ideas?

Hello,

I think it will work if thats what you want.

I would porb do this on the front of the invitations:-

Wedding Invitation / Wedding Breakfast Invitation / Evening Invitation

x

We are doing this in a way, but we're not having three different parts. We're having the wedding day reserved for close friends and family and then having a bigger party at a later time when we can get everyone together. I'm not sure I would agree with three different parts to the day each having separate guests, it seems like it would work better just having day and then evening guests.

I know it's normally done in 2 parts but I don't really want to do the wedding ceremony in front of lots of people but my H2B want a proper wedding reception, we're trying to come to some kind of compromise.

I dont see why you couldnt have it that way. Are you planning on getting married at the same place as your reception or somewhere different? Just thinking of the logistics of it.

As someone else suggested I would word the invites wedding, wedding breakfast and evening/ reception. I htink all that is important is that where ever you are getting married you can get in to it without people invited to the breakfast seeing you.

We're having everything all at the same place, which makes it more difficult, if we we're gettingmarried at a registry office it would be easier to do.

We're having everyone (123) to ceremony and evening reception, and just close family and friends (55 total now) to the wedding breakfast and everyone else can amuse themselves for a couple of hours without us in the middle of the day.

It's quite normal to have a small intimate ceremony, the 'wedding breakfast' can be a meal for those people during the afternoon perhaps at a local restaurant, then the evening celebration is the "big party" for everyone.

Mostly it's cost. As much as we'd have loved to invite everyone to the whole day, it would have cost over £3000 extra to have everyone else for the wedding breakfast and we just don't have that sort of money spare.

We did invite evening guests saying they were invited to the evening celebrations started at 5.30pm, but if they wanted to join us for the ceremony at 1.30pm and amuse themselves for a couple of hours in the afternoon they were welcome to if they let us know - and apart from one couple (he works night shifts so he has an excuse) everyone else has said they'd like to come to the ceremony. However, that's balanced by one couple who are going on holiday that day who said they'd like to come to the ceremony but can't stay for the evening.

This is kind of what we are doing... family incl aunts and uncles and close friends to ceremony (only seats 65) then cousins and other friends to reception/meal (around 45 additional), then some more for evening (we both have large families)...

We have sent out three different invites. The whole day and evening only invites are straight forward enough as people are used to these... the reception/meal one I was more bothered about as it is more unusual.

In these invites we said that they are invited to wedding breakfast and reception to celebrate our marriage. The info sheet that we included said, "we would love to invite you to the ceremony but are unable to due to limited numbers at the registry office. We are looking forward to seeing you straight after after the ceremony for our reception" (or words to that effect).

I think in a way it is easier, at least you dont have to worry about transport. Personally, and feel free to ignore this, I would walk into the ceremony as normal and try to fill it out abit so that it is nearer 45mins rather than a quuickie. That way you can ask your breakfast guests to get there so that as you walk out of the ceremony they are there waiting for you, this way everyone is all together and you dont have to worry about people waiting around wanywhere. It may be possible that you can find a venure where you can get into the ceremony room with out walking past any over eager and early breakfast guests.

I think I need another visit to the venue to check things out again, I know the room they have the ceremony in they draw the blinds and do the ceremony by candlelight ( so not gonna have people noseying through the windows) but I'd hate to be walking in to get married and find to my surprise there are guests that have snuck in that weren't actually invited to the ceremony part.