So my husband and I were married April 16 and it was extremely small and intimate (just our best friends at the top of a mountain in Alaska). It was absolutely perfect, but we'd like to throw a reception in July to include all of our family members and friends that weren't invited to the ceremony.
I was just curious if anyone on the boards has done something like this and has some advice? I have the theme/venue chosen and guest list written but I'm wondering if there's a polite way to say something along the lines of "Oh hey I'm married! Really sorry we couldn't have you at the wedding but we'd love for you to come celebrate with us!" and to make the guests feel like they're just as much a part of our new life as everyone that was at the ceremony.
Thanks for the help ahead of time!
Re: Reception months after the wedding
Why can't you just have a party to celebrate your marriage without all the frills of a reception? If I received a reception invite to wedding than happened months prior I would assume the couple were just looking for gifts and I would decline the invite.
[QUOTE]I just don't get this. As I said in another thread, it's like having a birthday party 5 months after your birthday. Like dude...the event is over, why are you throwing a party for it NOW?
Posted by courtney1188[/QUOTE]
THIS!
Unfortunately some people are going to miss your wedding, and when you make choices that will deter a large portion of your guest list from attending or that excludes them entirely, than you just have to deal with the fact that they can't come and won't be there.
You don't get to keep throwing parties just to "give everyone a chance to celebrate". If they wanted to celebrate that bad, they would throw you a party themselves.
I'm not saying that you can't throw a nice party just because and invite all the people you wanted at your wedding, however you missed your chance to have a reception.
RSVP Date: July 23
In your case, the consequence is that you didn't get the "traditional" or "Wedding Industry Wedding". I personally find it somewhat distasteful to purposely have a tiny wedding that people aren't invited to, but then have a big party because you still want that aspect of the wedding.
If I really cared about celebrating with family/friends, I would have made a point of having a ceremony that they could attend.
Sorry, I have no advice for you other than to have a 4th of July picnic for your family. Just don't relate it AT ALL to your wedding. Because it won't be about your wedding at all.
Your wedding is over. You don't get to drag wedding "stuff" on for months and months and months and months.
But good luck to you.
[QUOTE]So my husband and I were married April 16 and it was extremely small and intimate (just our best friends at the top of a mountain in Alaska). It was absolutely perfect, but we'd like to throw a reception in July to include all of our family members and friends that weren't invited to the ceremony. I was just curious if anyone on the boards has done something like this and has some advice? I have the theme/venue chosen and guest list written but I'm wondering if there's a polite way to say something along the lines of "Oh hey I'm married! Really sorry we couldn't have you at the wedding but we'd love for you to come celebrate with us!" and to make the guests feel like they're just as much a part of our new life as everyone that was at the ceremony. Thanks for the help ahead of time!
Posted by amandolynne[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]BTW -- just because you are doing it, does not make it fine.
Posted by cfaszews25[/QUOTE]
Hmm... I find this interesting considering that is the mindset of everyone posting here really. They're responding with their traditions and what they think is fine.
Oddly enough, this wasn't a post on if it's proper to throw a "reception" or not, since I know several couples that have destination weddings that (months later) have a reception for those that weren't actually invited out to, oh say, Costa Rica. They also have 2 receptions, sometimes in different states. I also know plenty of other military couples that have a court house wedding and then later another ceremony for the family/friends that weren't invited. We will be having a "party" that will be much like a reception, but sorry, it will be because we got married and we would like to celebrate that with everyone. I'll just look for advice elsewhere.
My fiance and I are doing somthing very similar. We are having a destination wedding with immediate family and a reception to celebrate when we return. We are having it more of a party than a traditional wedding reception. It will be heavy apps and drinks. The invitations will be very informal asking everyone to come and celebrate. I have never heard of this practice being innapropriate. Good luck!
[QUOTE]So my husband and I were married April 16 and it was extremely small and intimate (just our best friends at the top of a mountain in Alaska). It was absolutely perfect, but we'd like to throw a reception in July to include all of our family members and friends that weren't invited to the ceremony. I was just curious if anyone on the boards has done something like this and has some advice? I have the theme/venue chosen and guest list written but I'm wondering if there's a polite way to say something along the lines of <strong>"Oh hey I'm married! Really sorry we couldn't have you at the wedding but we'd love for you to come celebrate with us!</strong>" and to make the guests feel like they're just as much a part of our new life as everyone that was at the ceremony. Thanks for the help ahead of time!
Posted by amandolynne[/QUOTE]<div> You didn't invite them to your wedding. You shouldn't apologize. You and your husband decided to have an intimate wedding, which is fine. </div>
It sounds like you're just trying to figure out a way to word the invitation, you could always set it up more like a wedding announcement with a picture of you guys from the ceremony saying something like, "On April 19th John and Jane exchanged marriage vows on top of blah blah mountain in Alaska." And then below that include invitiation wording for a "Celebratory Cocktail Party with Mr and Mrs Smith" or whatever. Good luck!
Hope this helps! Do what will make you happy. You don't want to do what strangers are telling you is their version of PC and then later wish you would have followed your heart.
i don't know if this site might help but it's worth a shot: http://apracticalwedding.com/2013/05/post-elopement-reception/
good luck with your plans - do what you want to do, it's your party.