Anyone used cards and pockets for full invitations? What about this wording?

Knottie37373131

Fiance and I are getting married in Jamaica May 15 2015 just the two of us. When we come back we will be having a small reception and sharing our wedding photos with our friends and family. We are having between 30-50 guests, so we are thinking we may only need about 35 invitations at most. After way to many hours of searching for invitations and realizing all of my favorites were far to expensive I have decided I am likely doing my own. This is our invitation wording so far, what do you guys think?

We will be married in
Jamaica on May 15 2015
Please join us for a reception to
celebrate our marriage upon our return

JESSICA LASTNAME and JOSHUA LASTNAME
SATURDAY, THE THIRTIETH OF MAY
TWO THOUSAND FIFTEEN AT
FOUR O’CLOCK IN THE EVENING

INN AT BLANK
5555 South State Road 5
TOWN, ST, 55555, USA

Knottie37373131

I'm not sure how to get this spaced properly on here.

CMGragain

JESSICA LASTNAME and JOSHUA LASTNAME _______________________________ SATURDAY, THE THIRTIETH OF MAY TWO THOUSAND FIFTEEN AT FOUR O’CLOCK IN THE EVENING ________________________ INN AT BLANK 5555 South State Road 5 TOWN, ST, 55555, USA

It sounds like you are planning a celebration party (I hope!) and not a wedding reception?  Good!  You are technically eloping, and elopements don't have wedding receptions.  I'm not clear.  Are you providing dinner?  4:00 PM is afternoon, not evening.

Try this:

The pleasure of your company is requested
to celebrate the recent marriage of
Bride's Full Name
and
Groom's Full Name
Saturday, the thirteenth of May
two thousand fifteen
at four o'clock
The Inn at Blank
5555 South State Road Five
City, State  (No zip code!)

Rsvp.

You should also consider sending out wedding announcements to other friends and relatives after your ceremony.

PS.  Check out Vistaprint for great designs and small quantities at bargain prices.  It might save you a lot of work.

Knottie37373131

@CMGragain The picture is what it was supposed to look like when I posted the first time. We will have 30-50 guests, and we will be serving dinner as Fiance's parents are gifting us enough money to pay for all of it. It is a small inn that generally holds smaller events and does small weddings.

The RSVP still needs to be edited as those are not our dinner choices but that is the start.

I had planned on putting them in a dark grey signature pocket from cardsandpockets.com, and using cool grey envelopes. I was also going to do a silver frame behind the invitation.

CMGragain

Do you want to list your FILS as hosts of this event?  That is certainly generous of them!  How nice!

Knottie37373131

I think we will be thanking them in a different way. While my dad will be helping us pay for a portion of our trip to Jamaica, I know that my mom will not be able to afford to contribute, and I do not want to make her feel bad about not being able to help.

CMGragain

Your wording does the job.  Traditionally, invitations are worded in the third person, so no "we" or "our".  I do hope you aren't planning on wearing a white wedding dress and doing a it's-not-my-wedding-day wedding reception.  Celebrating your marriage is perfectly fine.  Have a nice party.

Knottie37373131

Actually, I more than likely will be wearing a white dress. It is fifteen days after our wedding and about a week after I get back. It will still be the first time we are introduced to our family and friends as MR. and MRS. Both of our families have insisted that we have receptions when we return as they would like to be a part of it and meet each others families.

CMGragain

:-(  It won't be your wedding day.  You don't have guests coming to your ceremony, so there can be no wedding reception.  You gave up having a wedding reception when you decided to have a private destination wedding.  :-(  Just have a nice "Welcome Home" party.  If you try to turn it into a wanna-be wedding reception, it will seem like a PPD.  (Pretty Princess Day).   Don't try to blame this on your families, please!

