Reception only invitation wording

"X and X will be united in marriage on ___. Please join us for a celebration of their marriage on ___"

Something along those lines.

Here are a few ideas!

You're having trouble writing it out because it's rude to do this. Everyone invited to either the ceremony or the reception should be invited to both events.

"Sorry Grandma/Friend/Coworker, you aren't special enough to actually witness our marriage ceremony. However, you can come to our party! Make sure you bring a gift though!"

It's not rude if the ceremony is really small, like immediate family only.

I like the PP's suggestions!

Vicki, it is not rude if you are having an extremely intimate ceremony i.e. immediate family only and OP said she was having a private ceremony

OP, Karie's suggestions are perfect. They aren't pretending it is a wedding and make it clear that you are celebrating a reception only.

Pinterest has some great ideas for this

Generally speaking, tiered weddings are rude.

*However*, if you have a private ceremony (read: just parents, siblings, and a friend or two) it is acceptable to have a big reception following.

FMM and Karie have good suggestions.

Well we don't know how big or small the ceremony is. OP just said it's "private"

Private is subjective; a couple of days ago someone posted about having a private intimate ceremony and it was 50 people. The other 200 were only included for the reception.

So it depends on your definition of private OP

For clarification, my FH and I are eloping in CANCUN and for legal purposes we are having a private ceremony with just the parents and siblings (on his mother's back patio). That's why we are having a BIG 150 people reception.

Thank you for the help with wording, greatly appreciated!

No, I'm having a symbolic ceremony in Cancun just the two of us. However to get married legally in the U.S. we have to either go to the Justice of the Peace or a private ceremony. I'm choosing his mothers back patio with just the parents and siblings in attendance (at his mother request). I just wanted to elope and then have a reception.

So it is in Cancun....?

So you are going to Cancun to elope and get "married" but you aren't actually getting married? Why?

Wow Jolane. You sound like a peach. At least I would never dream of not inviting my soon to be step children to their father's wedding but allow mine to come...

Cancun will also our honeymoon....we will be married first at his mothers house a few days prior to leaving for Cancan. Since the legal purposes to get married in Mexico are extensive and long we decided to just get married here first and then have the ceremony I originally wanted, symbolic or not.

I didn't realize I'd have to defend my wedding choices, just to get some wording advice on invites. Thanks to all who actually helped.

We don't have children....not sure how that came in to play..

It's only rude to go the opposite way. Invite to ceremony but not reception.

I like the " please join the newly weds..."

They were talking to me because I posted a comment thread about budgeting and cutting out my future husband's kids at the reception ONLY who are 5 to 10 years younger than my kids who will be 15-16 at the wedding... That's why I said ignore the chatter, because some seem to do that JUDGEMENTAL stuff when looking for ADVICE.

So what all is included in the "symbolic" ceremony? As I understand it is occurring before the legal ceremony. Are you having the wedding and the reception on the same day?

Https://www.invitationsbydawn.com/content/reception-only-invitation-wording/

Mrs.KatieK - the legal ceremony will happen 9/2/17, then we fly to Cancun (9/4-10) for our honeymoon and while we are there we will have a "symbolic" ceremony (the same as a regular ceremony just not legal in the U.S.) The reception will be 9/23/17.

Try something along the lines of:

You are invited to attend a Reception to honour the newly married Jean and John Smith

At the "Location Name", 100 Main Street New York, New York on "Day of Week, MM DD, YYYY from 6:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.