My fiance & I are getting married on 7/2 in Colorado (this is where he is from). My whole family is in Arizona, so we will all have to travel to Colorado for the wedding.
It will be a cowboy wedding; the wedding party is on horseback, the dress is very casual (boots & jeans) and the guests will be shuttled to the wedding site by horsedrawn wagon.
We don't have alot of money to invest in a huge reception. Our guest list now is about 100 people. It is an outdoor wedding, and the wedding area is in a huge green meadow with snow capped mountains in the short distance.
What we would like to do is a 'potluck' type BBQ for the reception, and somehow specify that no gifts are required. I have already purchased all the paper goods (plates, forks, knives, spoons, tablecloths, balloons, etc.), and will also purchase the cake, beer, and enough beef & chicken to feed everyone.
My question is this: Is it wrong to ask for a potluck and have the guests bring a dish instead of a gift? Remember that this is a very informal wedding and very casual. It would be difficult for out of town guests to bring a dish, so they will be helping with the cake, etc.
Your ideas sound exciting until we get to the potluck. It really isn't polite to ask your guest to bring anything. The potluck reception is usually for the open church wedding or those receptions where the family provides the food. Your guests really shouldn't be doing this.
If you can't afford to provide the side dishes, perhaps you could cut back on something else.
And, it is considered in poor taste to mention gifts on the wedding invitation even if you are asking for none. You can do this by word of mouth.
Cowboy Wedding & Reception
