Wedding Vows & Ceremony Discussions

Just Family For The Ceremony?

I'm getting married at the end of June, and try as we might, we CANNOT find a ceremony location. We have pretty much everything lined up, so changing the date is out of the question. What do you guys think of having an outdoor ceremony with just the bridal party and parents, while having the rest of the guests invited to the reception? That way, we could have the outdoor ceremony almost anywhere, instead of finding a place for 140 people. Would the out-of-town guests be annoyed for travelling just for a reception?

Re: Just Family For The Ceremony?

  • have you looked at gardens or parks in your area? or are they fully booked for your date?
  • You can't have a reception for a wedding you haven't invited those guests to.  Could you have your wedding AT the reception venue?  Lots of people do just that.
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_ceremony-ideas_just-family-for-the-ceremony?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:10Discussion:5a9d28b1-0404-4433-8c3e-788d34ee741cPost:77cb2974-a500-47ff-85e5-693eb72b34dd">Re: Just Family For The Ceremony?</a>:
    [QUOTE]<strong>You can't have a reception for a wedding you haven't invited those guests to.</strong>  Could you have your wedding AT the reception venue?  Lots of people do just that.
    Posted by mlg78[/QUOTE]

    Yes you absolutely can.  What you cannot do is invite someone to the ceremony and not invite them to the reception.

    OP - You can do a private family only ceremony.  I would honestly look into doing it at the venue for the reception though.  I've seen weddings in parks, at restaurants, at country clubs....they really can take place anywhere.
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  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_ceremony-ideas_just-family-for-the-ceremony?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:10Discussion:5a9d28b1-0404-4433-8c3e-788d34ee741cPost:77cb2974-a500-47ff-85e5-693eb72b34dd">Re: Just Family For The Ceremony?</a>:
    [QUOTE]You can't have a reception for a wedding you haven't invited those guests to.  .
    Posted by mlg78[/QUOTE]



    She can if it is as private as she described.
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  • OP - what will you do if it is raining on your wedding day?  Why not just get married at your reception venue?
  • Why not just have the ceremony at your reception venue?

    You don't need extra seats, just have everyone sit at their tables.
  • I'm like you!  I'm having a family only (all the way to first cousins) wedding and a reception for everyone.  It's all at the same place, but the garden is much smaller than the reception area.

      It may annoy some out-of-town guests, but guess what... It's your day! Enjoy it!  Don't be stressed!
  • Have your ceremony on the dance floor!
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  • Having the ceremony at the reception hall is kind of our back up plan, but I would rather not if we don't have to. It's nice enough for a reception, what with dim setting and lots of candles and white lights. But it has no windows, so to have the ceremony there would seem a little dreary. We are currently looking for a garden or park for a small reception, with the hall as our back up plan in case we can't find anything or the weather turns bad.

    Thank you all for your input! It helped :)
  • Can't you decorate the reception hall in some way for the ceremony?
  • You can absolutely have a more intimate ceremony with just family and still have a reception, but I also like the idea of having the ceremony and reception at the 'venue. That's what I'm doing! It's much more convenient for out-of-town guests and less stress in my opinion.
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_ceremony-ideas_just-family-for-the-ceremony?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:10Discussion:5a9d28b1-0404-4433-8c3e-788d34ee741cPost:6cf1df6e-7c9a-466d-a8c4-885dfe06191a">Re: Just Family For The Ceremony?</a>:
    [QUOTE]I'm like you!  I'm having a family only (all the way to first cousins) wedding and a reception for everyone.  It's all at the same place, but the garden is much smaller than the reception area.   It may annoy some out-of-town guests, but guess what... It's your day! Enjoy it!  Don't be stressed!
    Posted by gafoster[/QUOTE]



    Why would that annoy your guests? Ceremony and reception at the same place is about as convenient as it gets. As long as you provide seats for everyone, I'm sure your guests would love it.
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  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_ceremony-ideas_just-family-for-the-ceremony?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:10Discussion:5a9d28b1-0404-4433-8c3e-788d34ee741cPost:6cf1df6e-7c9a-466d-a8c4-885dfe06191a">Re: Just Family For The Ceremony?</a>:
    [QUOTE]I'm like you!  I'm having a family only (all the way to first cousins) wedding and a reception for everyone.  It's all at the same place, but the garden is much smaller than the reception area.   It may annoy some out-of-town guests, but guess what... It's your day! Enjoy it!  Don't be stressed!
    Posted by gafoster[/QUOTE]

    It's not just your day once you start inviting the first guest. Then you and your FI become hosts and your guests' enjoyment and comfort become primary.
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