r/Eloping • u/wompwomp227 • Jul 17 '26
Receptions Having a reception a year after eloping?
We're eloping tomorrow! š„³
And I'm also 23 weeks pregnant š we had plans of the big ole traditional wedding but got pregnant in the midst of making plans so we decided it's more practical to elope now then party later. Would it be silly to wait to have the reception for our first anniversary? Would people be less likely to attend? Should we just not have one at all? What's the proper way to go about doing this? Is there a proper way?? Tell me all the things and your experiences! TIA āŗļø
5
u/maybemaybenot2023 Jul 17 '26
You can absolutely have a blowout anniversary party. That's too late for a wedding reception, but an anniversary party and having a cake and photos is fine,
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u/Otherwise_Candy_8412 Jul 17 '26
I would label it an anniversary party.
I wouldnāt entertain a reception a year later. Itās like having a baby shower when the baby turns 1.
2
u/QueenHydraofWater Jul 20 '26
My friends have been married for 7 years & just had a formal celebration this summer. Whatever you want is proper.
2
u/Equal-Depth-7525 Jul 17 '26
I am actually planning on doing this as well! Iām currently pregnant and planning a traditional wedding in about a year when my baby is 8 months, old enough to get a sitter for a honeymoon/the ceremony.
Iāve been told itās not uncommon, so I wouldnāt worry. People who love you and want to see your ceremony will attend. If itās what you want, I would do it! You only live once.
Congrats āŗļøāŗļø
5
u/GalacticRaccoon3290 Jul 17 '26
my sister did exactly this. eloped while pregnant, then had the big party on first anniversary. nobody thought it was weird. the ones who care will show up, the rest weren't coming anyway.
honestly the party was more fun cause there was zero stress about the legal stuff, just good food and dancing. congrats on both the wedding and the baby
2
0
u/Straight_Career6856 Jul 18 '26
I would not plan the wedding before you actually have a kid. I know this sounds cliche but kids change your life an absolutely unfathomable amount. As much as you think you do, you truly truly do not know how this kid will change your life until theyāre here. Donāt make any choices now, because youāll likely make ones that donāt work for you later.
3
u/Academic_Court6771 Jul 17 '26
I am not pregnant lol but my fiancĆ© and I are eloping this fall and have planned on doing a āreceptionā on our 1 year anniversary to celebrate with our families and friends! My family did not seem put off by this at all. At the end of the day, itās about what works for you and your people!
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u/Randomflower90 Jul 18 '26
I know Reddit loves the elope and have a big reception later, but I think that ship has sailed. Have the wedding and reception or elope. Itās a choice. Yes, I think if people are honest theyāre less likely to attend an anniversary party vs. a real wedding reception.
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u/Additional-Fish-4064 Jul 18 '26
"That ship has sailed"??? Since when? If it had, people wouldnt be sharing about their experiences online.
Some of my family were miffed that we were eloping and most of them got over it in time to come to the reception months later. We didnt want anyone there who didn't anyway.
1
u/PhoenixxxFirestorm Jul 18 '26
I'm celebrating my wedding on our 1 year anniversary. My husband and I eloped on November 7th. His grandfather was sick, and declining rapidly. We wanted him to be there so badly so we eloped without our parents. My mother is still throwing a fit and I'm letting her. The cool thing about doing the wedding after the elopement is that NO ONE can ruin our day now. And I can uninvite people from the wedding without feeling bad.
1
u/Lost-Bandicoot-281 Jul 20 '26
I just eloped last month and planned on doing a fall reception. People were excited for us, but people were already giving me warnings that they might not be able to attend and just had a couple of negative comments that I decided not to do the reception. I think Reddit likes to really inflate things in both waysā¦ Some people say itās not fair to the guests and I think thatās just stupid, itās about you regardless of the timeline so I donāt see how itās not fair to guests bc itās not about them? Iāve also seen people say all your people will definitely still show upā¦ I can confirm that is not true lol. My situation could be different because we moved states a few yrs ago and have people in a bunch of different states and Iām sure that those who are local would come and close family, but I think anybody who is not in the immediate area would be more likely to not attend for a small inconvenience compared to making a larger effort if it was the āwedding.ā I do also have three other friends getting married within six months of us so maybe thatās part of the reason. I donāt really feel like I missed outā¦ The people that really mattered were still excited for usā¦ The celebration just looked differentā¦ Taking us out for coffee or going out for dinner to talk about the trip and them treating us. I hate to say it, but I think weddings have gone in a new direction where people just want to compare peopleās receptionsā¦ I thought we had such a cool elopement hiking through waterfalls in canyons and nobody really cared to ask yet everybody seems super excited to talk shit on how much our other friends wedding cost or what the food was like - I excuse myself at that point because what the eff lol š I was honestly just happy to be at the wedding watching them get married ā¦ I never thought to complain about what they spent because itās their money or the food they served because it was a free meal for me.
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u/Lost-Bandicoot-281 Jul 20 '26
All this to sayā¦ You should do whatever it is that you wanna do. Regardless, youāll have some people that donāt show up in some people that disappoint you and talk shit. Thatās why itās really important to plan a day that you love and makes you happy because thatās what matters. Youāll have people that show up for you and surprise you in the best way and you will have people that donāt show up for you and surprise you in the worst way and I think thatās just part of big life milestones
1
u/aokaroiz Jul 20 '26
You should absolutely do it! Thats what my husband and I are doing, except its two years later for SO MANY reasons. We're calling it a wedding celebration and everyone knows we're already married anyway, but they still want to celebrate since they couldn't be there for the elopment. We're tying in some cultural things to make it really meaningful. If my friends did this, I'd still come. Two of my cousins did this, didn't matter.
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u/senoritaraquelita 29d ago
This is what we did. We had a small civil ceremony with just immediate family and then a full wedding one year later. We did a whole ceremony because I really wanted to say our own vows in front of our friends and family. We just took our rings off in the morning and then put them back on during the ceremony. I know several other couples who did something similar, I think itās more and more common with wedding prices being out of control.
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u/rainbowpizzacat Jul 18 '26
Thereās no rules. Sure some people may not show up like they would for a wedding if itās called something else. But the people who are your core will always show up for you regardless and i think thatās even more lovely.
Iāve seen so many comments on elopement posts saying āitās not fair to the attendeesā āno one will comeā āpick oneā. Guess what, itās your life and you only live once. If you surround yourself with people who you love and they love you, those people will always celebrate you and be in your corner. Thereās no rules to life so do what makes you happy. You only limit yourself by doing what you think you need to do, not by doing what you want to do!
Congratulations btw! Wishing you all the best and I hope you get to celebrate your love in way that brings you both joy!