How to Select Debutant Ball Invitations

The event marking a young woman's official entry into society is known as a debutant ball. It is a formal affair, complete with good food and traditional ballroom dancing. Two of the first areas of business when planning a debutant ball are drafting a guest list and sitting down to select the right invitations.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Select Debutant Ball Invitations

1. Decide how formal you want to make your invitations. You can make them as classy as you wish, with engraved designs and specialty reply cards. To save money, you can always select a book like "Easy Invitations: Use Your Home Computer to Create Stylish Stationery for Weddings, Birthdays and Other Occasions" by Patty Hoffman, Megan Eisen and Josh Eisen to help you make your own invitations (see Resources below).
2. Personalize the ball invitations with the names of the hosts (usually the parents of the debutants), the name of the invited guest and the name of the debutant.
3. Consider if you want to omit the name of the debutant on the invitations. This practice is usually done in high society in major cities. Instead of the debutant's name, you can refer to the event as a "small dance." Even without the name of the guest of honor, close friends and family should know what the event is for, especially given the style of the invitations.
4. Think about whether to include reply cards with your invitations. Traditionally, a reply is expected when receiving an invitation to a debutant ball, but you may want to include one anyway to avoid confusion and maintain an accurate guest count.
5. Make sure you include the address of the host and hostess so guests know where to send their reply cards. However, when the address where the ball will be held differs from that of the hosts, both addresses should be given.

Tips & Warnings

• Number your reply cards. This way, if one of your guests responds, but has illegible handwriting, you can still tell who it is. This may reduce confusion over the guest list.
• Order more invitations than you initially think you'll need. There may be a few extra guests you decide to invite before the day of the ball.

Who Can Help:

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