Small registry office big party after

Hi, you may have a good excuse that you can use, which is depending on which of the Leicestershire register offices you are using then they have different size rooms to accommodate different amounts of people so you can just say "sorry but we are limited by the register office"

I went to a wedding reception some years back and it was the same thing. They did the ceremony at the registrars with close friends and family, then more people were invited to the wedding reception. I wasn’t offended and it made perfect sense for the couple to keep it small in the registry office. If anything I would mention on the invite, “please arrive by [insert time] to welcome us and our family from the wedding ceremony”. Or something along those lines, but really I don’t think anything needs to be said. Maybe just have the invites saying - wedding reception?

I think as long as you are clear about what people are being invited to, then it's fine. Some people may not be interested in coming if they don't actually get to see the wedding, but they can always decline. I think people would only be offended if they felt they had been misled. E.g. "Please come to celebrate our wedding..." and then they find out when they arrive that the marriage has already happened.

As @Ellen91 says, wording it as attending a 'wedding reception' and asking people to be present by a certain time to greet you on your return from the ceremony should make it clear enough that they won't be seeing the actual marriage take place.