Invitation Wording

Daizy106

We have decided to not have kids at the wedding. When i say kids I mean 14 and under. The only kids there will be te flower girl and ring bearer. For people with kids who are wondering whyIts bc I don't want to spend 75 for a plate of hamburgers and fries or chicken fingers and pasta. If kids plates were 25then yea I would have them. I actually like the no kids too bc the parents can have a fun night out and have a few drinks since they can't do that very often. my wedding is very localso i hope people will take advantage and take a cab. i also know that the parents would not have to spend money on a sitter bc they have family or friends that could watch themI hope. Ive read in a few posts on TheKnot that putting Adult Reception only on the invitation is tacky. Ive also seen people suggest filling in the number of _x_ seats have been reserved. People say thats tacky too. The woman who is doing my invitations suggested putting adult reception only. Im torn on what to do?

thejucheidea

Address to the parents only and if people RSVP for kids as well, call them to explain that only parents are invited.

misssunshine17

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_invitation-wording-74?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:1cfc29fe-3641-4f9c-a5b8-a358501f5382Post:6a5d4313-743a-4202-980f-833a7905de9e">Re: Invitation Wording</a>:
[QUOTE]<strong>Address to the parents only and if people RSVP for kids as well, call them to explain that only parents are invited.</strong>
Posted by ahstillwell[/QUOTE]

<div>This. </div>

36798099

we're going to be putting 'adults only reception to follow'. yes it is blunt and perhaps not a perfect solution but in some cases you really do need to be that blunt. i think it is the best answer to a difficult situation....it's your call as only you know the people being invited and if 'in your face' approach is called for....for us the answer is yes

KellyBrian2013

In Response to Re:Invitation Wording:[QUOTE]we're going to be putting 'adults only reception to follow'. yes it is blunt and perhaps not a perfect solution but in some cases you really do need to be that blunt. i think it is the best answer to a difficult situation....it's your call as only you know the people being invited and if 'in your face'nbsp;approach is called for....for us the answer is yes : Posted by lisareinbold[/QUOTE]

It's not blunt or tacky, it's flat out RUDE. You should never, ever put who ISN'T invited to something on an invitation. You'll be insulting those who pay attention and already know that only the names specifically listed are those invited. Those who don't pay attention to that and would RSVP for their kids anyway aren't likely to do any differently just because you write "no kids" or "adults only". But, really, congratulations on essentially telling your entire guest list that you think they're too stupid to correctly read an invitation.

DramaGeek

One of the reasons I dislike "adult reception to follow" is because it implies that kids are welcome at the ceremony but not the reception.  It's rude to invite people to only half of the celebration, especially considering the reception is a thank you to the guests.  How rude to invite someone to watch you get married but then not invite them to the "thank you" party afterward!

Do not put adult reception anywhere on your invitation.  Simply address the invitation to the parents only.  No "and family."  You can personalize the RSVP cards as well, so for a couple it might read

John Smith ___chicken ___fish ___will not attend

Jane Smith ___chicken ___fish ___will not attend

for a family with an invited teenager, 

John Smith ___chicken ___fish ___will not attend

Jane Smith ___chicken ___fish ___will not attend

Joshua Smith ___chicken ___fish ___will not attend

Obviously this takes more time and you have to be able to set it up, then print it, then set up the next one and print it...etc.