Appropriate wording on invites...

Re: Appropriate wording on invites...

• ring_pop member

  

  October 2009 edited December 2011

  It's VERY tacky to invite people to the ceremony but not the reception. Even more so if you invite them to only the ceremony and the FREE part of the reception.When people are invited to a wedding - even only the ceremony - they will often want to get you a wedding gift. The reception is considered your thank you to the guests for coming to celebrate with you. So, if you invite people to the ceremony but not the reception, they can interpret it as a gift grab, like "You're good enough to come and get us a gift, but not good enough to have dinner on us." I know this may not be your intention, but this is how it could be perceived.DO NOT send out formal invitations to the ceremony only. If your friends ask about an invitation (which, in itself, is also in very poor taste), tell them that it's a very small wedding with only family. People should understand that a 25-guest wedding is indeed a very intimate wedding. All that being said, a church is public space, and if they happen to know when and where your wedding is, there's nothing stopping them from coming to the ceremony. So, if they really insist and ask you directly, you can tell them when/where the ceremony will be. But do not send any sort of invitation, or hint or imply anything about inviting them.

  
  
  Baby #2: Surprise BFP 9.19.12, EDD 5.24.13, natural m/c 10.19.13 at 9w
  

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• angelofmusic_613

  

  November 2009 edited December 2011

  Hi Joyce, I am in the middle of planning my second wedding, but to answer your question I will reference my first... When planning the wedding, I was living with my fiance and therefore did not ask for any help from our family to cover costs. We were on a limited budget so we decided that the bridal party and close family and friends would join us for dinner (about 40 people). There were some school friends and family friends that we wanted to include in our day, but just couldn't afford to feed everyone. We had a ceremony invitation printed and in the lower right hand corner included the information for the reception to be held later that evening. For the guests that were joining us for dinner, we had a separate smaller card with the dinner information. None of our guest made any fuss about this at all. Some skipped the church and came only to the evening reception. Some came for both the church and reception. But all in all, everyone had a good time and nobody felt left out. They understood that the dinner was a small gathering for immediate family and were more than happy to celebrate with us in the evening. Good luck, and best wishes for a beautiful day.

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