A Formal Invitation

Elizabeth McGovern tending to affairs in Season Two

          In modern society, throwing a party is relatively cost-efficient.  Sending invites over Facebook eliminates the need for postage or stationery, paper plates and plastic utensils are perfectly acceptable and much more affordable than fine china and the silver, and if one goes about the party potluck style, all one may have to finance for the party is the bathroom cleaner so the guests have a clean restroom to use (and to make your mother proud).
       
Now compare to the requirements in preparing a Victorian invitation to dinner...
-cards or invites were to be distributed a fortnight (vocab word of the day- 14 days/2 weeks) to a month in advance
-guests must be selected to have an equal balance of talkers to listeners
-arriving fashionably late for dinner is not acceptable and all plans must be made to ensure it does not happen

The invites were a perfected science.  Mrs. Beeton suggests the following format when inviting acquaintances over for dinner.

Mr and Mrs (fill in your name) present their compliments to Mr and Mrs (inset guest name here), and request the honour, [or if you really want to get fancy: hope to have the pleasure] of their company to dinner on Tuesday, the 14th of February next.


(insert address)
February 3rd, 2012 (this is the date you sent out the invites)
R. S. V. P.

Of course naturally one accepted unless there was a Romeo and Juliet family feud occurring whereupon one was expected to snub the host and decline the invitation.  Accepting didn't meaning clicking a button that said <GOING> on Facebook.  Should you ever receive a proper dinner invitation, I would suggest answering in the following manner:

Mr and Mrs (this is the guest's name) present their compliments to Mr and Mrs (insert hosts' name), and will do themselves the honor of accepting their kind invitation to dinner on Tuesday, the 14th of February next.


(insert address)
February 3rd, 2012

Naturally, should you ever find yourself in a situation where you may need this information, I hope you are well stocked on fine stationary, fountain pens and wax seals so that you may go for the full effect.


Many thanks to Isabella Beeton for publishing all of her valuable knowledge in Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management which is published by the Oxford University Press, 2000.