I'm getting married in a very small, immediate-family-only ceremony in my backyard in early June. We'll be having a "reception" afterward that's really just going out to eat at a local restaurant. Because my elderly grandmother isn't able to travel to the wedding, my FH and I are traveling to IL, where my grandmother lives, in late June and are going to host a casual celebratory party (using a sports bar banquet room) on a Sunday. My dad is from IL, so he has a lot of friends and family who live out there, many of whom we'll invite to this casual party. It will probably be around 40-50 people. We'll be providing lunch and a ~$400 bar tab, and probably cake (although it won't be a formal wedding cake). However, it's NOT a reception, as our reception will have already occurred in our home state after our wedding ceremony.
Because it's an informal event and it's not a wedding reception, I'm really struggling with how to word the invitations. My primary objective is for people to NOT give us gifts, but I understand it's not proper etiquette to actually say "no gifts" in an invitation. I just want people to understand that it's an informal celebration occurring after the wedding and reception, so that we can celebrate with out-of-town folks. We just want people to come eat, hang out, and meet my FH. I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who has been through a similar situation, or ideas from anyone on how to word our invitations. Thank you!
