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Birthday Invitation Inspiration + Tips

Birthday Party Invitations 101

If you’re planning a birthday party for kids, teens, or adults, and you need tips on what to write on your birthday invitations, when to send them out, and which ones to buy, you can use these birthday invitation ideas, covering personalized birthday invitations, photo birthday invitations, and what to write in birthday invitations, for inspiration.

Birthday Invitations
Make Your Own Birthday Invitations or Buy Printed Invitations?

There are plenty of places to buy birthday invitations, but finding ones that match your party’s look, feel, and theme can be challenging.

That’s why we encourage you to make your own birthday invitations online, complete with your choice of photos, embellishments, fonts, wording, and colors. Making your own birthday invitations will allow you to bring your birthday party theme into your design and create something totally unique and reflective of your personality, taste, and celebration ahead.

If you’re short on time, you can buy printed invitations from the store, but your selection will be limited and you’ll have to inscribe them by hand, which can be time consuming and messy, if you have bad handwriting.

Creative Birthday Invitation Ideas: Photo Birthday Invitations

With cellphones, Instagram, and affordable digital cameras, most people today have a lot of great photos to share.

Whether you’ve documented what you’ve ate over the past year or have taken a hundred selfies with friends, showcasing your photos throughout your birthday invitations is a great way to add color to your design and inform friends and family of what you’ve been up to.

Use the photo birthday invitation ideas below for tips on creative ways to add photos to your photo birthday invitations.

Photo Birthday Invitation Ideas: Photo Timeline Birthday Invitations

For kids, teens, and adults, making photo timeline birthday invitations is a great way to highlight your favorite moments of the year you’re leaving behind with photos. You can add a few of your favorite photos and notes regarding when they were taken, where you were, and why you enjoyed the experience.

If you’ll be celebrating a first birthday or milestone adult birthday, including a series of photos of yourself, or who you’re celebrating, from childhood onwards, on 50th birthday invitations, 60th birthday invitations, or 70th birthday invitations can inspire memories and tears, while adding baby photos to photo first birthday invitations, 2nd birthday invitations, or 3rd birthday invitations is a great way to show how much your child has grown and provide friends and family with a lasting-photo keepsake of your child.

Birthday Invitations
Photo Birthday Invitation Ideas for Teens: Selfie Birthday Invitations

Populating your photo birthday invitations with selfies you took with friends throughout the previous year can make for super cute, trendy birthday invitations for teens. Your friends will love seeing their faces on your photo birthday invitations and guests will have a keepsake of favorite memories you’ve shared. Selfie photo birthday invitations would be perfect for a young adult or teen throwing an Instagram themed birthday bash, in which case, selfies could be added to these fun, fully-customizable selfie invitations or retro polaroid invitations.

Creative Birthday Invitation Ideas: Maps On Personalized Birthday Invitations

If you plan to make your own birthday invitations, including a map can be very helpful to guests. You can take a screencap of your location on Google Maps or snap a photo of an actual map and add it to your birthday invitations with our Birthday Invitation Maker tool, alongside directions to your home or party venue.

Creative Birthday Invitation Ideas: Choose A Fun Shape, Format, Style

Whether you’re buying printed birthday invitations from the store or plan to make your own birthday invitations online, you will have a lot of options when it comes to the size, shape, and format of your birthday invitations.

Many invitation makers and businesses offer unique die-cut shapes, like heart birthday invitations, pumpkin birthday invitations, and onesie birthday invitations, and unique multi-page invitations, like booklet birthday invitations and tri-fold birthday invitations.

With so many options, it can be hard to choose, but here are a few tips to help you narrow down your selection. Choose booklet birthday invitations or tri-fold birthday invitations for special birthdays, like first birthdays, 40th birthdays, or 50th birthdays. They are also a good choice if you have a lot of photos to share or are planning a weekend birthday event.

Die-cut birthday invitations are perfect for kids, teens, and tween birthdays. You can choose a shape you know your child will like or something that reflects their kids birthday theme, for example pumpkin die-cut birthday invitations would be ideal for a fall or Halloween kids birthday party. Heart die-cut birthday invitations are perfect for girls birthdays or sweet sixteen birthdays, while house die-cut birthday invitations are a great choice for kids birthday slumber party invitations.

