October 29, 2026

Bar and bat mitzvah invitation wording, with samples

What a bar or bat mitzvah invitation includes, the service and the celebration, sample wording from traditional to modern, Hebrew names, and when to send it.

A bar or bat mitzvah invitation announces two things: a religious milestone, when the child is called to the Torah, and a celebration afterward. The wording usually honors both. Here’s what to include, wording to borrow for every tone, and the timing that works.

What to include

The child’s name, often with their Hebrew name below.
Who’s inviting: usually the parents, sometimes with grandparents.
The service: “called to the Torah as a Bar Mitzvah” (or Bat or B’nai Mitzvah), the day, the time, and the synagogue with its address.
The celebration: the kiddush, a luncheon, or an evening party, each with its own time and place if they differ.
How and when to RSVP, about three to four weeks before.
Dress code, especially for the evening party.

When to send it

Send invitations six to eight weeks before, and a save the date six months to a year ahead, especially if family will travel. Many families send a separate card or page for the evening party, so the service invitation can go to the whole community and the party to a smaller list.

Bar, bat or b’nai?

Bar mitzvah for a boy, bat mitzvah for a girl.
B’nai mitzvah for two or more children together, or as a gender-neutral form some families prefer.
B’mitzvah is used in some communities too, including for nonbinary children.

Ask the rabbi or the family which they use, and spell it the same way everywhere.

Sample wording: traditional

With pride and joy, we invite you to share in the Bar Mitzvah of our son, [Full name], [Hebrew name], who will be called to the Torah on Saturday, [date], at ten o’clock in the morning, [Synagogue], [City]. Kiddush luncheon to follow. [Parents’ names].

Please join us as our daughter [Full name] is called to the Torah as a Bat Mitzvah, Saturday, [date], [time], [Synagogue]. [Parents’ names].

[Grandparents’ names] and [Parents’ names] invite you to worship with us and share our joy as [Name] becomes a Bar Mitzvah.

Sample wording: modern

[Name] is becoming a Bat Mitzvah! Join us at [Synagogue] on [date] at [time], then celebrate at [Place].

Mazel tov to [Name]! Please join us for the service and a celebration to follow, [date].

[Name]’s big day: the Torah in the morning, a party at night. We’d love you at both.

Sample wording: the evening party

Now let’s party! Please join us in celebrating [Name], Saturday, [date], at seven in the evening, [Place]. Dinner and dancing.

The mitzvah’s done; time to dance. [Name]’s celebration, [date], [time], [Place].

Kids and grown-ups welcome for dinner, dancing and the hora, [date] at [time].

Lines for the practical parts

Shabbat: “Out of respect for Shabbat, please leave phones and cameras in the car during the service.”
Dress code: “Service: dressy. Party: festive, and bring shoes you can dance in.”
Kids: “[Name]’s friends are invited to the evening party; a kids’ room with games will be open.”
Transportation: “A shuttle will run from the hotel to the synagogue and back.”
Tzedakah: “In lieu of gifts, [Name] has chosen to support [charity],” if that’s the family’s wish.

The Hebrew name

Many families include the child’s Hebrew name under their English name, sometimes in Hebrew letters, sometimes transliterated. Check the spelling with the family or the rabbi, and decide whether to include the parents’ Hebrew names as well; some families do, especially on a traditional invitation.

Two lists, one invitation

The service is often open to the congregation, while the party is for invited guests. A clean way to handle it: one invitation for the service and the kiddush, and a separate card for the evening party, sent only to the people invited to it. If everyone is invited to both, one invitation covers it, with both on their own lines.

How letsparty helps

In letsparty, the service and the evening party can be two parties in one weekend: each guest gets one link to the events they’re invited to and answers each on its own, and a seating chart handles the party. There are bar and bat mitzvah designs, from a tallit stripe to Jerusalem stone, and guests’ wishes for the child can come in with their RSVPs, ready to print as a keepsake.

Wording tips

Use the form (bar, bat, b’nai) the family uses, consistently.
Give the service and the party their own lines, times and addresses.
Include the Torah portion if the family likes; some print it under the date.
Check every Hebrew spelling twice.

The free wording ideas tool has more lines for milestones.