How to handle wedding reception invitations and wedding invitation wording for your big party
First you need to determine whether you need separate wedding reception invitations. If everyone who is invited to your wedding is also invited to the reception, then separate wedding reception invitations may not be necessary. Using traditional wedding invitation wording, you simply add something like this under the ceremony information:
and afterward at
Pine Knob Country Club
R.s.v.p.
Sixteen Maple Avenue
Anytown, Ohio 54321
Some cases where you may want to include separate wedding reception invitations are:
- The reception is being "sponsored" by someone different than the ceremony. Invitation wording will vary, similar to the main invitation.
- The ceremony is a smaller, private affair, followed by a larger reception. In this case, it may be easier to send only wedding reception invitations, and enclose a smaller ceremony card.
- Not everyone who is invited to the ceremony is invited to the reception (though whether this is good wedding etiquette is definitely a matter of debate).
Wedding reception invitations are only one of many possible enclosures in your wedding invitations
It is usually very important that you get an accurate count of responses to your wedding reception invitations. A separate RSVP enclosure, easy to mail, may make that easier. (These days you can also have people RSVP online!)
There are lots of other possible enclosures: At-home cards (with a new address for the bride and groom), pew cards (for special ceremony seating), within-the-ribbons cards (for seating in a reserved section), parking arrangement cards, directions or maps, accommodation cards (for a block of reserved rooms, for example), and more.