I had originally requested the legal ceremony, but decided to change to a symbolic ceremony recently. At first I was worried that having a symbolic ceremony would take away from the experience, but after reading many DW brides experiences, I decided that a paper would not change the way we feel when we say our vows to each other in front of our family and friends.
I'm doing the welcome cocktails the evening before our wedding. Some of our guests are only going for 3 nights, so it will be the night they arrive! I also thought they'd be a little tired to attend an event, so I asked some of my guests. All of the guests I asked said they would love to attend a welcome party that evening, they'd be anxious to see each other and start celebrating. Now, I'm even thinking of doing the dinner reservations after the cocktails...
Amazing job!! Good luck selling your house