I grew up in a relatively small town and attended the same church for all of my life. After high school (10 years ago) I moved away and attended college and now have chosen to live in my college town, which is about 600 miles from my hometown. I am getting married in the town I live now, not my hometown. My hometown church is throwing me a wedding shower. I know etiquette dictates that everyone invited to a shower should receive a wedding invitation, but they have invited the entire congregation to the shower (the invitation went out in a church newsletter and was posted on the community bulletin board). I know most (if not all) of them would not be willing/able to make the 600+ mile trip to my wedding. How should I handle this?
Well, this is one of those occasions that we just have to accept the gift. There is no way you can possibly invite all of these people to your wedding. I suppose we will just have to think of it in the same light as the 'office shower'. The guests to an office shower do not have to be invited to the wedding.
This would be different if you had given the names of all of these people to your host. But, you did not have anything to do with the guest list. This was something the congregation wants to do for you. Smile and say thank you.
It might be a very nice gesture to send pictures to the church of your wedding so they can put these in the newsletter.
Church-hosted shower etiquette??
