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Julie
Savvy July 2019

Invite Wording

Julie, on June 25, 2014 at 7:33 AM Posted in Etiquette and Advice 0 5

I'm getting ready to order my invitations and I just had a last moment of panic.

So our ceremony is at 1:30 and since our reception will fall between meals we're only doing fruit and veggie trays and then deli sandwiches with tea, water, maybe a hot cocoa bar (it will be December after all!) and that sort of thing. Oh and a cake! But we're not having alcohol.

How in the world do I indicate the reception on the invitation?

Cocktail reception to follow?

Light refreshments to follow?

Or just put "reception to follow" and let it go by word of mouth about the food?

5 Comments

Latest activity by Rachel DellaPorte, on June 25, 2014 at 7:54 AM
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    VIP May 2015
    FutureMrs.B ·
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    I would definitely call it a "Light Fare" reception. People would like to know for sure that there is no formal meal. You might get a few calls or questions and you can go into further explanation. Or add a section to your website.

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  • KarenM
    Master November 2014
    KarenM ·
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    I like "light refreshments to follow". That would indicate to me that it's just snacks and no alcohol.

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  • Rachel DellaPorte
    Rachel DellaPorte ·
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    If you're not serving alcohol/cocktails, don't use "cocktail reception". Your guests will arrive looking for some type of alcoholic beverage. "Reception to Follow", even if it spans the standard hours between lunch and dinner, will still have your guests expecting a plated meal or a standard buffet.

    In your case, I'd print your ceremony information and add "Appetizer Reception to Follow". This would tell me that there was no guarantee of alcohol and no full meal. I would realize that the reception food would consist of trays of small finger foods (passed or self-serve). Just curious...what are the hours of your reception?

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  • Julie
    Savvy July 2019
    Julie ·
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    Reception starts at 2 and at 5 everyone is leaving. It's a family only wedding so I imagine there will be a lot of the smaller families going out for dinner on their way home (we have a lot of family flying in)

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  • Rachel DellaPorte
    Rachel DellaPorte ·
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    I was hoping you were going to say 5:00. The deli sandwiches should tide everyone over until the reception ends.

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