What to include in a debut invitation
A debut invitation carries more than any other invitation a Filipino family will send. Under the cover sits a programme with dozens of names in it, each one in a specific order, and the whole evening runs off that list. Get the names and the sequence right and everything else on the invitation is decoration.
By occasion5 min read
The parts every debut invitation needs
Nine: the debutante's full name, the date and call time, the venue, the dress code with a colour, the programme, the 18 roses, the 18 candles, the 18 treasures and the cotillion court. The last four are the ones a generic invitation template has no room for.
- 01Her full name, spelled the way it will be read aloud
- 02The date, the day of the week and the call time
- 03The venue, with a landmark and a parking note
- 04The dress code, with an actual colour rather than a mood
- 05The programme, hour by hour
- 06The 18 roses, in the order they dance
- 07The 18 candles, in the order they speak
- 08The 18 treasures, with what each person is giving
- 09The cotillion court, paired as they will appear
The order is the content
Every one of the last four is a list where the sequence is the useful information. A guest checking whether they are seventh or fourteenth is checking when to stand up, and that is the single most practical thing an invitation can tell them.
The 18 roses, candles and treasures
Three separate lists of eighteen people, and they do three different things. The roses dance with her, the candles give a message, and the treasures hand over a gift with a meaning attached. Sharing one list between them is the most common mistake and it causes confusion on the night.
| The eighteen | What they do | What the invitation should say |
|---|---|---|
| Roses | Each dances with her in turn | Names in dance order, so nobody checks a printout backstage |
| Candles | Each gives a short message | Names in speaking order, so they can read ahead |
| Treasures | Each gives a gift with a meaning | Names and what each is giving, to avoid duplicates |
| Cotillion court | A choreographed set with partners | Pairs listed as they will appear on the floor |
Somebody always drops out two weeks before, usually from the roses. Being able to reorder the list without reprinting anything is the practical reason a debut is one of the occasions where a page beats a card outright.
What guests will ask about anyway
Four things, every time: what the dress code actually means, whether there is parking, when it ends, and whether children are invited. Answer all four on the invitation and the group chat stays quiet. Leave any one of them out and you will answer it thirty times individually.
- The dress code, in colours
- Formal means nothing on its own. Show the palette, and a photographed look or two, so nobody guesses what champagne means.
- Parking and the floor
- Which building, which level, and whether the ballroom is up an escalator. Lolas plan their arrival around this.
- When it ends
- Guests plan the trip home before they plan the outfit, especially anybody bringing a driver.
- Whether children come
- A debut is usually a late formal evening. Say it plainly and give a reason, and nobody has to ask awkwardly.
Wording that suits an eighteenth
Hers rather than her parents'. A debut is the one Filipino celebration where the celebrant is old enough to have a voice in how she is introduced, so the invitation should sound like her. The parents' names belong on it, and they do not have to be the ones speaking.
In practice that means fewer formal third-person constructions and more of her own register. Together with her parents, she invites you reads differently from Mr and Mrs Santos request the honour of your presence, and for an eighteenth the first one is usually closer to the truth.
The one part worth keeping formal is the parents' line, because that is the part the older guests read. There is a longer piece on wording, including how to name a parent who has passed.
Would you rather hand it over?
How far ahead to send it
Six to eight weeks for the guests, and much earlier for the roses, candles, treasures and court. Those fifty-odd people need asking two to three months out, because they are buying outfits and rehearsing a cotillion, and several of them will need replacing before the night.
Treat it as two separate sends. The people with roles get asked personally, well ahead, and get their name and their position confirmed. Everybody else gets the invitation when the programme is settled, which is usually a month or two later.
A debut invitation from us is ₱2,499, with every name in the order it happens, and the list can be changed right up to the day. There is a full timeline for other occasions too.
Asked about this
What should a debut invitation include?
Her full name, the date and call time, the venue with parking notes, a dress code with real colours, the programme, and the four lists: the 18 roses, the 18 candles, the 18 treasures and the cotillion court, each in the order it happens.
Are the 18 roses, candles and treasures the same people?
They should not be. Each list is eighteen different people doing a different thing: dancing, giving a message, and giving a gift with a meaning. Reusing names across the lists is what causes the confusion families notice on the night.
How early should I ask the 18 roses and candles?
Two to three months before. They are buying outfits, rehearsing and arranging their evening around it, and realistically a couple of them will drop out and need replacing, which is much easier eight weeks out than two.
Can the debut programme change after the invitation goes out?
On a page, yes, and it usually does. Somebody drops out of the roses about two weeks before almost every debut. On a printed card that becomes an announcement on the night; on a link it becomes an edit nobody notices.
How much does a debut invitation cost?
A done-for-you debut invitation here generally runs from about PHP 1,500 to PHP 5,000 depending on how much of the programme it carries. Ours is ₱2,499, with all four lists and the whole evening on one link.
