Top Wedding Questions: How to word announcements for shared reception - Top Wedding Questions

My fiance and I are planning to elope in August. His sister will be getting married in September and we were invited to share in the reception following their wedding since his family will be attending and my family is very small.

We were planning to send announcements after the elopement and include that we will be celebrating along with his sister and her husband. How do we word these invitations? Do we set up separate gift table at the reception? Any other advice for this situation?

This post has been edited by TWQadmin: 14 June 2025 - 07:43 PM

Dear Beckala,

Announcements are sent to only those who need to know about your wedding and who are not invited to the reception. You would send informal wedding reception invitations to those whom you wish to attend letting them know that this is a shared event. Also, this is not considered a gift giving event and there should be no gift table for either couple. Although it is most proper to ship gifts to the home of those whose wedding we are invited, some people in some regions continue to bring gifts to the reception. It would be best to just have an extra, unlabeled table for this purpose. To have a table expressly for gifts implies that you are expecting gifts.

Best wishes,