Dear LuLu: Whether your party invitations
are verbal, sent via e-mail, or by traditional mail, you will
need to be very clear since there is a lot of room for confusion here.
Some guests may think that they are being asked to pay a portion of
your dinner and drinks if you don't word things carefully. Also,
you want to take into account the fact that some of the guests may
not be in a position to purchase dinner and drinks, even for themselves.
The
party invitations should leave options for the guests. Here's
an example, "My birthday is coming up on the XX of this month
and I'd like to spend my special day with special people in my life.
The gathering will be informal. In lieu of gifts, please plan
on purchasing your own dinner and drinks, if desired. Those
planning on meeting for dinner should come at 7 PM while those who
would like to stop by for drinks and socializing should come at 8:30
PM."
