Luau invitations
I make custom luau invitations, personalised from an existing design for $65 or designed from scratch, then deliver everything as digital files.
Almost every one of these is a backyard party in July rather than anything happening in Hawaii, and being honest about that makes for a better card.
$65
Your details set by hand, usually back the same day. $145 to rebuild it in your own colours.
The stock version of this occasion is a hula-girl silhouette, a grass skirt and a cartoon pineapple, and it has been recycled so many times it now reads as a party shop rather than a party. There is better material available. Real hibiscus and monstera drawn properly, sunset colour that moves through the card, woven and raffia texture, deep water blue. It is a garden party with a warm theme, and treating it that way makes it look designed.
It is worth a moment of thought about what is being borrowed. A luau is a real celebration belonging to a living culture, and the difference between borrowing the mood and dressing as somebody is not a fine one. Flowers, fire, food and colour are fair game. Caricatures of people are not, and I will not draw them. That also rules out reproducing any licensed character, whatever the theme suggests.
The question guests actually need answered is whether this is dinner. Roasted pork takes most of a day, and the hosts who commit to it are running a proper meal at a set hour, while others are doing skewers and fruit across a whole afternoon. Guests plan their day around that answer. The other two lines that earn their place: it is outdoors, so say what happens if it rains, and say whether dressing up is expected or merely welcome.
What changes for this one
Botanical illustration carries the whole thing, drawn rather than clip art, usually as a border or a single large leaf behind the type. Sunset gradients work if they stay muted. If there is a fire pit, a pig roast or a pool, that goes on the card, because it is what people picture when they decide to come.
When to send
Three to four weeks out. Summer weekends fill early and this is competing with holidays, so an earlier save-the-date text is worth it for anything large. Confirm the food plan before sending, since it changes the wording and the hour.
Colours that work
Sunset coral through to deep sea blue, or a quieter route of jade, sand and warm brown. Muted works better than neon here and photographs far better against real flowers and evening light.
Questions people ask about luau invitations
Can you avoid the usual luau clip art?
That is the default here. Real botanical drawing, woven texture and sunset colour, with no hula silhouettes and no cartoon pineapples. It ends up looking like a summer garden party with a strong theme, which is what it actually is.
Do we need to tell people whether it is a full meal?
Yes, and it is the detail most often left off. A pig roast at six and an afternoon of fruit and skewers are different commitments. One line about the food settles what guests eat beforehand and how long they stay.
How do we handle the dress code?
State it as invitation rather than instruction. "Loud shirts encouraged" gets you a lively party without punishing the guest who comes straight from work. Requiring costume reduces attendance every time.
What about rain?
Put the wet-weather plan on the card in small type at the base, whether that is a covered patio, a garage or a new date. Guests stop texting to ask, which is the whole point.
320
US searches a month for luau invitations, measured rather than guessed.
- swim party invitation ยท 6,600/mo
How to have this made
Custom invitation design
Designed from nothing for one event. No template underneath.
From $285
Digital and paperless invitations
Designed to be texted, emailed or posted. Not an Evite template.
From $225
Party printables and extras
Favour tags, envelope liners, stickers, banners, water bottle labels.
From $75
Start with a First Look
$45 for one finished concept designed for your event, back in three days. It comes off whatever you book, and if you do not love it you keep the file and owe nothing.