Birthday Invitations
Make Your Own Birthday Invitations With Games, Crosswords, Treasure Maps

Yet another perk of making your own birthday invitations, especially if you’re making kids birthday invitations, is you can really get creative with your design and incorporate playful touches, like games related to your birthday theme, on the back of your invitations.

With our Birthday Invitation Maker tool, you can add something as simple as a crossword or as complex as a treasure map for a pirate themed birthday party. Letting the fun begin with your kids birthday invitations, even before the party starts, will leave guests eagerly awaiting the birthday party ahead.

Our new color-in thank you cards, blank kids thank you cards that can be colored in and sent to guests, are another way to incorporate an extra element of fun into your kids birthday party and invitation set. Browse our collection of color in thank you cards and kids birthday thank you cards by following the link provided.

Birthday Invitation Messages: What To Write On Birthday Invitations

In addition to including the time, date, and location of your birthday party in your invitation wording, and highlighting your birthday party theme with your choice of colors and design details, you should also note what guests should expect when they arrive and what they should bring. These rules apply to all invitations, including kids birthday invitations, teen birthday invitations, and adult birthday invitations.

  • Include the time, date, and location of your birthday.
  • Include your name and phone number on the birthday invitations.
  • For large parties, include an RSVP request and a deadline for the request.
  • If your birthday will take place at a venue that requires admission, note whether guests are expected to pay, and if so, how much.
  • Include what type of clothing is required, especially for a formal birthday party or outdoor birthday party.
Birthday Invitation Messages:
What To Write On Kids Birthday Invitations

Kid’s birthday invitation wording may include extra information, especially when planning overnight celebrations or outdoor birthday parties. Use the birthday invitation messages for kids advice below to ensure your kid’s birthday invitations properly prepare guests.

Birthday Invitations
What To Write On Kids Birthday Invitations: Birthday Slumber Party Invitations

Don’t assume guests will bring extra clothing and sleeping gear to your kid’s birthday slumber party. It’s easy to forget at the last minute, and including a friendly reminder on your kid’s birthday slumber party invitations will make remembering easy.

  • Note what guests should bring, including a change of clothes, pajamas, hairbrush, and toothbrush.
  • Include when drop off and pick up time is.
  • Include your phone number, so parents can call you if they have questions.
What To Write On Kids Birthday Invitations: Outdoor Kids Birthday Party Invitations

Whether you’re planning a kid’s birthday pool party, beach birthday party, or sledding birthday party, remind guests to dress for the weather and what gear will be needed to be comfortable.

  • For a kid’s beach or pool birthday party, ask guests to bring a towel, sunblock, and a hat to protect themselves from the sun.
  • For an outdoor winter birthday party, ask guests to dress for the cold weather and bring extra layers and a change of clothes, incase there’s gets wet from the snow.
Birthday Invitation Etiquette: Birthday Save The Dates, Birthday RSVPs

While save the dates and RSVPs may not be necessary for small, casual birthday gatherings, they can provide the party planner with more time and helpful information for formal birthday celebrations, milestone birthdays, or special birthdays like bat mitzvahs, bar mitzvahs, and quinceaneras.

If you do send out birthday save the dates, send them out four to five weeks in advance. Your birthday rsvps should be sent along with your birthday invitations about two or three weeks prior to the birthday party.

Birthday Invitations
Birthday Invitation Etiquette: When To Send Birthday Invitations

Send your birthday invitations out anywhere from two to five weeks in advance. If your birthday party will be casual, and you’re only inviting a small group of people, two weeks is fine. For larger birthdays, like milestone birthdays, bat mitzvahs, or bar mitzvahs, where RSVPs are required, send your birthday invitations out earlier, to ensure guests reserve the date and have ample time to prepare.

Hopefully you found these creative birthday invitation ideas, birthday messages ideas, and birthday invitation etiquette tips helpful. For more inspiration, explore our expansive collection of birthday invitations on PurpleTrail.com. You’ll find a variety of fun birthday invitation theme ideas, wording ideas, and more.

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