If you and your fiancé are among the estimated 2 million U.S. couples who plan to get married this year, you’ll want to begin planning as soon as possible. To say planning a wedding is time-consuming would be an understatement. Couples must negotiate deals with service providers, find a venue, hire entertainment, send invitations to guests, and more. But many couples are now opting for reception-only wedding invitations — a trend that we’re going to discuss in today’s blog post.
The Scoop on Reception-Only Wedding Invitations
Reception-only wedding invitations are exactly what they sound like: invitations to only the reception and not the ceremony. Guests are normally invited to both the reception and ceremony, but this isn’t the case with reception-only invitations.
Telling guests that they cannot attend your wedding ceremony may sound a little harsh. After all, most people “expect” to be invited to both the ceremony and reception, but there’s a good reason for using reception-only invitations. Many couples are now opting for destination weddings instead of traditional local weddings, so instead of trying to fly all of their friends and family members to some far-away venue, they’ll plan a reception back in their home town. After they’ve exchanged vows and have been officially been wed, they’ll either stay and enjoy the honeymoon or head back home for the reception. This allows couples to get married at a destination of their choosing while still enjoying a traditional wedding reception with all of their friends and family.
Couples may also use reception-only invitations when planning a small ceremony. If you want to get married with just your fiance and the officiant present, you can plan a small, intimate ceremony while planning a traditional reception for a later date.
What to Include in Reception-Only Invitations
There’s really no “set” format to follow when creating reception-only invitations, as it’s a relatively new trend that has just recently gained popularity. However, a typical reception-only invitation may say something along the lines of:
We would be honored if you could us for a reception to celebrate the marriage of Charles and Jill Thomas Saturday, February 1st at eight o’clock at the University Club Atop Symphony Towers.
Of course, you’ll want to change the wording to reflect you and your fiancé’s names, as well as the correct date, time and venue of the wedding, but you get the idea. Just remember to emphasize the word “Reception” so guests will know what to expect.