Knottie37373131

Regardless of what it is called it will still be the same event. It seems that many destination brides are having small wedding "receptions" when they return from their destination. As for the dress, I do not plan on wearing my wedding dress. I do plan on wearing a formal knee length white dress.
A majority of the people attending will be family members and maybe 2-4 close friends.

http://destination.weddings.com/articles/plan-a-second-reception-after-destination-weddings.aspx

LondonLisa

Your party sounds fun and I'm glad you aren't turning it into a Wedding take 2! The danger is when people want to have both a DW/elopement and a wedding reenactment. A "reception" only occurs immediately after a wedding ceremony (where the couple "receives" their guests to thank and honour them for attending their wedding ceremony) so yours is a celebration of marriage party. 

I think it is fine to wear a white cocktail dress like you would wear to any other cocktail party.

Just for lurkers, it is inappropriate to wear a big white wedding dress to a marriage celebration after an elopement/DW- you are a wife, not a bride, so it is silly and tacky.

Knottie37373131

We are being clear with all of our guests that we are already married. While it will be the first time we are introduced to our friends and family as Mr. and Mrs. it is not a wedding. We do plan on sharing our wedding video and our wedding album or pictures. I wonder if one of these two wordings would be better? Is this okay if we are not married when we send the invites?

Barbara and Michael Swank
request the pleasure of your company at a celebration
to honor the recent marriage of
Elizabeth Justine
to
Sean Joseph Mack


Please join us
to celebrate the recent marriage
of
Elizabeth Swank
to
Sean Mack

CMGragain

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Swank
request the pleasure of your company
to celebrate the recent marriage of  their daughter
Elizabeth Justine
to
Mr. Sean Joseph Mack
(etc.)

or

The pleasure of your company is requested
to celebrate the recent marriage of
Elizabeth Justine Swank
and
Sean Joseph Mack
(etc.)

Either wording is fine.  It is OK to send them out before your marriage.

About the article you posted, I'm afraid the Knot is notorious for giving "wedding industry" advice.  In other words, if there is money in it, they will support it.  We have complained to them very recently about their inappropriate etiquette advice in their articles.  The same goes for write ups inb any Bridal Magazine.
Do have your celebration!  You should!  It's just the white wedding dress and bridal traditions that are not appropriate.  It's no wonder so many brides get confused when the Knot gives out this advice.
PS.  Just because some people do it, doesn't mean it is a good idea.  Many people have re-do pretty princess weddings, and I think they are perfectly horrible!

pinkshorts27

CMGragain said:

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Swank
request the pleasure of your company
to celebrate the recent marriage of  their daughter
Elizabeth Justine
to
Mr. Sean Joseph Mack
(etc.)

or

The pleasure of your company is requested
to celebrate the recent marriage of
Elizabeth Justine Swank
and
Sean Joseph Mack
(etc.)

Either wording is fine.  It is OK to send them out before your marriage.

About the article you posted, I'm afraid the Knot is notorious for giving "wedding industry" advice.  In other words, if there is money in it, they will support it.  We have complained to them very recently about their inappropriate etiquette advice in their articles.  The same goes for write ups inb any Bridal Magazine.
Do have your celebration!  You should!  It's just the white wedding dress and bridal traditions that are not appropriate.  It's no wonder so many brides get confused when the Knot gives out this advice.
PS.  Just because some people do it, doesn't mean it is a good idea.  Many people have re-do pretty princess weddings, and I think they are perfectly horrible!

I mean technically she can wear a white dress, as long as it is appropriately formal for the occasion. Backyard dinner she could wear a white sundress.  More formal dinner = white cocktail dress. I would just stay away from ballgowns or mermaid wedding dresses.

I mean, something like this could be cute

Knottie37373131

I think I would prefer to wear a white dress because while it is not my wedding, it is still a celebration of our marriage. Since it is not my wedding, it is a celebration I would not mind if my guest wore white either. I am really leaning towards cocktail dress of some sort. If I do not find one I am considering a neutral gray or silver. It is going to be a nice time for our families to get together and take pictures of family that does not get together often.

CMGragain

That sounds OK to me.  Just don't be too bridal.  I hope you have a wonderful celebration!