Hi! I've got an etiquette question. I'm planning a wedding in my hometown, and have so many family friends. I also have a large extended family and a 12-person bridal party, most of whom have spouses and children. On top of this, my fiance and I attend two different churches and are very close to both communities.
We want to celebrate with all of these people, but simply don't have the budget to feed everyone - or even afford a reception venue that would fit everyone. We're thinking it will be 200+ people, or even larger. The ceremony itself is most important part to us, and we want everyone to be there.
Our first solution to this was the idea of big ceremony + 2 separate receptions. It would start with a 1pm catholic ceremony, followed immediately by a cake & punch reception in a local park. Everyone would be invited to both these events.
Then, we'd have a smaller wedding dinner with just extended family, wedding party, and out-of-towners. We've been gifted a venue by a friend for this, and it holds 100 people max. Our current list is around 75.
This seemed like the simplest way to handle things, and no one would have to suffer through any "gaps." However, I've been reading more about the etiquette horrors of tiered weddings. It seems they're normal in some parts of the world, but really taboo in the U.S. The last thing I'd want to do is hurt anyone's feelings.
Any advice?
