How to Decline an Invitation for Different Events or Occasions by Email

You may want to accept every invitation that comes your way, but that’s simply unrealistic and unattainable. While you may want to attend and honor as many of the invitations you get, there are some cases where you simply can’t accept and would have to decline the invitation by email.

There are chances that this has happened to you more than once, and in a bid to not upset the person, you’ve gone against your desires and honored the invitation. In the long run, this will be detrimental to you.

Do you have issues declining invitations? Do you worry about hurting people’s feelings so you go ahead and accept the invitation even when you don’t want to? We’ve all been down that road before and it’s not healthy to keep that up for long.

The good news is there are ways you can decline an event via email that doesn’t leave you feeling like that. If you do it with honesty, sincerity and respect for the recipient, you can successfully decline an invitation by email without fear of hurting or jeopardizing your relationship with the recipient.

An invitation for a meeting or an event is simply what it is, an invitation. No rule says you have to be there. It’s an invitation and not a court order. Of course, the person inviting you would want you to attend, but it’s ultimately up to you if you’d like to attend or not. If you have other engagements, appointments or you simply don’t want to attend, it’s within your right to simply decline the invitation.

You may think declining an invitation to an event is letting the host down, but that’s usually not the case. If you were an integral part of the planning or you already committed to attending, then declining an invitation by email isn’t letting anyone down.

The key to declining an invitation is in doing it well beforehand- as soon as you’re sure you won’t be attending and doing it respectfully. In doing this, the organizer would be grateful for the heads up and would know how to further optimize their plans without you.

How to Decline an Invitation by Email

Here are some of the guidelines you need to know when declining an invitation:

1. Do Not Wait to Reply

Whenever you get an invitation to an event and you’re sure you won’t be attending, it’s best to make sure the recipient knows about this as soon as possible. This is extremely helpful as your lack of response may be considered a “Yes” to the invitation. If you let the organizer know about your decision immediately, it helps them plan better.

So, if you’re going to decline an invitation, the earlier it is done, the better.

2. Thank the Convener

When declining an invitation, it’s important to do it with grace and respect, this means thanking the convener for organizing the meeting or event. Thank them sincerely for thinking highly of you and inviting you to their event.

3. Be Truthful About Your Reasons

When declining an invitation to an event, you must be honest and straightforward about your reasons for declining. You don’t have to go into great detail and explain the nitty-gritty of the reason behind your decision.

Don’t go overboard with explaining why you can’t make it. Doing this just makes you seem guilty as though you’re trying to justify your made-up reasons for declining. Simply saying that you had other engagements already scheduled for that day is enough.

4. Always Try to Reschedule

If this is an invitation for a one-on-one meeting and not necessarily an event, it’s best to start the process of rescheduling in the same email you used in declining the invitation. This way, the convener knows you’d like to discuss the agenda for the meeting and you’re not just trying to blow them off.

If it’s an event or a get-together with multiple people, this is not an option.

5. Send a Gift if The Event Calls for It

If you’re declining an invitation for an event such as a birthday party or a ceremony, you should send the present you’d send if you were attending. This further translates that you’d like to be there, but for reasons, you couldn’t.

If you’re declining an invitation for a meeting you should ignore this option.

6. Make a Follow-up Call

If you declined an invitation to an event or a party, you should call or send a follow-up email to show your concern even with your absence. In a follow-up call, you express your deep regrets about missing the event and say your congratulations on the occasion.

Email Samples on How to Decline an Invitation by Email

Here are different examples of how to reject an invitation. Every scenario is unique to each event and individual. But here are some samples on how to decline invitations to events.

How to Politely Decline Invitation by Email Example

Dear [Name],

I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to express my sincere gratitude for inviting me to [event/occasion]. It is truly kind of you to think of me and include me in your plans.

Unfortunately, due to some prior commitments and personal circumstances, I regretfully have to decline your invitation. Please know that it was not an easy decision for me to make, as I would have loved to be part of the celebration.

I truly appreciate your understanding and I hope you have a fantastic time at the event. I am sure it will be a wonderful occasion filled with joy and laughter. Please convey my warm regards to everyone attending.

Once again, thank you for considering me and extending this invitation. I genuinely value our relationship and I look forward to future opportunities to spend time together.

Wishing you all the best.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]

How to Formally Decline an Invitation

Subject: Regretful Decline of Invitation

Dear [Host's Name],

I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to express my gratitude for the invitation to [event/occasion] that you extended to me. It is truly an honor to be considered for such a special gathering.

