Addressing invitations Adult Only Reception

Cfolse

I'm about to address our invitations we don't mind having children at our wedding but we're having an adult only reception. Our invitation and reception card say "Adult Reception" and we have planned time between the church and the reception for parents to take kids home if they decide to bring them to the wedding. I know I need to address my inner envelope to the adults, how do I address my outer envelopes? Thanks!

zitiqueen

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_addressing-invitations-adult-only-reception?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:440ec988-6395-44fb-b74a-50f042c91464Post:232dbb47-0e16-4919-9175-165bdefd9ca8">Addressing invitations Adult Only Reception</a>:
[QUOTE]I'm about to address our invitations we don't mind having children at our wedding but we're having an adult only reception. Our invitation and reception card say "Adult Reception" and we have planned time between the church and the reception for parents to take kids home if they decide to bring them to the wedding. I know I need to address my inner envelope to the adults, how do I address my outer envelopes? Thanks!
Posted by Cfolse[/QUOTE]

You're inviting kids to the ceremony but not the reception?

AddieCake

Your reception is a thank you to your guests for attending your ceremony. It is a thank you to ALL your guests. It's very rude to invite anyone to the ceremony that you are not inviting to the reception. 

AddieCake

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_addressing-invitations-adult-only-reception?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:440ec988-6395-44fb-b74a-50f042c91464Post:e0a6585a-0f9c-4a07-8de2-713f86896391">Re: Addressing invitations Adult Only Reception</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Addressing invitations Adult Only Reception : Yep, which is why the children don't need to be invited. Their parents are free to bring them to the ceremony if it is in a public place. If that is the case, they have no expectation of being received as guests after the fact. 
Posted by Liatris2010[/QUOTE]

<div>Ohhh, I see. So as long as they are just not invited and parents bring them anyway (and the couple is ok with that), they do not have to be invited to the reception b/c they were never officially invited to the ceremony either. That makes sense. </div>

MrsGandthebeag

1. Address the envelopes to the parents

2. If people rsvp including their kids you say you're sorry for the confusion because kids aren't invited and you hope they can still come

3. You don't invite kids to the ceremony and not the reception

4. Take "adult only reception" off the invites. 

banana468

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_addressing-invitations-adult-only-reception?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:440ec988-6395-44fb-b74a-50f042c91464Post:edcc2319-6872-41e3-b347-4201f75736dd">Re: Addressing invitations Adult Only Reception</a>:
[QUOTE]1. Address the envelopes to the parents 2. If people rsvp including their kids you say you're sorry for the confusion because kids aren't invited and you hope they can still come 3. You don't invite kids to the ceremony and not the reception 4. Take "adult only reception" off the invites. 
Posted by MrsGandthebeag[/QUOTE]

5. Lose the gap between the ceremony and reception.

aurianna

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_addressing-invitations-adult-only-reception?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:440ec988-6395-44fb-b74a-50f042c91464Post:4a4719b4-52e3-4ecb-8902-14a6de07bbda">Re: Addressing invitations Adult Only Reception</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Addressing invitations Adult Only Reception : 5. Lose the gap between the ceremony and reception.
Posted by banana468[/QUOTE]

Agreed. I understand that you were trying to be considerate to parents that may want to bring their kids to the ceremony, but I think you'll find that group will be completely outnumbered by guests without children and guests who choose not to bring their kids to the ceremony either. Not to mention some might choose to just go to the ceremony and not the reception if they can't bring their kids. You need to think about the majority of guests in this case.

ETA: Gaps aren't fun for most guests. The sooner you can get the cocktail hour started the better! :)

Jen4948

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_addressing-invitations-adult-only-reception?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:440ec988-6395-44fb-b74a-50f042c91464Post:85dde551-1c6c-43f4-b245-716c2de5ff13">Re: Addressing invitations Adult Only Reception</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Addressing invitations Adult Only Reception : From lurking I know that people consider this rude, but it's common in my family too. It's not so much that kids are invited to the ceremony and not the reception as much as it's a matter of the ceremony being open to anyone who wants to come to the church. 
Posted by HoorayForSoup[/QUOTE]

It being "common" doesn't excuse the rudeness of it.

"Adults only" doesn't go on invitations or inserts.  The only polite way to express it is to list on invitations only the names of those invited.  If children are not invited, they are not listed.