks, Toast the Team, Raise your Glasses, or Thirsty Thursday.

For your next team drinks, sending a professional Flyer is a no-brainer. Our wide selection of happy hour invitations can be emailed to your team’s distribution list, or even in Slack. Sure, you could just send another calendar invite, but Flyers will get your team excited to celebrate. Personalize yours with GIFs, stickers, or even upload a photo of your organization. The possibilities are endless.