[janellmarie]

It is a second wedding for both of us & we are having a civil ceremony at the court house on a Friday afternoon with only our 4 parents (who are all from out of state) as witnesses. We want to have an informal cookout type reception for the rest of our family & our local friends that can attend the next evening (Saturday) at a friend's residence. Do we send out invitations to all family & friends to be polite even if they most likely can not attend or just invite family & friends who live near by & send announcements to the rest? Do we need reception/response cards as well? Also, how would we word all this if the civil ceremony & reception are taking place a day apart and the reception is at a friend's residence? There is nothing out there that I can find as a reference. Any help is greatly appreciated! []

[the_admin]

Will you be inviting anyone to the ceremony other than your four witnesses?

[janellmarie]

No - just our parents will be there to witness the ceremony with us. That is what we both want & that is why we decided to have the reception the next day so we can enjoy the ceremony & evening with just our parents & the reception with family & close friends

[the_admin]

OK, so send invitations to everyone you want to be there with you; let them decide if they can make it or not. Anyone who is not invited should get a wedding announcement.

[the_admin]

You would send out reception only invitations since you're not really inviting anyone to the ceremony.

If you need to know how many people will be coming then you'll want to include reply cards or have some sort of RSVP included. Some couples have their own wedding website and have an online RSVP system. It's a pretty habdy and affordable tool.