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I need some advice! Please!

maegan_nmaegan_n
in Offbeat Weddings
My fiance and I have planned to get married with about 23 guests.  It includes our immediate family members and our closest friends on the beach at a gorgeous but expensive site in CT.  We are having a small dinner after our ceremony and then leaving the following day for our honeymoon and coming home to have a party at our house about 2 weeks later.  We want to plan the party with a tropical/beach theme but need some ideas with food and decorations.  I also want to make save the dates for the big party where all of our other family members and other friends will be invited to but I don't know what to call it.  It would be like our reception but I can't call it that seeing as these members won't be involved in the ceremony.  Does anyone have ideas or thoughts that could help us.  We wanted the huge celebration but we didn't want to spend 75-125 dollars a person to be apart of it, we figured this is the next best thing.  Let me know what you think!
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Re: I need some advice! Please!

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    IslandBeachBrideIslandBeachBride member
    First Comment
    Why don't you call it an "Open House"!   I'm having a private beach cermony and 3 weeks later doing an "open house" with some traditional reception stuff thrown in. For starters I rented a venue, I'm doing table linens, food - but  I"m not doing a dinner; a heavy apps menu.  (because it's not a reception and I expect people to come & go I'm not doing a full meal, I did state on the open house announcement that it would be an apps menu so they don't expect dinner).  I'm having the wedding cake, beverages, guest book.  I'm draping the food tables in cheescloth rather than traditional linens - gives it the beachy look and beachy stuff for centerpieces. 
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    GrauGrau member
    First Comment
    If I read this right, you are having a really private ceremony, and than a party/reception later?

    I would honestly just call the party/reception a reception. As long as you are honest with your guests, I don't see an issue. Perhaps even use word of mouth to make sure that everyone knows that by the time of the party, you would have already have been married for so many weeks.
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    kgettingmarriedkgettingmarried member
    First Comment
    I would err on the side of not calling it a reception - as a guest I would assume there was a ceremony invite accompanying, or that it was at least going to be directly after the ceremony.

    I may do the same thing at our home a few weeks after the wedding, if I do I'm just going to call it a housewarming party.
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    uneek1323uneek1323 member
    First Anniversary First Comment Combo Breaker
    When a bride and groom get married in a private ceremony and then have a reception later, some call it an At Home Recpetion. You may see it on TK referred to as AHR. Check out the desition wedding board for more on this. As long as you are upfront with your guests about what you are doing, it is perfectly acceptable.
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