Are you having a hometown reception?

Diamond1031

So the FI and I are getting married in Vegas and having a low key reception/dinner in Vegas.  Is anyone having a party/GTG/reception when they get back home for those who were not able to make it to Vegas?  If so, what are you planning on doing?

 

The FI and I talked about doing something, but not sure of what so I thought I’d ask the board. 

 

TIA! 

 

nickikav

We are but it is also going to be my 30th and Fi's 40th celebrations so 3 parties in one!
My birthday is 10 days after the wedding and Fi's is 19 days after so we are just hiring an area in a pub for about 3 weeks after the wedding.

wiwicaty

We are going to have an AHR in Rome later in the year. It's going to be at FI's nightclub and I'm planning on making invites and prepare party favors for the guests, it's going to be more or less 70 people. I don't think we'll give it a specific theme, aside from celebrating the wedding. We'll have a cake and maybe a dance. Some people show their wedding video but for some reason I think it would be too cheesy for our crowd. 

bcschuman

We are having an AHR about a month after the wedding.  We are inviting everyone who was invited to Vegas and we are also inviting other family/friends as well.  We are anticipating 150 or so guests and will have the traditional reception things like cake cutting, dances, etc.  We are doing a 6pm start time, so we are opting for appetizers vs a meal.

OnCloudK9

We are only having our immediate family in Las Vegas for the ceremony.  Four weeks after we get back we are hosting a party to celebrate with all of our friends and family.  We booked our party location (a place that hosts traditional ceremonies and/or receptions) but the details of our event haven't been finalized yet, so I'm also looking for ideas from others.

@nickikav - sounds like you will have a lot to celebrate!  congrats. 

aegrish

My FMIL is throwing us an AHR 2 months after the wedding.  We're not doing any toasts, dancing or anything though.  Only 'wedding' tradition we'll include is a cake cutting, FI's Gma is a baker and she is super sad she can't make the cake for our vegas reception so we aren't having one there and we'll just wait until the AHR.  I'm pretty sure I'll wear my gown for at least part of the reception too.  People have already saiid they'll want to see it. Guess that gives me motiviation to still be able to fit into it 2 months later!

Diamond1031

I'm unsure of where to have the AHR.  It seems like my mom wants me to have an actual traditional reception here at home.  I'm not sure if we want to do a BBQ, rent some sort of space or maybe a freinds back yard, I can't think of anything else.  Any ideas?   


AEGRISH--I know you are having your reception at Trevi.  Do you mind if I ask you a few questions about it?  I can PM you, if that's ok.  Thanks.
  

aegrish

of course.

Diamond1031

Great I'll send it over shortly.  Thanks. 

Natrasha

We think we are still having one, though if most of our guest list comes to Vegas, I may rethink that.

We're getting married in October, and we'd have our party in May, so we can rent a park pavillion and have a casual catered picnic party. It would be lunch, lawn games, and mingling. There would be wedding pictures, maybe our video, and pictures from the honeymoon, but nothing that would make it like a typical reception.

direy25

We won't be having one because we're inviting the same people to the Vegas wedding that we would have invited if we were having it at home.  I'm really not sure if we would have considered it if we did a small wedding - I guess I've never understood the point of a small, intimate wedding somewhere and then throwing the big bash at home - to me it seems like that would cause just as much stress (if not more since you're planning two events) than just having a big wedding to begin with.  I'm not judging anyone who has an AHR, it's just not my cup of tea...

clm211

We are going to have an AHR a couple of months after the wedding.  We are getting married in Ocotber so maybe the beginning/mid December.  We are probably going to go with having a Sunday brunch maybe up in Lake Geneva, WI.  Not too sure of all the details yet as we are focusing on the wedding right now, but we have decided we will do something to that nature when we get back.  A lot of people we have invited to Vegas for the wedding can't make it, including good friends and they have been asking if we are going to have something back home because they want to celebrate with us at some point.  Just going to have a causual type of reception back home since we are having an acutal reception in Vegas after our ceremony. 

erinkay81

Our AHR is going to be the week after our wedding. It is soon, but worked best since we will have time off of work and then we can still feel like it is a celebration of our wedding. It will be an evening dinner at an upscale restaurant. We have reserved the entire restaurant and there will be speeches, a photobook (not slideshow) from Vegas, a cake, and possible dancing, depending on who comes. I will wear my dress and we will do a guestbook. Totally thrown and planned by my parents so I really have no say in anything- which is fine by me since I'm having to plan the Vegas wedding!

darkling_glory

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_nevada-las-vegas_having-hometown-reception?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:91Discussion:9140aeb2-4da7-4e48-b927-f2a14ec68ddcPost:34e4bd97-0f62-40ca-aa74-03253f178066">Re: Are you having a hometown reception?</a>:
[QUOTE]I guess I've never understood the point of a small, intimate wedding somewhere and then throwing the big bash at home - to me it seems like that would cause just as much stress (if not more since you're planning two events) than just having a big wedding to begin with.  I'm not judging anyone who has an AHR, it's just not my cup of tea...
Posted by direy25[/QUOTE]

I'm doing it to keep the peace with my mother. My original guest list was 10 people. 10! Now, I'm having around 40 in Vegas and we're having a party at home two months later.

Honestly, it's mostly for her as I just want to be married and done with everything (which is why we picked Vegas in the first place!). But my folks are picking up the tab, so I'm just trying to go with the flow.

