Planning a sweet 16th birthday bash is a lot of fun. Itâs a real coming-of-age moment and offers the opportunity to get creative for this once-in-a-lifetime celebration. And as with any party, youâll need to get those invites ready so your guests know where and when to celebrate with you.
To help you get started, weâve put together this guide on sweet 16th invitation wording ideas. Youâll find our best tips, wording inspiration, and some of our favorite sweet 16 invitation designs too.Â
How to Format a Sweet 16th Birthday Invitation
Design: Laura Bolter Design
Finding the right words for a sweet 16th birthday invitation can seem challenging, but when you break it down into the most basic ingredients, it can be quite simple to get right. Hereâs how to approach your sweet 16th invitation wording like a pro.Â
Guest of Honorâs Name
With a sweet 16th being such a memorable moment, it makes sense to have your guest of honorâs name front and center. Kick off the invite wording by announcing whose birthday youâre coming together to celebrate.
Most sweet 16th invitation wording is casual and relaxed, so you can stick with the birthday girl or boyâs first name here â or a nickname if thatâs what they go by. For a more formal invite, you could feature the guest of honorâs full name here, including a middle name.Â
Date and Time
It goes without saying that you want to include the date and time on the party invite. Make sure these details are clear on your sweet 16 invitation, especially if itâs not on the guest of honorâs actual birthday.Â
To help your guests out, include the full date on the party invite â including the day of the week. Itâs easy for folks to get mixed up with dates, so just be as clear as possible. Be sure to include whether itâs am or pm on the invitation. It might be obvious from the hours involved, but this helps keep confusion at bay.Â
Party Venue
Let your birthday party guests know where they should meet you for the celebration. Once youâve mentioned the date and time, it makes sense to move straight onto sharing the party location.Â
List the name of the party venue, along with the full address and zip code. While this might feel like overkill if youâre hosting the party at home, itâs super helpful for guests who might be coming from out of town or those who simply want to plop in the address in their smartphone.
Dress Code
With a sweet 16th being such a big moment in a kidâs life, these parties can often be grand events with luxurious decor and upscale dress codes. Help your party guests arrive in style by sharing a brief dress code on your sweet sixteen invitations.
This can be a sweet and simple way to put your guests at ease. They might be wondering whether to show up in their best party dress or to keep it casual. Simply mentioning whether itâs casual, formal, or something more specific like beachwear can really help.Â
Other Pertinent Details
Once youâre finished sharing the main party details, the rest is up to you. It makes sense to feature a section that lets people know how to RSVP â whether thatâs by phone, email, or responding directly to their online invitations.
After the RSVP section, list any other information that your guests might find useful. You might choose to include a few details about activities, games, gift registries, or food and drink options â or let them know to bring a towel and swimsuit if youâre hosting a pool party in your backyard.Â
If youâre hosting a surprise party, add a note at the end of your party invitation to make it very clear that your guests arenât to spoil the surprise. You could even make a suggestion of what they can say theyâre doing on that date to throw the guest of honor off the trail.Â
Sweet 16 Wording Tips
Design: Jessica Williams
Like most birthday invites, thereâs a lot of room to have fun with your sweet 16th invitation wording and get your guests excited about whatâs to come. Hereâs our best advice on how to word your sweet 16 birthday party invitations to strike the perfect balance of creativity, fun, and formality.Â
Keep It Casual
Most sweet 16th invitation wording is relatively laid-back and casual â like most teens themselves. This means you donât have to go too formal with your wording, unless thatâs what you and the guest of honor prefer.Â
Itâs absolutely fine to keep it casual and light, and even throw in a joke if thereâs space. You want the invite to feel like itâs perfect for the birthday girl or boy, so match the inviteâs tone and formality to their own personal tastes and style.Â
Embrace Your Theme
If youâve opted for a themed sweet 16 party, your invite wording and design can certainly reflect this. Themed sweet 16 invites are the perfect way to spread the word about your party and get your guests ready to hit RSVP right away.Â
We love the idea of choosing an invitation design that matches your overall party theme, style, or color scheme. Once youâve found the ideal invite, customize the wording so it matches your party. Weave in a reference to a movie, quote lyrics from a song, or use it as an opportunity to come up with a poem of your very own.Â
Get the Guest of Honor Involved
Planning a sweet 16th party is quite different than planning a birthday party for a toddler or young child. The guest of honor is old enough to get involved with the planning â including the party invites.
