My FI and I will be getting married in Belize in November, then having a party back in the states the following August. I know it's far apart, but he's a teacher and must work around breaks and such.
He is from NJ, where we currently live, and I'm originally from Upper MI, where the party will be. Obviously, his family and friends will still be traveling halfway across the country to celebrate with us. My question is, is just a reception enough? Should we have another ceremony so it feels more official? Am I way overthinking this? We're going to have a fairly traditional reception with dinner, dancing, cake, etc.
How much else should we plan for the weekend? Maybe an informal beach BBQ the night before the official party? Breakfast the following morning? We are definitely going to encourage guests to get out and be touristy on their own, but are we obligated to do more? Any thoughts and suggestions would be appreciated. I just want to make sure those who are traveling for us feel like it's worth it, aside from visiting one of the most beautiful places in the country.
The way I see it is that if we were doing a "normal" wedding in my hometown instead of Belize, all these people would be coming as part of the bridal party, family, etc anyway. Is it different if we'll have been married for 9 months?