Anyone having a party when they get back for guests who couldn't come???

[2bebridejamaica]

Yessss.... totally wearing my dress again to my AHR. Since not everyone will be able to see me in it ... it has been the question of all our friends and family if I am going to wear it or not. I thought though not very long and why not. This party is an extension of your wedding day and another reason to get all decked out and feel like a princess all over again. My party is going to repeat what they wear too. My MOH now can't come to our DW which I have finally gotten over but she is still working with me on everything and she already has her dress so she will be wearing hers along with my other BM. I know that I won't wear it the whole day but just to have our big walk in and everything works for me.

[Cole5worm]

We are. WE have hired a DJ, Margretta Machine, Cash Bar, and Mexican for dinner. WE have about 80 people coming. I plan on wearing my dress again becasue why not!!! it is going to be the weekend after we get back and to tell you the truth it is a pain inmy ass! lol

[2bebridejamaica]

Cole,

I totally agree w/you on being a PITA.. It looks like we will have more like 150 at our AHR we too are going with all the extras... I love the idea.. I just hate planning for both right now.. soooo....We have yet to start anything on that yet.. But it's January and everything is dead up here during then... I guess I need to get moving though.

[MelanieS]

My daughter got married in May and we had her AHR 2 weeks later. (There were 18 who actually traveled to Mexico with us.) We were glad to have the full two weeks as she had to have her dress and his suit cleaned. She didn't do a TTD, but just wearing it in the sand, eating, dancing, etc. in it for 7 hours - there were definitely spots that needed cleaned.

 

300 people attended the AHR, which consisted of lots of food, playing a video of the wedding and also a CD of all the pro pictures set to music, and lots of visiting. Amazingly, some people declined to attend because they said it wasn't the "real" wedding, just the reception. Others loved it because they got to feel a part of the festivities and see them in their wedding attire, and see the video.

[Lisa09]

We are having a party with dinner, music etc. I'm avoiding the word reception and opting to call it a celebration, we're not looking for gifts just want to share our joy. I'm even saying on the invitations "celebrate with us when we return", It's the 2nd time for both so we are having it at restaurant trying to keep it laid back and casual. It will be under 100 - immediate family & friends.

[norskheather]

What are peoples thoughts on having an AHR months after the wedding? I live in Norway with my fiancee and we will be travelling back there after the wedding in December...therefore I won't be in Canada again until June. Is it too late then to have an AHR? And if I do have one, when do I send out the invites? PLUS...we are not registering for our wedding because we don't want gifts, so would we register for the reception (because lots of people are complaining that we aren't registering and would like guidance on what to give us even though we have requested no gifts) or is that tacky??

 

H

[cougs]

we will be doing some sort of AHR, but it won't be a "wedding reception," per se, just more of a eat, drink, and be merry sort of thing. way too many people for a backyard or house party (about 200 or so, which is why we're getting married in mexico in the first place ... only maybe 40 are attending there)! we plan on showing the wedding video and maybe a photo slideshow. we will probably have a friend dj, and serve beer and sangria, maybe margaritas, and a mexican-type buffet or even just hors d' oeuvres. i don't think i will be wearing the dress again.

 

if you need to rent out a hall or have catering, in my area it seems the markup for "weddings" is outrageous. don't call it a wedding, and it's just a banquet or party and suddenly so much cheaper. someone else mentioned it here, but we won't be calling it a "wedding reception" on invites either. i think i might say something along the lines of "come toast/celebrate with the newlyweds upon their return from mexico."

 

FIESTA!!!

[cougs]

oh i should add that when my sister eloped in florida, my mother rounded up the immediate family/friends (about 20 people) and had a party in her home, where she made a huge spread of food and we drank and watched their wedding video. my mom was still upset that her daughter had eloped, but felt a little better being able to see it on video and celebrate with them. some family gave them gifts too (and that was for a 2nd marriage that was an elopement).

 

i certainly don't expect gifts if people aren't invited to the actual wedding, but it would be nice!

[Christi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mnewbauer Thanks for your responses. We want to keep the costs as low as possible when we return. The problem is, we live in a condo so our place is out for the AHR. My parents have a very nice house but it doesn't have a backyard. I have thought about renting a park with tents and heat lamps b/c it will be end of Oct. when we have it. We just thought that a brunch would cut down on costs. But....now we need to find a place to have it!!!!

I like the idea of a champagne brunch in a private room of a restaurant...good idea!

[Banana11]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mnewbauer We aren't inviting everyone to Mexico so we have to have a party when we get back. Everywhere is just so expensive. I would rather spend my money in Mexico. I thought brunches would be cheaper...but what I am finding out is that they aren't.

Hey fellow Minnesota brides! We also went back and forth on the whole reception thing. We finally decided that we would rather spend the money on other life things and are not doing a reception. We did a lot of leg work before making this decision. One possible venue we came up with was the Wabasha Street Caves in St. Paul. We liked it because it had it's own charm and would require little money spent on decorations. Plus, it works for the cold MN winter months when it's just too darn cold to be outside . We were going to do an appetizer/cake reception. They allow you to use outside catering so you can find a deal. There were also very few requirements on how much you had to spend on drinks/food, etc. Here's a link to their website:

www.wabashastreetcaves.com

Good luck!