Ask the BTE Wedding Expert...

My fiancé and I recently decided that our reception will be for adults only and children will not be invited. We made this decision because our reception will run until midnight, which is very late for kids, plus we needed to take a little out of our wedding expenses and this was an area where we could cut back. I am not for sure how common this request is, so how do I let my guests know that children are not invited without offending anyone? ~Amy (Noblesville)

Hi Amy! Congratulations on your engagement and upcoming wedding!

A reception where the guest list consists of only adults is actually becoming more popular than you may think. Many couple’s have started requesting that wedding guests not bring their children for some of the exact reasons that you and your fiancé made that decision.

The best way to handle this is to start making your guests aware now. Let the people closest to you, like family, friends and wedding party, know the type of event you wish to have and ask them to put the word out if they talk to any of your guests. This will save you a lot of headache over everyone being surprised because most of your guests will have already heard about the type of reception you are having before the formal invitation even arrives. Also, if you have created a wedding website, make sure you include that the reception is only for adults when you list all of the wedding information. You can even write an explanation about why you and your fiancé came to this decision if you would like.

As far as the wording on your invitations, you really only have two options. You can say “Adult Reception” or “Adults Only Reception” on the invitation. Putting “No Children” or “No Kids” on the invitation is NEVER acceptable and considered poor etiquette.

However, if your guests still have some concerns about your wedding reception, just explain your reasons and be honest with them. Most parents will probably appreciate a “date night” since your wedding will run late into the evening. And who doesn’t understand about financial cutbacks these days?

In the end, you have to do what makes you and your soon-to-be-hubby happy and comfortable. Just be prepared that you may have a guest that decides to bring their child regardless of your wishes and in that case you will have to grin and bare it a little, because it’s not worth ruining your big day.

We hope that this has answered your question and helped to make your planning process easier! Best wishes and thank you for your submitting your question, Amy!

Warm Wedding Wishes,
Sara & Lisa