Invitation Wording Help & Caterer Advice

Pepper630

Well, after a year of planning a wedding for 100 people, sit down reception, DJ, etc..my fiance and I decided to have a very small garden wedding with about 40 people, and then a cocktail reception at his Father's residence after for about 80.  The wedding planning was stressful and we were spending way too much money. We decided to take the honeymoon of a lifetime instead  My question is how to word the invitations since some people will be invited to the ceremony and party after, and some will only be invited to the party.  Also, we'll need a caterer for the party as well.  Please help!

BlissPhilly

I don't have an answer for invitation wording because it seems kind of awkward to invite some people to all of the celebration and then some people to 1/2 of the wedding celebration.

I, too, may have to possibly hire an outside caterer for a venue I "think" we've decided on. P&P caterers has gotten great reviews on their food and sevice and they do off premise catering. But I've also thought about places I've enjoyed dining at and asking them if they caterer, maybe you can try that. Oh and good for you for not allowing the stress of wedding planning get to you as well as being smart about what you can afford for a wedding and having a simple intimate wedding! 
I wish we could have a wedding with about 50 guests but my FI family is so darn huge! 

ANM2012

Would it be possible to get 2 different sets of invitations?  I think it would be difficult to merge the two into one. 

jelybeancg

Is there any way you would consider inviting all 80 to the ceremony? Because honestly it is really rude to only invite half the guests to witness the marriage. You are basically telling the other half of your guests that they are not important enough to be there for the actual wedding.

If you are not open to having all of the guests at the ceremony what about just immediate family (parents, grandparents and sibilings)? I feel as though people might be less offended if only your immediate family was at the ceremony, then everyone else at the reception.

Then you just make one invitation either inviting everyone to both the ceremony and reception or just inviting everyone to the reception and personally inviting your immediate family to the ceremony.

nancyr

It may be the area they are having the wedding in is small and can't accomodate everyone, how about videotaping it for guests who can't be there in person? I definitely think you'd need two sets of invitations tho.

Pepper630

Thank you everyone for sharing your thoughts!  Our wedding venue is small, and can only accomodate a small number of guests.  I wish I could fit everyone!  We were planning of having immediate family only, and then invite ALL of our friends and extended family to celebrate our marriage in a larger reception.  (we are not asking for gifts) I was thinking one invitation to the smaller group would say "invite you to the wedding of" and then provide reception information, and then one would read "invite you to celebrate the marriage of" with the same reception info.....  thoughts?