Invitation for post-wedding dinner reception

[piccolascimmia]

I''m getting married on the east coast in a pretty small ceremony, and unfortunately my parents won’t be able to attend due to illness. Also, since it’s a pretty small wedding, we didn’t invite any relatives beyond the first circle. My father has graciously offered to host/pay for a dinner on the west coast to include him and my mother, as well as those west-coast relatives and friends that aren’t able to be invited or attend the east coast ceremony. I''ve put the draft invitation verbiage below.

I''m planning the dinner, but dad''s paying and dictating the invitation list. Is it odd for me to put my email/phone for RSVPs? I''m doing that because I''m the one who needs to call the restaurant with the final count

I hadn’t realized how odd it looks to send these out before the wedding as well as with an RSVP date of a few days before the wedding (so I can provide the restaurant with a final count before I''m off to honeymoon). But I can''t imagine any other way to do it unless I ask someone else to manage it (which seems like asking a lot due to health and general busi-ness of close family in the vicinity of the Restaurant).

Suggestions for different verbiage to reflect the situation would be appreciated or point out any other etiquette gaffes that I''m about to ignorantly perpetrate.

Thanks all!

Mr and Mrs Piccolascimmia
have the honor of announcing
the marriage of their daughter

Piccolascimmia
to
Piccoloscimmio

on September 9, 2007

please join us for a dinner reception
on September 22, 2007
at seven o''clock in the evening

Restaurant
Street Address
City, State

RSVP by September 1st to
email address or (123)456-7890

 

[ladyciel]

Hmmm, I don''t know what etiquette faux pas may be made by sending the "announcement" before the actual wedding, but since it''s really coming in the form of an invitation for an event shortly thereafter I don''t see any way around it. The wording sounds great to me - it suggests that your parents are hosting, and I doubt anyone will worry about RSVPing to you. I''m sure they all know your parents'' health situation, and they may appreciate the excuse to call you and send their congratulations (and perhaps be nosy about the separation between wedding and reception if they haven''t heard already

).

 

[monarch64]

Pic, sorry to hear your folks won''t be able to attend. It''s so kind of your father to offer to pay for your dinner reception, though. I think your verbage looks fine, and I see no problem with including your email and # for RSVP purposes. Will you also send out wedding announcements? They''re different from invites but that way you can get the word out that you''re getting married so all the people in your life not included in the guest list for ceremony/reception can still send their best wishes (and possibly gifts, lol!)

 

[piccolascimmia]

Good, it seems I''m not committing any major faux pax...it was just so odd to type up the invite and have the rsvp date before the ''accounced'' wedding date on the invite.

I hadn''t really thought about sending out any announcements...who would I send them to, our B list that didn''t make the first invite cut? I guess it seems like announcing to them seems like a grab for a gift...but I also see it as a nice acnowledgement. I''ll have to think about that one...

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[Harleigh]

Date: 7/29/2007 11:16:54 AM
Author: piccolascimmia
Good, it seems I''m not committing any major faux pax...it was just so odd to type up the invite and have the rsvp date before the ''accounced'' wedding date on the invite.

I hadn''t really thought about sending out any announcements...who would I send them to, our B list that didn''t make the first invite cut? I guess it seems like announcing to them seems like a grab for a gift...but I also see it as a nice acnowledgement. I''ll have to think about that one...

Thanks for the feedback!

I am SOOO glad you brought this up! I guess I need to post my own thread, but I''ll respond as best I can here...we are going to do a small destination wedding on Maui at the end of July next year, which of course not many will be able to attend, then take a 1-week cruise to see the islands as our honeymoon.

We are then going to try to have a reception in my FI''s hometown the Saturday after we return, which will be the weekend before my new school year starts, but that alsomeans, much like you, all of the invites would need to be sent out and accounted for BEFORE we ever leave for Hawaii, which would put it at almost 3 weeks before the reception.

I found some great wedding announcement/reception invites online that announce your plans to marry, indicating where and when, and then they say something like, "Please join us in celebration of our marriage at a reception hosted by on this date, etc...

If you would like to see some samples of what I''m talking about, let me know and I''ll search through my "Wedding" file full of crap, I mean, stuff!