Invitation wording ok? (long)

ballandchain10

Hi ladiescan you please let me know if this reads right?  My main concern with the way it reads now is that it says 6:00, but the chuppah can't happen until 6:30.  I don't know how to handle this...but we're running a tight schedule, and I don't want people to be late...thinking weddings never start on time.  That's why I said 6:00.  We are offering light refreshments to people who arrive at 6:00pm, and there will be a seperate insert card inviting people to join us in the kabbalat panim/tish and bedeken ceremonies.    Also, please keep in mind that although it is a jewish wedding, my family is not jewish, and most of the guests have not been to a jewish wedding.  Thoughts?Thanks!***Mr. and Mrs. John Doeinvite you to share in the celebrationof the marriage of their daughterBallandChaintoSam SmithSon of Mrs. Jane SmithSaturday, the sixth of MarchTwo thousand and tenat six o'clock in the eveningWedding Hotel Venue NameAnytown, NJReception to immediately follow ceremonyBlack tie invited

Rachiemoo

looks good. the only thing i could think of is maybe you'd want to say: refreshments begin at six o'clock, chuppah promptly at six-thirty. i only say this because we put our start time a half hour before the chuppah and people ended up coming very early, thinking that was when the chuppah started (so they arrived before refreshments even began).

Knottie_22381855

This was a huge issue on the Knot when I was getting married.  Most people thought it was wrong to list the start time a half hour before the actual start, but, I can tell you that, in the metro NY area, this is VERY common for jewish weddings.  I have never been to a jewish wedding in this area where the invite didn't state 30 minutes before the actual start time and, like yours, light refreshments were always served.

Rachiemoo

I agree with you LBR, the only issue is that if you have out of town guests, they may not know this - a lot of mine didn't.

Danaz1

we had our kabalat panim an hour before so we wrote kabalat panim 4:00 and ceremony at 5:00. People know to come a little earlier then the start time to make sure they get a seat and all. I wouldn't put that it starts a half hour earlier if it doesn't it will just confuse people

alinaandjared

we called the chuppah for 245 with intention of starting at 3. prior to that was the tish kabbalat panim, signing and bedeken for which we only wanted the closest of family and friends, literally 15 or so at each however, our guests all arrived early, like 220 and I believe EVERYONE was there for the bedeken and signing

alinaandjared

I should note that if this happened to me (arrived at 225 expecting a start at 245) and notice bedeken and other things going on, i would think I was LATE! Maybe do just 15 minutes?

razdazzle

I would leave the start time at 6pm - I recently went to a half jewish/christian wedding.  I showed up about 5 minutes late, and the ceremony had already started.  I would have rather been a half-hour early!

silversparks

I actually strongly prefer when the invitation tells me when there's going to be kabbalat panim/badeken and when the ceremony starts - I don't need to get there 15 minutes before the kp/b but I do need to get there at least 15 minutes before the ceremony!So we put starting times for the kabbalat panim and chuppah on our invitations, BUT our non-Jewish guests were confused. If you do go that route, make sure your website or the card insert explains what these things are.

ballandchain10

Thank you for all your feedback! I'm going to go with listing a six pm start time, chuppah ceremony at 6:30 And since we have a bunch of insert cards, we'll have an insert saying that they can join us for the kp/tish/bedeken prior to 6:00 if they wish.  I knew if I put kp/tish on the main invitation, my family (and perhaps some more secular jewish people) would say "huh...so when do we have to show up?"