When hosting a party, the most important thing is the guests. After decorating, planning and getting all the food ready, it would be all for nothing without any guests. The invitation to get the guests there is very important.

Telling the guests, even with a personal phone call to each one, is not a way to ensure the arrival of guests. The date is not written down anywhere, the information is forgotten as the host and guest get to gabbing and leaving a message or voicemail is as good as not inviting him or her. Plenty of people accidentally delete or simply don’t bother listening to their messages. This is also the problem with sending an email as an invite.

Invitations should always be paper invitations sent by way of the postal service. Invitations should also ask for an RSVP. If the person does not respond either way, only then is a call warranted to be sure that he or she received the invitation and to get a definite answer. Give the guests five days to respond, while checking the mail, email and phone messages everyday.

To improve the chances of more guests, make the invitation appealing and unique with think stock paper, colors, fun wording and an easy self enclosed, and maybe even stamped, RSVP postcard or card and envelope. This means that the invitation will tend to stick in the guest’s mind as will the date. As for the wording itself, beyond being fun, use different fonts and text sizes to emphasize the date and the type of party, such as a farewell party or birthday party. Lastly, use them to include the address of the event.

Remember to have fun with the invitations so the guests will have fun with them and send back the RSVP quickly.