Casual Invitation Wording?

anel612

Our wedding is at sun set on Labor Day Weekend in the HOT Texas weather.  It is a casual outdoor wedding, the venue even has a pool!  Though we love music, my fiance and i are not dancers, so the reception will have good food, good music, and lots of lawn games, those who are interested are welcome to take a dip in the pool.  We are looking for more of a picnic feel than a stuffy wedding reception. 

So the question is: How do i tell my guests to dress casually and comfortably for the potential heat, ready for games and a swim? without my invitation sounding tacky? 

I welcome any and all suggestions! I need help! Thank you!

sockmiser

I am having the same issues myself. Though we have not figured out invitation wording just yet I found that putting this info on our website has helped make most of our guests aware even prior to the invitations going out. For the older generation who does not use the computer it has traveled by word of mouth. 

If those don't work for you, perhaps add an small insert/card to the invitation informing people of the nature of your reception. That way the invitation itself does not look tacky. 

Above all else remember your guests would rather it look a bit 'tacky' and have the info than show up in heels to play lawn games or miss out on taking a dip! 

sockmiser

Oh! Just had an idea, what if on the response card you ask people to wrote down there favorite lawn game or pool game? This makes them aware, gives them a bit of input, and does not make the invitation sound at all tacky!

jenna8984

I actually just got an invitation in the mail yesterday and I am in love with it because it's so casual and fun and not the standard formal invitation. It's a photo strip of the 2 of them and on the back is printed "XX & XX would like you to join them in tying the knot. Place, date, time. Followed by a reception of eating, drinking & dancing!" It has really fun font and lettering and it just gives the vibe that it's going to be a fun, casual day. You could do something like that and after dancing you could throw in "maybe even some swimming!" 

CMGragain

An invitation is a note from the host to the guest giving the important information: who, what, when and where.  You could include a note in your invitation such as "Bring your bathing suit for fun in the pool after the ceremony", but I don't think this should be on your actual invitation.  Use colorful and w outdoor themed designs.  "Tying the knot" may offend some people.

Inkdancer

Much of the tone for your wedding is set by how your invitation looks. A brightly colored paper, photos, fun fonts, and relaxed wording can all indicate that you're there to party and relax.

That said, don't tell your guests what to wear on the invite. You can certainly include pictures of the location on your website and maybe mention it informally (e.g. "poolside reception to follow").

Sounds like you are going to have a super fun day!