Very casual wedding advice

mandctaft · April 2013

We're doing our wedding at a lake that has a swimming area very close. We would love for people to bring their bathing suits if they want as well as their lawn chairs since their aren't going to be a lot of tables for eating at.

Should we put this on the invitation:
Reception immediately following
Please bring bathing suits and lawn chairs

Or just add a printed slip of paper with that information?

Also, can anyone tell me how to word noon on the invitation? Not 100% on the time yet but that's an option. Thanks!

emilyb213 · April 2013

Okay, there are a lot of things going on here, so I'm going to try and address them one at a time.

I'd skip the swimming thing completely. Even if your wedding is super casual, it's not the time or place for a swim party. Are there going to be kids present? Keeping an eye on kids in the water in a crowded, party atmosphere isn't easy, and people are going to want to socialize with friends/family members that they might not see all the time. Also, if there's any alcohol there, alcohol + encouraging people to go swimming is a liability issue waiting to happen. You can still have a fun party, but a wedding carries a certain amount of solemnity with it that just doesn't mix with a swim party.

As far as putting it on the invitiations to bring bathing suits- attire information does not belong on invitations. You can pass it along via word of mouth or on your wedding website.

The seating: As the hosts, it is the responsibility of your and your fiance to provide a chair/place to sit for every guest. No one should be bringing a chair with them because there isn't adequate seating. Because you haven't yet sent your invitations, you have time to find an alternate venue with a chair (and table spot) for every person. Even if it is a casual wedding, people are probably going to dress a little nicer than their everyday clothes, and from a guests' perspective, I'd be super peeved if I had to lug my own chair around, and not even have a table to set my plate and drink onto. What if some of your guests don't have the room in their vehicles to accommate chairs for their family? What if your guests don't have chairs that would be appropriate to bring to a park?

Lastly, you can word the time as "Twelve o'clock in the afternoon" on the invitations.

blueikaos · April 2013

Agreed with EVERYTHING Emily posted.

sssdee · April 2013

Emily is wise. Take her advice!

Focus on having your guests there for a wedding and not a pool party

blueikaos · April 2013

http://www.reactiongifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/what-no.gif

blueikaos · April 2013

Sorry, I just wanted to try out my first ever GIF post!

cadamus · April 2013

I agree with Emily.... Having swimming and drinking is a huge liability! If something were to happy it would be your guys fault because you encouraged it! And I would also be pissed if I had to bring my own seating because if I forgot it I would be S.O.L!

montanabounding · April 2013

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_june-2013-weddings_very-casual-wedding-advice?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Club%20BoardsForum:f30b0bfc-508d-415c-bf59-ab83e327da37Discussion:5a5b18e3-c4b5-4bfa-a3d5-bf5575a167bdPost:a3de277d-069c-4fc2-815c-e7021f04f4fe">Very casual wedding advice</a>:
[QUOTE]We're doing our wedding at a lake that has a swimming area very close. We would love for people to bring their bathing suits if they want as well as their lawn chairs since their aren't going to be a lot of tables for eating at. Should we put this on the invitation: Reception immediately following Please bring bathing suits and lawn chairs Or just add a printed slip of paper with that information? Also, can anyone tell me how to word noon on the invitation? Not 100% on the time yet but that's an option. Thanks!
Posted by mandctaft[/QUOTE]

<div>The other girls disagree with me heavily on this, from what I can tell, HOWEVER -</div><div>
</div><div>My parents did something similar about eight years ago - wedding ceremony under an archway on my grandparents' property, afterward all the kids ditched their dressy clothes and jumped in the pool (as we always did whenever we had a get-together at my grandparents' home). Family and close friends were invited. Some of the adults jumped in the pool. Others did not. I'm the oldest of my siblings, so I kept an eye on them, and as far as everyone else was concerned - well, that's the beauty of parenthood (I'm also a parent). If your child asks, "Mom, can I go swimming?" It's your choice to say yes or no, and your child is your responsibility. If I let my tiny human swim in a pool, it's my responsibility to stay with him and watch him, or go in the pool with him. I don't get to say, "Yeah, honey, go swimming!" and then ditch him there or get distracted. </div><div>
</div><div>For swimming - I'd say that it's best to leave it off the invite and maybe pass it around word-of-mouth. Depending on the lake situation, maybe you could look into hiring a lifeguard, so that safety issues are handled. </div><div>
</div><div>As far as seating - it's a good idea to get seating for everyone. Whether you have to rent some chairs and tables, or find some extra picnic tables - you should have seating for everyone. THAT BEING SAID: depending on your set-up (I'm picturing a bunch of people just hanging out by a lake post-ceremony), you might want to mention that word-of-mouth. I'd much rather know in advance and have our camp chairs in my car than be stuck on a folding metal chair or picnic bench for the duration of the party. (My camp chairs even have cupholders. They basically live in my car during the spring/summer.) When my parents got married, they rented round tables and folding metal chairs, but they weren't the most comfortable things.</div><div>
</div><div>I'm hoping that your ceremony, attire, invitations, guest list, etc are as casual as this reception/party will be. (My stepmother wore a simple white sundress. My sisters and I wore sundresses. Father and brother wore khaki shorts and button-downs.) </div><div>
</div><div>Not all weddings are equally fluffy. I'm one of the few June 2013 girls who is having something similar - ceremony (probably courthouse, possibly backyard JoP - LONG story) and a backyard party (either at my house or at MoH's). It's definitely a pain in the rear when everybody expects a traditional wedding ceremony and traditional wedding reception, and that's not who you are, and that's not what you're planning. (I actually told FI that I'd probably be manning a grill. He was horrified. "Not at your own wedding! We can have it catered!" Um... what's wrong with that, as long as everybody has a place to sit, everybody gets fed, and everybody gets some personal time and is thanked for attending? Lord.) </div><div>
</div><div>I don't recall the wording on my parents' invitation or whether they mentioned swimming or not. </div><div>
</div><div>I don't know if that helps any, but there's my (dissenting!) opinion.</div>

Very casual wedding advice

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