If they want to, let the birthday girl or boy take the reins when it comes to their sweet 16th invitation wording. Check to make sure their chosen wording covers all the basics, but apart from that, you can leave it up to them to have fun.Â
Our Best Sweet 16th Invitation Wording Ideas
Design: Signature Greenvelope
Itâs time to invite your loved ones to celebrate someone specialâs sixteenth birthday in style. Here are some of our favorite invitation wording ideas to inspire you.Â
Casual Sweet 16th Invitation Wording
Hosting a super casual 16th birthday party? Here are some sweet 16th invitation wording ideas to help you get started.
It’s [Name]’s 16th birthday!
Help us celebrate in style with a sweet 16th
on [Date] at [Time]
You’ll find us atÂ
[Venue]
[Address]
Come dressed in whatever makes you feel most comfortable
Casual and relaxed dress is encouraged
Please RSVP via Greenvelope
by [Date]
—
[Name] is turning 16!
Let’s get together to celebrate this milestone
with a splendid sweet 16 party
Join us on [Date] at [Time]
at [Venue, Address]
Put on your best party dress
and join us for dancing and games
Please RSVP to [Email] by [Date]
—
Weâre saying goodbye to playing with dolls
and climbing trees
[Name] is turning 16!
Now itâs all about the video games!
Join us on [Date] at [Time]
to celebrate [Name]’s sweet 16th
The party takes place at
[Venue, Address]
Weâll provide tokens for the arcade!Â
Please RSVP via Greenvelope by [Date]Â
More Formal Wording Inspiration
If this sweet sixteenth is a little more formal, thereâs plenty of ways you can be creative with your phrasing. Here are some formal sweet 16th invitation wording ideas to inspire you.Â
It is our pleasure to host theÂ
sweet 16 celebration for
our [Son/Daughter]
[Name]
on
[Date] at [Time]
Please join us at
[Venue, Address]
Dress code: Semi-formal
Please RSVP by [Date]
—
The parents ofÂ
[Name]
warmly invite you toÂ
attend a joyousÂ
sweet 16th celebration
Your presence is requestedÂ
on [Date] at [Time]
at [Venue, Address]
Semi-formal dress kindly requested
Please RSVP via Greenvelope by [Date]
—
Mr. and Mrs. [Surname]
cordially invite you to attend
the sixteenth birthday party of
their [Son/Daughter]
[Name]
on [Date] at [Time]
at
[Venue, Address]
Please RSVP by [Date]
to [Email] or [Address]
Sweet 16th Invitation Designs We Love
Design: Signature Greenvelope
Ready to start getting those party invites out there? Here are some of our most loved sweet 16th birthday party invitation templates that are perfect for celebrating in style. These beautiful party invites are fully customizable so you can choose your favorite color option, then personalize it further with your own wording.Â
Rose Gold Confetti Birthday Invitation
Design: Lissa Anglin
We adore the softness and charm of this rose gold confetti sweet 16th invitation. The blush tones and rose gold are ideal for everything from a sophisticated celebration to a backyard get-together.Â
Vibrant Strokes Birthday Invitation
Design: Claudia Owen
If you want to feature a gorgeous photo of the birthday girl or boy, this vibrant invitation is the way to go. Thereâs plenty of space for a bright photo of the guest of honor, and the modern touches make this one of our favorite designs.Â
SWT6TEEN Birthday Invitation
Design: Signature Greenvelope
Is your guest of honor about to get their driverâs licence? If so, this licence plate invitation is the perfect pick. We love that this is a touch different than the usual sweet 16th invitations â itâs great for teens who want something bold and direct.Â
Invite Your Party Guests in Style
Finding the perfect sweet 16th invitation wording doesnât have to be difficult. Take inspiration from your teenâs own personality and combine that with our featured tips and tricks to come up with something that feels uniquely them. Match your wording with a gorgeous birthday invite, and youâre sure to make your guests smile when your invitation lands in their inbox.Â