Late Receptions

Wedding receptions take place on the day of the wedding. Any reception occurring after that date is not properly referred to as a wedding reception. Rather, it is a party or reception in honor of the recently married couple.

These receptions are held for a variety of reasons. Most late receptions are held when the bride and her family live in different parts of the country. Others, especially those involving older couples or second-time brides, mayu hold late receptions due to professional considerations. Whatever the reasons, late receptions are becoming a more common occurrence.

Invitations to a late reception contain a line reading "in honour of" or "in honor of" followed on a separate line with the names of the couple.

We are having a small ceremony for just our families in August. We are also planning a reception in September. Is it proper to send our reception invitations with our wedding announcements?

Invitations are never properly sent with announcements. Your wedding and your late reception are separate events that require separate mailings.

We are having a small reception immediately following our wedding and a larger reception a month later. May we enclose a reception card for our late reception?

Receptions that take place after the wedding day are not considered wedding receptions. They are simply parties in honor of the couple. The party is an event that is not a part of your wedding, so it requires separate invitations and a separate mailing.