Ideas for a wedding reception at home after a destination wedding?
Thinking about throwing a reception after our destination wedding. What is customary for these? Food? Does the bride wear wedding dress to this? Cake?
Image taken on 2010-01-30 11:17:39 by Brian U.
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me and my fiance decided to elope (to save that 20,000+ and spend it on..US) we also decided to have a HUGE get together at our house a few days after we get back from the elopement..it’s gonna happen this fall so we are planning a picnic style with hotdogs, hamburgers, the whole theme…games for kids…i can’t wait…
You’re planning this at home? I wouldn’t wear a giant wedding dress or anything, but I’d definitely wear white (check out jCrew wedding dresses- very casual and perfect for something like this!) You should serve food, but you can get out of serving a big meal by making it “open house” style- about 6-8 hours long, through the day so that people can drop in whenever they want! You’ll want to serve hors d’oeuvres and drinks, at least.
If you do a dinner party, cake and dancing would be appropriate, but not so much for a cocktail/ open house style.
Anything goes. You can make as casual or semi-casual as you wish. Obviously, it would seem out of place to wear a formal wedding gown in your own home- unless you have the intention of making this event a black tie affair. What you decide to wear whether it be the wedding gown, a cocktail dress, or jeans and tee shirt should reflect the formality of your reception. I think in most cases, a nice Sunday dress would be appropriate.
Things to consider:
- invitations (e-mail? written? phone calls? *mention dress code)
- guest list (who? how many? will there be any children? any activities for the children? no children?)
- food ( will a friend cook? will you buy from a caterer?)
- alcohol (margarita machine? beer well? liquor bar? wine(s)? who will serve cocktails? what kind of cocktails?)
- cake ( do you WANT a cake or a dessert layout? from a bakery or the grocery store? what kind of desserts?)
- seating (will you have enough seating for your guests? indoors or outdoors?)
- music ( musicians? stereo? dj?)
- videography/photography (will someone take pictures and record? do you want to distribute disposable cameras for your guests to take snapshots? will a friend record and edit a video for you? )
- guest book- might be a good idea
- display framed photos from your destination wedding
- parking accommodations in a residential area
- noise tolerance by neighbors (time of day becomes of importance. you may want to give your neighbors a heads up on your upcoming event)
- decor (tent rental? flowers? streamers? candles? lighting? balloons? centerpieces? banners? signs?)
You can only have A RECEPTION on the day you are married, a reception always follows the ceremony. You can have A PARTY or A CELEBRATION in honor of your recent nuptials BUT you cannot have A RECEPTION.
This party or celebration can be as simple or as elaborate as you wish. You can have a picnic on the beach or a formal sit down dinner in a banquet room at a hotel. The Bride can wear the gown she was married in or she can wear something appropriate for the setting (casual or formal). You can order a small wedding cake for cutting and photographs but you also include other desserts (pies or ice cream or pastries).
You should not mention anything about gifts. When guests are not invited to a wedding they are very suspicious of why they are being invited to a party afterwards. If you have any gift preferences it should only be mentioned “by word of mouth” through your parents or wedding party attendants.
And here’s what you don’t want to do . . The Bride and Groom were married by a Justice of the Peace in the backyard of a friend who lived in another state (they called it a destination wedding). They gave themselves “a wedding reception” a month later because they did not receive any wedding gifts. The Bride bought a wedding gown at a used clothing store and the Groom wore bib overalls (it looked ridiculous). The Bride and Groom could not afford to serve a meal so the guests were given a cupcake and a glass of punch. There was no music nor entertainment nor decorations. The guests felt “used and abused.”
Answered by: A Certified wedding specialist / A Professional bridal consultant / A Wedding ceremony officiant