Earn cash as you plan. Get a $20 gift card for every 200 points with The Knot Rewards
Wedding Vows & Ceremony Discussions
Options
Celebration of Love
My husband and I got eloped and never did a wedding. We understand that it would not make sense to have one, now that we are married. However, we would still like to have a sort of celebration for our marriage. (We had to go without the wedding due to certain situations that will be left unsaid.) Neither of our families were there with us, we had two people for our witnesses and that is it. We want to do something small so we can not only celebrate us getting married, but also have our families together as they would be in an actual wedding.
We thought of doing a pot luck type of thing. The attire would be Sunday best, so there isn't a huge wedding gown, or the maids or grooms men.
We will have music and a couples dance with some karaoke. A "Battle of the sex's" sort of game "Family Bingo." We are thinking of doing a toast with speeches but haven't made our mind up on that yet.
Is there anything else we should do? I want it to last a good amount of time. How should we word the invitations? Any ideas? Thoughts? Please help us!! (NO NEGATIVITY PLEASE. I see a lot of people bashing others for getting eloped and not having a wedding till later on. REMEMBER THIS IS NOT A WEDDING!)
Also, not many people knew of us getting married some of them are a little hurt that we didn't tell them about it until after wards.
We thought of doing a pot luck type of thing. The attire would be Sunday best, so there isn't a huge wedding gown, or the maids or grooms men.
We will have music and a couples dance with some karaoke. A "Battle of the sex's" sort of game "Family Bingo." We are thinking of doing a toast with speeches but haven't made our mind up on that yet.
Is there anything else we should do? I want it to last a good amount of time. How should we word the invitations? Any ideas? Thoughts? Please help us!! (NO NEGATIVITY PLEASE. I see a lot of people bashing others for getting eloped and not having a wedding till later on. REMEMBER THIS IS NOT A WEDDING!)
Also, not many people knew of us getting married some of them are a little hurt that we didn't tell them about it until after wards.
Re: Celebration of Love
You can have a party anytime you wish. You can invite whomever you wish. Potluck parties are for churches and club meetings. You should host your party by yourself, and furnish the food, drink, music, and venue yourself. This party will not be any part of your wedding. That ship sailed when you got married.
You are correct about no ceremony, no wedding dress, no attendants. This is not a wedding. However, there is nothing to stop you from having a lovely party with food, drink, music and dancing. Just don't try to turn it into a wedding.
You must furnish all refreshments. If you do not, you will come off as being cheap and NOT hosting your party properly. Seriously! Pot luck is NOT appropriate for celebrations like this one.
Nothing wrong with picnic food, tacos, pizza, or pasta, though. It doesn't have to be expensive. No wedding traditions like bouquet tossing, cake cutting and feeding ceremonies. This is not your wedding reception.
Have a great time partying with your friends and family. It sounds like fun!
PS. It is considered rude on the Knot to tell people how to post. Unless you are actually having a PPD, and it doesn't sound like this is what you are planning, that comment was unnecessary.
congrats!
Ditto PPs on the food. Guests shouldn't have to bring food for your party. There's nothing wrong with pizza, tacos, deli trays, etc. Host what you can afford! Just makes sure there's a seat for everyone & plenty of food and beverages (doesn't have to be alcohol if you don't want).
CMG's wording for the invites is good. If there are guests who may be surprised you got married or hurt they weren't invited, it may be a good idea to call them before you send invites and tell them yourself.
I do think you need to choose a vibe or feel for the party though. If you want Sunday best, you could have dancing & karaoke, but if you want things to be more casual, you could include lawn games, etc. PLEASE don't specify a dress code, that's always rude (unless the event is truly black tie or the venue has a dress code or it's something like wearing a costume to a Halloween party). I wouldn't give formal speeches, but allow a little time as family may want to make short toasts. A welcome "thanks for coming everyone" by the two of you would also be fine.
Where are you having your party? How many hours were you wanting to fill? And what time of day? That will dictate a lot of your options too.