Ceremony but no reception?

Literally didn't even know people contemplated this.

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I'm having a major case of deja vu!

Why don't you want to have a reception? If you hate parties, you should have a private ceremony, as the reception is a thank you for your guests wishing you well and witnessing your marriage. If you are afraid you can't afford it, forgo or push back your honeymoon. That is what my FH and I are doing. We get to celebrate with and thank our guests with a beautiful kick-ass party, then 6 months later we will get to go on our honeymoon.

It's only okay to do this kind of a wedding if you're playing Brad or Janet in a stage production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Everyone at their wedding was quite content to sit through a church ceremony and then wait on the front steps to throw rice on the newlyweds as they ran to their get-away car (with the cliched "Just Married" sign and can attached to the rear bumper) and then disperse.

In real life? No. It's just a horrible idea. It doesn't have to big elegant, but there has to be something offered in the way of refreshment and the opportunity to socialize (but if you do that, don't stretch it out for four hours. An hour and a half is more than enough time for the dessert/punch reception in the church basement).

Centerpiece nails it as usual

I dont mind no reception, receptions can drag and take up your whole night....just make sure your guests are aware and keep the attendance small. as for your fiance not being excited, honestly when was the last time you saw a man get all excited over picking out colors and flowers seriously. hell its boring as a woman

Since everyone has already answered the reception question, I will address the other one. we are planning a wedding in under a year. FH agreed to the date, then seemed completely shocked/overwhelmed when i jumped into the planning right away, the same week we got engaged. Once it sunk in, he started having fun. Hes not really a planner- it sounds like yours isnt either. I wait until the day before or day of to tell him if we have a vendor meeting or something...its easier for him to stomach that than to be bombarded with 12 appointments in the next two weeks all at once. I also have him on a need-to-know basis, at his request. He asks questions when he wants to know a detail, I have 10,000 lists for everything. so far this arrangement is working for us. good luck!

The part that really makes this a doozy is that you expect your guests to attend a ceremony, then jet off to your honeymoon without so much as a "thank you" slice of cake. If you can afford a honeymoon, you can afford at a bare minimum, cake and punch.

I've been on here well over a 18 months and I've never seen " wedding with no reception" posts....what is it about today?

People don't want to see you married that badly they they will travel, take off work, and buy a gift for a half hour ceremony.

We are having our ceremony in a different state and close family friends who are able to attend will be there and we are having a we are married party later on in the summer. But we are still having a party with friends and family. If our ceremony was held where everyone can go then we would have the reception right after. It's very rude to have a ceremony and not a reception if your inviting everyone to the ceremony.

What Uber Dami said

Not everyone likes wedding receptions, and you can have a reception of just Cake and a toast (we had other drinks available as well) as long it's not over a meal time and not so long that people will starve. I had a cake and toast reception after a small ceremony and I loved it Some people really do just come to see the bride walk down the aisle- that's my favorite part!

A few months after I had my wedding I attended a ceremony only wedding in the same chapel and there were about 130 people there all very excited to share in the day.

As for your groom thinking that you can wait until spring to plan, forget it and find someone else to help you plan. Mine got into planning about a month before the wedding day. Just figure out a few things he can help with last minute, mine was a great help with that!

My groom didn't even see the venue in person until 8 months into planning. I showed him pictures on line, he liked it and had been to the church before, just not in the actual chapel. The day I went in to book it, I just took a video and showed it to him when I got home. Chapel was better than we had either expected, all was good

You have to go one way or another-- invite no one but your officiant-- that's eloping, or have some sort of reception-- and that's a small wedding. Saying, "Come spend your time watching us get married, but we won't even give you a cupcake!" is just odd.

Omg. Go away.

Oh my god, CP referenced Rocky! Centerpiece, I adore you to bits!!

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I love weddings, but even I wouldn't go to one as a guest just to go to one.

Well, unless it was Brad and Janet....lets' do the time warp again...