[toxic884]

My fiance and I are still in school and planning our wedding. We will only be able to contribute a little financially, so the entire burden of paying for the wedding rests on my parents, since the groom's parents want to pay only for the rehearsal dinner.
Is it okay to have the rehearsal dinner for the bridal party and out of towners (compromised of most of the guests) and then for the reception itself, just have cake, punch and appetizers? (FYI, our ceremony is at 2:00 pm followed immediately by the reception). This will be a lot easier on my parents' wallets.

[Wedding Queen and MOG]

None of the parents have the responsibility to pay for your wedding, so any portion they agree to pay for or help out with is a generous gift. The host of the rehearsal dinner should decide what type of event and how many guests they can afford to host, since they offered to host. Typically the guest list is only comprised of those who need to rehearse, so the hosts may say that was their expectation when agreeing to pay for this party.

The time of day you stated for the wedding should be fine for a cake and punch reception. Please speak to your parents about what they had in mind with regard to the reception since they agreed to pay.

[Nancy Tucker]

I totally agree. It is best to set your expectations according to what is offered or foot the bill yourself.

[Etiquette Now]

I completely agree. Plus, what you have in mind is not polite or fair to your fiancé's parents who have generously offered to host this optional party. Also, hosting a pre-wedding reception, which is what this would appear to be, is a faux pas.

Additionally, you stated that most of the guests would be out of towners. Those guests not invited to this huge party would, most likely, feel like second best or not wanted. This is extremely impolite.

[Panache by Erin]

I, too, agree with the previous answers. It is up to the hosts of the rehearsal dinner and ceremony/reception to decide what the budget is and then you can plan accordingly from that point.