Plus, I have a ridiculously large Italian family and fiance has an equally large Irish-Catholic wedding and to hear them talk it's just not <em>normal </em>to have a small wedding. *rolls eyes*

Whatever, family.

direy25

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_nevada-las-vegas_having-hometown-reception?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:91Discussion:9140aeb2-4da7-4e48-b927-f2a14ec68ddcPost:c3fa78ad-1707-491e-82bb-719f9397bb22">Re: Are you having a hometown reception?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Are you having a hometown reception? : I'm doing it to keep the peace with my mother. My original guest list was 10 people. 10! Now, I'm having around 40 in Vegas and we're having a party at home two months later. Honestly, it's mostly for her as I just want to be married and done with everything (which is why we picked Vegas in the first place!). But my folks are picking up the tab, so I'm just trying to go with the flow. Plus, I have a ridiculously large Italian family and fiance has an equally large Irish-Catholic wedding and to hear them talk it's just not normal to have a small wedding. *rolls eyes* Whatever, family.
Posted by darkling_glory[/QUOTE]
That definitely makes sense! 
<img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-smile.gif" border="0" alt="Smile" title="Smile" />

dianaslik

Similar to other posters - we are having an AHR, the same week of the wedding.
We are really only having a small group in Vegas (immediate family & wedding party) and will have approx 150 at our AHR.

For location/time: some good friends of ours own a bar (new-ish and nicely done, not a dive) - so that is our location.  We are doing a "cocktail reception" - start time of 7:30p, passed apps/snacks (no meal, no sit down) and a DJ/party vibe 
We are doing lots of the reception traditions, and the wedding party, my FI and myself will all be wearing our wedding attire again.
We might even show the ceremony video (or a ceremony slideshow)

Part of the reason we are doing this was a compromise between FI & me on having a "non-traditional" wedding (that he wants) and me wanting some of the traditional elements/celebration... and lots of family, friends, etc would not have been able to come to Las Vegas, and we'd hate to not include them.
Now we are both excited about both the ceremony & the reception!

Note: we aren't doing so much of a "reception" in Las Vegas following our ceremony - though we are taking our family/wedding party on a 3hr double-decker bus tour (with beverages)

smokeybailey

Nope.

jccswl

The reason we chose Vegas was bc it was the mid point of my hometown (Texas) and his (NoCal). We figured that one side would have to travel and we wanted to make it more appealing for them to make the effort. We also wanted to treat the ones that came to a great dinner, and the best time. We spared no expense and had everything I wanted to have a traditional wedding. I do wish everyone I wanted to come could have been there for our wedding, so I get how some like the idea of AHR.

j_jaye

We are not having one. The few people who it will be physically impossible to travel we are going to have individual (or couple) dinners with when we return.
For me the main reason we are getting married in Vegas was because we didn't want the big at home wedding and if we just chucked a party to celebrate getting married it really wouldn't be any different to me than having the wedding at home (just minus the ceremony). 

LilMissScareAll

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_nevada-las-vegas_having-hometown-reception?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:91Discussion:9140aeb2-4da7-4e48-b927-f2a14ec68ddcPost:d12ec91b-ffd7-4ff2-bb91-396ae57bb605">Re: Are you having a hometown reception?</a>:
[QUOTE]The reason we chose Vegas was bc it was the mid point of my hometown (Texas) and his (NoCal). We figured that one side would have to travel and we wanted to make it more appealing for them to make the effort.
Posted by jccswl[/QUOTE]

This!
Except his family is in SoCal, Oregon & Puerto Rico and my family is in Chicago (mostly)  & across the entire midwest & east coast. No matter where we had it, almost everyone would have to travel.
We're having a big wedding (for Vegas) with 98 people and we're inviting everyone that we would want to be there no matter where we had it.
I personally don't like AHR, especially if their acting as a wedding redo. A casual party to celebrate, whatever, but re-wearing your dress, re-enacting all the "big" moments, I'm not a fan. Especially if your inviting people who "weren't good enough" to be invited to the actual wedding. I'd be a bit upset if I was a second-class friend.

ricekim

"For me the main reason we are getting married in Vegas was because we didn't want the big at home wedding and if we just chucked a party to celebrate getting married it really wouldn't be any different to me than having the wedding at home (just minus the ceremony)."

This exactly. 

Only Vegas for us. 

smokeybailey

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_nevada-las-vegas_having-hometown-reception?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:91Discussion:9140aeb2-4da7-4e48-b927-f2a14ec68ddcPost:71e4dd06-ca25-4868-9db5-acccb863659b">Re: Are you having a hometown reception?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Are you having a hometown reception? : This! Except his family is in SoCal, Oregon & Puerto Rico and my family is in Chicago (mostly)  & across the entire midwest & east coast. No matter where we had it, almost everyone would have to travel. We're having a big wedding (for Vegas) with 98 people and we're inviting everyone that we would want to be there no matter where we had it. I personally don't like AHR, especially if their acting as a wedding redo. <strong>A casual party to celebrate, whatever, but re-wearing your dress, re-enacting all the "big" moments, I'm not a fan. Especially if your inviting people who "weren't good enough" to be invited to the actual wedding. I'd be a bit upset if I was a second-class friend.</strong>
Posted by LilMissScareAll[/QUOTE]

Bee - eye - en - gee - oh