From comments on my previous post on how to write an invitation, Tracey asks:

We had a house fire last fall and since have moved into our new home. We would like to invite our friends and family to thank them all for their support. Can anyone help me out as to how to word this invite?

Tracey,

I’m going to assume that you’re aiming for an informal invitation by email. Here’s what I’d write:

Subject: Party at our new house

We’ve finally got ourselves settled and unpacked in our new house, and now we’d like to invite you to come help us celebrate our new home, and to thank you for all your support after the fire. We’ll be providing food and drinks, including veg options, so there’s no need to bring anything but yourselves.

(date, time, address details here.)

Please RSVP by $date so I know how many people I’m feeding.

Adjust as necessary. I think the important thing is to make it clear that you want to thank them for their support, so it’s good to just say so in the invitation, as well as making sure you don’t ask them for anything further in the way of drinks, gifts, etc. The other good thing about saying “thank you” as part of the invitation is that even if people can’t make it to your party, they still know that you’re grateful.

If you don’t get completely freaked out by a little bit of public speaking, you might want to consider gathering everyone together briefly at the party, perhaps during dinner, and making a short speech of thanks for their help and for coming to help you celebrate as well.