In recent years, there has been a rising popularity with couples choosing the more intimate approach to tying the knot. Whether it’s been eloping or hosting a smaller wedding in a special location, couples are shedding the more traditional approach to celebrating their union. While having a smaller wedding is beautiful, a post-elopement party or sequel wedding reception is the perfect opportunity to continue celebrating your union together with your larger group of friends and family. Here at Walter Knoll Florist, our wedding experts are excited to share everything you need to know about planning a post-elopement and sequel wedding reception. From invitations to dress code ideas, we’ve listed out ways to de-stress your planning process.
The Right Time to Hold a Post-Elopement or Sequel Wedding
This headline might be a little misleading since deciding the timeline is completely up to you. When planning your post-elopement and sequel wedding party, it’s good to start with why you want to host this type of event. This decision will dictate the timeline of your celebration. Couples who’ve eloped tend to have their post-elopement celebration soon after their wedding ceremony. Couples who are planning a sequel wedding typically host a larger gathering about a year after their official union.
Finding the Perfect Words for Invitations
While your elopement should always be about you and your partner, it’s good to give your loved ones a heads-up before posting your celebration online. If you plan on eloping, write an announcement to your friends and family and then follow up with a save-the-date or formal invite to your post-elopement party. This will help people stay in the loop and feel included to share in your joy.
When writing your post-elopement invites, be sure to share photos and elopement details, including the location, date, time, and anyone who was there to witness your wedding. When writing the follow-up invite to your friends and family, be sure to use clear and concise language to make sure everyone’s on the same page. The same applies to when you send your sequel wedding invites. If you are having a micro wedding prior to a sequel wedding, plan to send save-the-date cards and invitations to your small celebration much like a traditional wedding. When the date for your sequel wedding approaches, send another round of invitations to your larger community of friends and family at least a few months before, and be sure to include details about the event (i.e., wedding vows, music, dancing, etc.).
Suggestions for post-elopement and sequel wedding invitations:
- Love made us do it
- Please join us as we exchange our vows.
- Let’s celebrate!
- We just couldn’t wait!
- We invite you to a reception celebrating the marriage of…
- We tied the knot with a private ceremony and all of you in our hearts.
- We’re not-so-newlyweds—let’s celebrate!
Deciding to Recreate Your Ceremony
When you recreate your wedding day during your sequel wedding, it doesn’t mean that everything has to be the same. While your family would love to see you walk down the aisle again, you can cut right to the reception with videos and slideshows of your previous wedding ceremony. You can also get creative with other special moments by updating your wedding vows, learning new dance moves, and hearing new wedding toasts.
Planning the Reception or Celebration
Here’s the good news: there are no rules for what your post-elopement or sequel wedding should look like. When it comes to planning, the sky’s the limit. Whether you want to plan a reception in a traditional wedding venue or camp out in the woods with your friends while eating BBQ, as long as it’s a celebration of your union, you’re doing it “right.” Whatever style you choose, we recommend you dedicate some time to the ones you love and express your appreciation for their presence or set aside time for heartfelt toasts.
What About Wedding Gifts?
When it comes to post-elopement parties and sequel weddings, there might not be a gift table in sight. In fact, it’s not usually even mentioned. This is good news for the planning process as couples don’t need to create and update wedding registries. We’d recommend not even mentioning gifts on the invite. If guests still bring them, make sure to open them in private and send a formal “thank you” afterward.
Re-Wearing Your Wedding Dress or Tuxedo
Maybe it’s time you took that wedding dress out for another spin. Maybe it’s time to dust off that tuxedo. Maybe it’s time for something new. The only thing you should be considering is finding something comfortable for you. Whether it’s a sundress with a sunhat, or slacks and sunglasses, this celebration is centered around your expression of love with friends and family. We only recommend that you communicate the attire on your invites. You don’t want someone showing up in shorts to a formal event.
There’s no traditional way to plan post-elopements and sequel weddings, and that’s highly encouraging. Here at Walter Knoll Florist, we encourage you to get creative and focus on the most important part of this celebration: you. Our wedding experts and seasoned florists are ready to bring your post-elopement or sequel wedding to life.
