Invitation To The House Before or After the Wedding

by Emily Post

Invitation To The House BEFORE OR AFTER THE WEDDING

The invitation to the breakfast or reception following the church ceremony is engraved on a card to match the paper of the church invitation and is the size of the latter after it is folded for the envelope:

A wedding invitation may include a line or two about a separate house gathering before or after the wedding. However, if not everyone is invited to the house gathering, as it may only be meant for certain closer relatives and friends, then a separate invitation and RSVP may be necessary.

The house invitation, whether it is simply a last line in the wedding invitation or a separate invitation in itself, might start out with “Together with the families of the bride and groom, you are invited to our home following the wedding ceremony.” Or, in the case of a gathering before the wedding, it will state that.

The house invitation should include the time of the house gathering. The time of the wedding is listed on the original wedding invitation, so that guests can understand the span of time that will be between the two events, and plan accordingly. If food, such as brunch, will be served before the wedding at the house party, it would be appropriate to let the guests know this. If lunch, dinner, or a buffet is to be served after the wedding at the home, then an RSVP should also be included in this part of the invitation, in order for the host and hostess to know how many people they will be serving.

Always include the address of the house party, even if the guests are all local. If it is a local gathering, however, the state does not need to be listed, only the address and the town.
Special thanks to Emily Post on her wonderful tips on etiquette and invites.
House Invitation

Immediate Invites