So. My fiance and I are not wanting to have a big to do for our wedding. We'd love to have a small, low key affair, but still have it be dressy/fancy. Due to large families the traditional full dinner and reception is not feasible budget-wise, so we have come up with a creative idea.
We will be pretending to have a surprise 30th birthday cocktail party for me (the bride) in a friend's backyard 'planned' by my mom and fiance, then we'll spring the surprise on our guests. (When they are all waiting in the backyard to surprise ME, I will walk around the corner in a wedding dress. Haha.) Very few people will be informed of the surprise in advance - parents, grandparents and out-of-town guests. I really like this idea because I can still design/plan the things I want to design/plan, but no one will be asking me about anything because they think it's a surprise! Much less pressure overall to conform to everyone's opinions!
Anyway, what I am stuck on is how to word the invitation in a way that informs our guests of what is happening (low-key, but classy/dressed up cocktail party with appetizers and drinks...and a SURPRISE) and more specifically how to say "We really want you to dress up but you don't have to". If people want to wear jeans or whatever they want, I don't care (I don't want anyone to feel uncomfortable), but we, as a couple, really like dressing up, so we think it would be fun if people wore fancy cocktail attire.
Any and all suggestions are welcome! Thanks in advance!