Reception-only invitations and elopement announcements
Married somewhere small, far away or just the two of you? A reception-only invitation shares the news and invites everyone to celebrate, weeks or months later. It can be a formal dinner, a backyard party or an open house.
When to send it
Send the invitation six to eight weeks before the reception, the same as a wedding invitation, with an RSVP-by date three to four weeks before. An elopement announcement can go out as soon as you’re ready to share the news; if a party is coming, let the announcement be the invitation.
Who to invite
Everyone you’d have invited to a bigger wedding. Say plainly in the wording that the ceremony already happened, so nobody wonders whether they missed it.
Wording to borrow
We eloped! Sam & Alex invite you to celebrate their marriage at a reception this fall
Maya & Jordan were married in a small ceremony and would love to celebrate with you Dinner, drinks and dancing
Just married, and ready to party A backyard reception for Elena & Ray
More ideas, with your names filled in: wording ideas.
Tips
- A photo from the ceremony makes the best announcement, and some letsparty designs put your own photo right on the card.
- Family who couldn’t make the ceremony can still join the toast: add a video link, and it shows as “Join by video” on each guest’s invitation.
- Ask guests for a wish or some advice for the two of you with their RSVP; letsparty prints them all, the guest book the ceremony didn’t have.
Designs for it
All reception designs →
How letsparty helps
RSVPs by name, with meal choices
Each guest says who’s coming and picks a meal; kids are counted on their own, and plus-ones can be limited, turned off, or given to one guest at a time. How →
No app for your guests
Every household gets its own link, texted from your phone or emailed. It opens in any browser, greets them by name and takes their answer in a few taps. How →
A head count the venue can use
Set the room’s limit and late yeses join a waitlist; give the caterer a live link with the head count and meals, no names. How →
Every guest’s photos, together
A QR sign on each table puts everyone’s photos on one wall, with a slideshow for the reception screen. How →
For couples
One price for your whole wedding
The Wedding plan is $199. It lasts from the day you start until three months after the wedding, however long the engagement, and moves if the date does. It covers the wedding, any party you make around it, and every other party you host until then, with no limit on invites. After that it renews as a regular Host Pass at $99 a year; cancel any time before it renews.
- The wedding$199
- Engagement party, if you have oneIncluded
- Shower, if you have oneIncluded
- Bachelorette or bachelor party, if you have oneIncluded
- Rehearsal dinner, if you have oneIncluded
- Farewell brunch, if you have oneIncluded
- The wedding websiteIncluded
- Thank-you cards afterIncluded
Launch prices are being finalized.
See the Wedding planQuestions
How do you word a reception-only invitation?
Say plainly that you’re already married and invite guests to celebrate: “Sam & Alex were married in a private ceremony and invite you to celebrate at a reception.” Then give the date, time and place as on any invitation.
Do you send an elopement announcement and an invitation?
If a party is planned, one message can do both: share the news and invite them in the same invitation. If there’s no party, a simple announcement is enough, and no gift is expected.
Do you bring a gift to a reception after an elopement?
Guests often bring a card or a gift, the same as for a wedding, but it’s never required. If there’s a registry, share it the way you would for a wedding, not on the invitation itself.