dinner vs reception

Are you talking about having a tiered wedding?

I found this on the Seattle Times...

"Our opinion? It's a bad idea. Anyone invited to the wedding should be asked to attend both your ceremony and your reception in its entirety. By having a tiered reception, you're basically saying to certain guests, "You're not important enough for me to feed you. Just come hang out when the party's almost over."

Cue the hurt feelings.

If you're on a tight budget and have a circle of friends (work acquaintances, for example) you can't afford to invite to the reception, consider a small reception. Then, at a later date, plan a big party at a bar where everyone pays his or her own way. You'll still be able to celebrate with them, but in an open, honest, non-awkward forum."

If you must do it this way. Invite only your family and BFF to the ceremony and receptions. Don't call it a tiered reception call it an after party and have it in a different location. Invite only your friends, coworkers, and people you want to party with. That way it don't look as if they wasn't good enough to come to your wedding. It looks as if you are trying to get rid of the old folks to really party.

I have no clue what you are talking about, sorry.

Just out of curiosity, what is a grand march?

When you go to dinner, you don't order prime rib if all you can afford is the pasta.

Don't invite people that you can't afford to have at the reception. Dinner is only 1 part of the reception.

Your post is really confusing, I have no idea what a "grand march" is.

If it we're me I would pissed if I was told to show up at the venue later only to realize that a bunch of guests we're already there and have been fed. I suggest going out to a restaurant to eat and then maybe renting a small hall or going to a bar for an "after party".

OR cut down your guest list.

Google:

The Grand March:

The concept of the Grand March started in the Midwest. As a large majority of wedding guests were from the farming community, many were unable to attend a wedding until after dinner. The dance portion of the evening really became the time to introduce your wedding party to your guests, generally taking place 60-90 minutes into the dance. The Grand March idea has now spread much farther than the Midwest. With today’s economy many couples are choosing to invite a select number of people for the ceremony and dinner and asking others to just attend the reception. Having a Grand March then introduces your wedding party to all the newly arrived guests.

Now the Grand March has evolved into a musical, costume wearing, dancing, Tunnel of Love event. It gives your wedding guests a chance to take a break from all that dancing and get them excited for the events that usually follow the Grand March, such as, the bouquet and garter toss.

In talking with our couples, the overwhelming reason given by those that choose not to do a Grand March is that they do not want to interrupt or take their guests away from dancing.

The Grand Entrance:

The Grand Entrance is generally a much more formal event. The wedding party is gathered somewhere outside of the reception hall as guests are being seated for dinner. Then the DJ introduces each couple while a fun and lighthearted song plays in the background. You can choose to use just first names, or first and last, or some choose to include who these people are ie: Cousin of the bride or Friend of the couple. No dance floor for this intro, the couples weave their way through the dinner tables to take their place at the front of the room. With all of guests focusing on the wedding party and the newly married couple; the couple can take this opportunity to cut their cake and maybe even have their first dance. Be aware, however, that at this point your guests are hungry and the staff is patiently waiting to serve dinner. Keep your entrance contained to a quick and easy production so that everyone can relax and enjoy themselves, including the happy couple!

Whichever you choose, make it your own; make it a reflection of who you are

Long story short... Don't do a tiered wedding. It's tacky.