Which sounds more formal...

[mjso]

On an invitation which do you think sounds more formal:

1) Reception to follow

or

2) Cocktails, dinner and dancing to follow

or 3) some other suggestion

I <3 the invites our graphic designer made, but there is a minor concern that they might project a more "casual" feel than what our venue feel would be. I want to somehow indicate that jeans aren''t okay without spelling it out. Basically, our wedding is going to be on a beach at 6pm, then we will be going inside for a formalish sit-down dinner. I''m okay with khakis, a button down shirt and a tie, but I think anything much less formal than that might seem out of place...

Thanks!

 

[cara]

I think ''Reception to follow'' is fine unless you need to indicate that cocktails, dinner and dancing will occur because you have scheduled your wedding for an unusual time or place for those things.

To indicate formality, use more formal invites as well as traditional wording in the rest of the invite, and hope that you aren''t throwing your party at Joe''s Crab Shack.

If your graphic designer''s invites are super casual, then that will definitely set the tone, so maybe post a pic? Also, who you are sending them to does matter. Some of my relatives would have to be browbeaten out of their ripped jeanshorts and into khakis and a buttondown for anything remotely near a beach, while other guests will just assume a suit is required at any wedding.

 

[honey22]

Out of the two, the first one sounds more formal, but I am not exactly sure what you are trying to convey? Do you want it to sound super duper formal?

 

[glueck]

1 more than sufficient, but I must say that there is something very "great Gatsby" about 2.

 

[bee*]

I think the first one sounds more formal but I love the sound of the second one.

 

[jcrow]

i''d voice your concerns to your invite designer... maybe there''s an easy and painless solution.

 

[mayachel]

1). Sounds more traditional, and therefor more formal.
2). Makes me anticipate a fabulous party.

 

[Winks_Elf]

I would state "Dinner reception immediately following", but you don''t have much room at the bottom. The way you have it looks fine.

 

[whitetulips]

I think those invites are adorable! By the looks of them though, they don''t really convey semi-formal- they look slightly casual. I would hope that nobody would come to your wedding in jeans even if the invite looked informal so maybe you could spread by word of mouth that the reception is semi-formal?

I wouldn''t change a thing about the wording on the invite though. Reception to follow sounds more formal and looks good at the bottom.

 

[Rhea]

Date: 2/3/2009 5:52:09 AM
Author: bee*
I think the first one sounds more formal but I love the sound of the second one.

Ditto. The 2nd sounds romantic to me.

 

[LauraBabe08]

I put:

Dinner and Dance Reception

Following the Ceremony

-------- Mansion

---------, Pennsylvania

 

[LauraBabe08]

we are having a cocktail hr too, but I just did "dinner and dance reception"

I copied it from a kate spade sample invite that I saw