Reception

tlrover

I am getting married on 10/11/12 since it is on a Thursday we are not having a ceremony.  We are going to the courthouse and want to have a tapas style cocktail reception on 10/13.  Do we do the same thing that you would do at a reception being held directly after a wedding???First dance, boquet and garter throwing??? I am confused as to what to do.  Suggestions please

DramaGeek

Well, you are having a ceremony, albeit a small one.  In which case, you're really not having a reception, since a reception is thrown as a thank you to the wedding guests, but you are hosting a party.  Since it's a party, not a wedding, then no, I don't think there should be the traditional wedding things, though a first dance probably wouldn't be a huge deal.

Just an FYI, if you are inviting anyone to the ceremony, you will need to host them in some way afterward, even if it's a simple lunch at a deli.

LeiselEB

I actually don't see a problem with having an actual reception only two days after the wedding ceremony. I may be alone on that, but this situation reminds me more of an AHR than a party after the fact. As long as you either don't invte anyone to the ceremony, or invite only your absolute closest family and host something afterwards, that is. You'd need to be clear on invitations that guests are invited to a reception, not to a wedding and reception.

Are you only getting married on the Thursday because of the date? Or is there a reason you can't have the ceremony and reception all in one day?

Maggie0829

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_reception-52?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:5Discussion:514c9ce1-1dc2-438f-896d-2076463fdb80Post:89ccea38-372c-4221-a09d-7da60cd55b3b">Re: Reception</a>:
[QUOTE]You have your wedding reception on your wedding day.  If it is not your wedding day, then I would just have a nice cocktail party and skip the wedding traditions. <strong>Why can't you get married and have a reception on the same day?
</strong>Posted by CMGr[/QUOTE]

I second this question.  If your answer is because you want your wedding date to be 10/11/12...that is just silly.

alithebride

i agree. have them both on the thursday. its perfectly fine to do even just a lunch reception (if you're getting married morning or early afternoon). 2 days later seems to serve absolutely no purpose.

Cortney1982

I too don't understand why you cannot have a reception on Thursday.  Even if it is a work week, most people can take the afternoon or whole day off to attend.

It would just seem so odd to do all the first dance, garter and bouquet throwing at a party two days later. 

pattib5

If you're hosting the reception/party two days after the actual ceremony, I would skip all the "traditional" stuff like the garter toss, bouquet toss, first dances, etc.