However, it is with sincere regret that I must decline your kind invitation. Due to unforeseen circumstances and conflicting commitments, I am unable to attend [event/occasion]. Please understand that this decision was not made lightly, and I genuinely wish I could be present to celebrate with you.

I appreciate your understanding and apologize for any inconvenience caused. Please extend my warm regards to everyone present, and I hope to have the opportunity to celebrate with you in the future.

Thank you once again for thinking of me and including me in your plans.

Kind regards,

[Your Name]
[Your Contact Information]

How to Decline a Party Invitation Example

Dear [Host's Name],

Thank you so much for inviting me to your upcoming party. I truly appreciate your kind gesture and the effort you put into organizing such an event.

However, after careful consideration, I regretfully have to decline your invitation. Unfortunately, I have a prior commitment on the same day that I am unable to reschedule. It saddens me to miss out on the opportunity to celebrate with you and our mutual friends.

I am confident that your party will be a fantastic gathering filled with joy and laughter. Please convey my warm regards to everyone attending, and I hope to catch up with all of you soon.

Thank you once again for including me in your plans. I truly value our friendship and look forward to future opportunities to spend time together.

Best wishes,

[Your Name]

Email Sample 1: Decline Invitation to an Event

 Dear Jason,

How are you? I hope this email finds you well.

Thank you so much for inviting me to your birthday party. While I’d love to attend, I regrettably have to decline as I’ll be out of town at a conference that day.

I hope you have a wonderful birthday!

Always,
Jane 

Email Sample 2: Decline Invitation to an Event

 Dear Isabel,

Congratulations on your promotion! I’m so excited to see you advance your career!

Thank you for inviting me to your celebration party, but I’m sorry I’m going to have to decline as I’ll be out of town visiting my parents that weekend.

I’d like to go take you out to dinner if you’d like some time soon, and you can tell me all about your new role!

 I wish you success in this new position.

 Regards,
 Jacob 

Email Sample 3: Decline Invitation to an Event

 Dear Simon,

 I hope this email finds you well. I was excited to learn about the get-together with the guys from college.

 Unfortunately, I have to decline as I’m going to be out of town that weekend for a work commitment.

 I was looking forward to seeing the guys! I hope we get the chance to do this again soon.

 Sincerely,

 Arthur Blade 

Email Sample 4: Decline Invitation to an Event

Dear Jennifer,

Thank you for inviting me to your company’s end of year party.

I regret to inform you that I’d have to decline as I’m going to be on vacation with my husband that weekend.

I’d like to get dink with you sometime soon to catch up.

Regards,

Jane Doe 

Email Sample 5: Decline Invitation to an Event

 Dear Bruce,

Thank you for thinking about me and inviting me to Daniel’s graduation party.

Sadly, I’ll be unable to attend as I’m taking the kids to visit their grandfather.

Please send Daniel our congratulations on this wonderful achievement and convey our disappointment in not being able to attend. I’m sure it’s going to be a swell party.

 Warm Regards,

 Samuel Jack 

When Should You Decline an Invitation to an Event?

The simple answer to this is “Whenever you feel like it”. If you don’t feel like honouring an invitation, you shouldn’t for the sake of pleasing the person inviting you.

There are dangers associated with people-pleasing that are prominent even in the professional sectors. Declining an invitation to an event shouldn’t be something you hold off on for fear of upsetting the other party involved. 

Here are More Ways to Decline Invitation to an Event

There are different scenarios where you might need to cancel an invitation to an event. Here are some popular phrases you may employ when writing an email to decline an invitation.

I’m going to have to decline your invitation as I have another engagement scheduled for the same day.

Regrettably, I won't be able to make it to dinner this weekend as I have a family event planned. If you'd like, we can do it next weekend. 

That sounds extremely fun, but I'm going to have to decline as I have something else going on that weekend. 

Thanks for inviting me to your party! But I'm going to have to decline as I've been advised by my doctor to avoid large gatherings. If you'd like, we can have a quiet dinner at my place or yours.

Thank you so much for inviting me to your party! Unfortunately, I'm going to have to decline as I'll be on a family vacation that weekend. Do have a wonderful time.

Conclusion

While you may want to attend every event you’re invited to, you simply can’t honour all of them. You may have other plans for that day, you may have a work event you simply can’t blow off or you may simply be too exhausted to attend. It’s better to completely decline an event instead of attending simply to please the convener.

Also, you may think the best way to decline said invitation would be to leave the request unanswered. This is worse than declining. If you do this to people that invite you to events, you may never get another invite from them. In this article, we list a step by step process to decline an invitation without offending anyone.