With the rise in popularity of emails and the decline of traditional mail, email invitations are increasingly common for weddings, birthdays, holidays, and more. Today, those who organize events rely more than ever on this solution. However, as it is a recent medium of communication, many people do not know how to respond appropriately. Fortunately, by understanding when and how to reply, composing the message and verifying that it is received, you will be able to confirm your participation via e-mail.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Deciding How and When to Respond
Step 1. Decide if you will participate
The first step is to determine if you will go to the event. You should start thinking about it as soon as you receive the invitation.
- Consider the location of the event and whether you will have to travel to reach it. For example, if someone invites you to an out-of-town wedding, you may have to buy expensive airline tickets to attend.
- Make sure you have no other commitments on that day and time.
- Talk to your partner and other family members so they can be informed of their availability. Only some people may be free on the date of the event.
Step 2. Consider the type of event
Different events require different tones and levels of formality. Consequently, you need to understand what the occasion is before responding to the invitation. This way you will avoid label errors.
- Is it an informal event? For example, a neighbor sent you an informal email inviting you to a barbecue that does not celebrate any special occasion. In this case, you can answer in an informal tone, but you probably won't have much time to do so.
- Is it a formal event? Events such as weddings, birthday parties, communions require responses in the same formal tone as the invitation.
Step 3. Respond in the appropriate time
Once you have made a decision and thought about the event, respond in time. This is probably the most important aspect of replying correctly, because you need to give the person sufficient notice of your participation.
- Read the invitation, looking for a date by which to respond. Remember this is not a suggestion, make sure you respect it.
- Answer as soon as possible. The person who invited you may have given you a month or two to respond, but that doesn't mean you should wait that long. On the contrary, you should send a message as soon as you have decided if you will participate.
Part 2 of 3: Compose Your Answer
Step 1. Write the subject
Once you have decided when and how to respond, you need to compose the letter. To do this, start with the object. Write immediately if you will attend or not and respect the tone of the event.
- For formal events, use an appropriate tone. For example, write "Roberto and Anna decline your invitation to the Ball and Banquet on May 11".
- For informal events, such as a neighbor's barbecue, you can write "I will not be able to join your 11th barbecue."
Step 2. Address the letter
It is important to do this correctly, as it contributes to the tone of the response. Also, by using the correct greeting, you will let the other person know what you think about them.
- You can write "Dear", "A" or "My dear friend".
- For an informal event, you can simply contact the person who wrote you. For example, "Dear Giovanni and Laura".
Step 3. Write the body of the text
This is probably the most important part of the email. It must reflect the tone of the event and respond directly to the invitation. Here are some examples of how to accept or decline:
- For an informal event, an informal answer is sufficient, such as "We really appreciate the invitation to your barbecue Paolo, but that day we are out of town".
- For a formal event, use an appropriate tone. For example: "The Rossi family accepts the invitation to Giorgio and Claudia's wedding on November 5, 2019". Another example is: "Gianni and Sara Bianchi happily accept the invitation for the baptism of Martina Verdi".
- To decline in a formal way you can write: "The Russo family will not be able to attend Giorgio and Claudia's wedding on November 5, 2019".
Step 4. Say hello and write your name
Once the message is composed, you need to finish the email. This is not a simple formality; on the contrary, it demonstrates the relationship with the person who invited you. Also, it makes her understand what you think of her.
- Choose a formal greeting. For example "Sincerely", "Sincerely yours", "Yours sincerely".
- Choose an informal greeting such as "Yours", "Greetings".
- Choose an appropriate greeting based on your response. For example "I'm sorry" or "Thank you".
- Sign with your name after the closing sentence. For more informal events, you can only write your name in addition to that of all the other guests. For more formal ones, write the name of all the guests and the last name after the last name. In some circumstances, such as if you are very familiar with whoever invited you, you can write "The Smith Family".
Part 3 of 3: Responding to Automatic Messages and Troubleshoot
Step 1. Click decline or accept, if the email contains a button
Formal event organizers are increasingly using automatic invitation services to send emails. If you happen to receive such a message, it was probably generated by a third-party service. In addition, it probably contains buttons for accepting or declining the invitation respectively.
- There is no need to email the sender if you receive one of these messages.
- Once the invitation has been accepted or declined, the information will be sent to the service that sent you the message and communicated to the event organizer.
- Automated third-party invitation services are often used for semi-formal events, such as birthday parties, national holiday celebrations, and more.
Step 2. Enable the return receipt
If you want to make sure that the person receives your reply, you can press the return receipt button in the email client. This way, your provider will generate a confirmation email when the recipient of the response receives it. This way you can be sure that the message is delivered.
- The return receipt option can be in different places based on the client you are using.
- Some email services don't offer this option.
Step 3. Send a second message if there are any program changes
On some rare occasions, you may need to change your response. If you have accepted and find that you cannot participate or if you have declined and suddenly you are no longer engaged, you must contact the person who invited you to let them know.
- If you accepted an automatic invitation by mistake, you should send an email directly to the person concerned to correct the error.
- If you need to decline an invitation that you initially accepted, you can write a message with the subject "Response change". In the body of the text you can insert "Due to an unforeseen event, Sara and I could not attend the party for your twenty years of marriage on the 14th. We apologize and we hope to see you soon".
- If you have to accept an invitation that you have declined, you can send a message with the subject "Response change" and write "I would like to attend the event, if there are still seats available".
- You should change your answer as soon as possible. For informal events, a few days in advance may be enough, while for formal ones (such as weddings), you should give at least thirty days notice.
