How to Respond When Someone Declines Your Invitation

So, someone has declined your invitation to an event. That’s okay. Things happen all the time that prevent people from taking part in something.

However, you should know what to say when someone declines your invitation. It’s important to be polite, and this article has gathered the best phrases to help you.

• Thank you for letting me know
• I completely understand
• It means a lot that you reached out
• That’s okay; I’ll see you some other time
• I appreciate your honesty
• Thanks for telling me
• I hope I can see you soon
• I’m sure I’ll get another chance to see you
• We will miss you!
• We’ll enjoy other parties together

Keep reading to learn how to respond to someone not coming to your party. We’ve also provided examples for each one.

1. Thank You for Letting Me Know

Regardless of the invitation context (i.e., a wedding invitation, a party invitation, etc.), you should be polite and kind when accepting a rejection.

There are plenty of reasons for someone to decline an invitation. Do not accuse them of anything untoward.

That’s where “thank you for letting me know” comes in.

It shows you how to reply calmly and reasonably. You might want to ask more questions if you’re close friends with the person, but it’s best to keep it simple with this phrase.

Perhaps these examples will help you understand more about it:

• Thank you for letting me know that you won’t be able to attend. I’ll certainly miss you there.
• Thank you for letting me know about your issues. I hope you resolve them quickly because I’d like to see you again.

2. I Completely Understand

Remember to be calm and understanding if you’re wondering what to do when someone declines your invitation. How do you do that, though? With “I completely understand.”

It shows that you appreciate someone’s honesty when declining your birthday invitation.

It also shows that you understand their situation and do not expect them to attend your party.

Here are a few examples to show you more about it:

• I completely understand why you can’t make it to my party. I hope that I’ll see you again soon, though.
• Of course, I completely understand your situation, and I never expected you to accept my invitation.

3. It Means a Lot That You Reached Out

It’s best to be friendly with the people you invite to events. Even though they can’t make it, you should try and remain civil and polite.

That’s where “it means a lot that you reached out” comes in. It shows you appreciate someone’s message to decline your invitation. It works with close friends when they aren’t able to attend an important party.

You should also refer to the following examples:

• It means a lot that you reached out to tell me about this. It’s a shame you can’t be there, but I’ll see you soon.
• Well, it means a lot that you reached out. Thank you so much for keeping me involved in your life.

4. That’s Okay; I’ll See You Some Other Time

“That’s okay; I’ll see you some other time” is a great response when someone declines your invitation.

It shows you will miss them at your party, but you understand that they can’t make it.

We recommend this when messaging close friends. It shows that you value their company and would love for them to attend. However, you never know when life might get in the way of something like that.

You may also refer to these examples:

• That’s okay; I’ll see you some other time. I’m sure there will be plenty of other opportunities for us.
• That’s okay; I’ll see you some other time. You should never worry about declining one of my invitations.

5. I Appreciate Your Honesty

Knowing how to reply when someone says no to your invitation is simple with “I appreciate your honesty.”

It allows you to be understanding and calm when accepting a rejection.

Generally, this works best when talking to friends. It shows that you appreciate that something might have come up in your friend’s life that might prevent them from attending your party.

Here are a few examples to help you with it:

• I appreciate your honesty here, Mathew. It’s clear that you can’t prevent these things from happening, though.
• Well, I appreciate your honesty in declining my invitation. I’m sure there will be another time when we can hang out.

6. Thanks for Telling Me

“Thanks for telling me” is a calm and friendly way to accept someone declining your invitation.

There are plenty of reasons to remain polite in these situations. After all, most people decline an invitation because of life commitments (not because they don’t like you).

So, “thanks for telling me” allows you to maintain your friendships without being rude. It also prevents you from accidentally insulting anyone who may not be able to attend your party.

Also, these samples should help you understand more about it:

• Thanks for telling me, Jackie. I’m glad that you were honest about your situation. I hope it resolves itself quickly, though.
• Thanks for telling me. I’ll let everyone else know that you can’t make it to the wedding.

7. I Hope I Can See You Soon

You should know how to respond to a declined event invitation in many ways. It’s good to be calm, but it’s also good to be hopeful and caring.

That’s where “I hope I can see you soon” comes in.

It shows that you’re upset that someone can’t come to your event. However, it also shows that you hope you will be able to see them again later. Perhaps you can host another event that they can attend instead.

Here are a few examples to show you how it works:

• I hope I can see you soon, even though you won’t be there for this event. I will miss you.
• It’s okay if you can’t make it. I hope I can see you soon. It’s certainly been a while since we could hang out.

8. I’m Sure I’ll Get Another Chance to See You

You can always try to maintain a friendly and hopeful tone when someone rejects your invitation.

Something like “I’m sure I’ll get another chance to see you” is excellent for this exact situation.

It shows that you appreciate someone’s honesty when declining your invitation. It also shows that you hope to see them soon.

Naturally, this works best when talking to close friends. It suggests that you miss them and want to hang out again soon.

You may also refer to these examples:

• I’m sure I’ll get another chance to see you later. Of course, it would have been nice if you could attend.
• It’s okay. After all, I’m sure I’ll get another chance to see you. This isn’t the only party I’ll host.

9. We Will Miss You!

“We will miss you!” is a cute and friendly phrase. It suggests that everyone attending the party will miss the declined guest.

Generally, this works best when hosting a birthday party where every attendee is a close friend of one another.

Here are a few samples to help you understand it:

• We’re gutted that you cannot attend. We will miss you! We’ll even raise a glass in your name as if you’re there.
• We will miss you at the birthday party! It won’t be the same without your liveliness there.

10. We’ll Enjoy Other Parties Together

You never really know when something might come up to get in the way of your plans. So, a friendly option like “we’ll enjoy other parties together” works well to respond to a declined invitation.

It shows you would like to hang out with someone another time. You might not know exactly when, but it’s a nice way to let your friends know you don’t blame them for not attending your party.

Check out these examples to see how it works:

• Don’t worry, Michael. We’ll enjoy other parties together later down the road.
• We’ll enjoy other parties together. I hope you’re not beating yourself up too much for missing this one.

What to Remember When Someone Declines Your Invitation

It’s important to remember one thing when someone declines your invitation. Don’t take it personally.

There could be any number of reasons that someone might not be able to accept your invitation. Life gets in the way all the time.

More often than not, someone will decline because they’re busy. It won’t be because they don’t like you.

You should try to understand why they declined. It’s friendly to ask why they can’t make it, as it shows you’re okay with it and want to know what’s going on in their lives.

And also accept it. Once someone has declined an invitation, there’s very little you can say to change their mind. It’s healthy to accept it and move on.