In case of rain card

I would say something like "in case of rain, our ceremony will be held privately indoors. Please arrive at [location] at [time] for our reception."

That's terribly rude. You need a different 'in case of rain' plan.

Wow. Never heard of something like this. Ugh...that sucks for the rest of the guests. I’m honestly not trying to be rude but they might just end up going home . I mean I would feel some type of way if I went to a wedding and that happened. I would feel less important. We’re having a beach wedding with atleast 100 people and if it rains in SoCal (very rare) we move our venue inside. Free of charge . You guys can’t set up a tent?

As others have said, I would try to come up with a different contingency plan. Essentially, you are uninviting your guests, which is considered rude by many.

I’d definitely try and come up with another plan. I wouldn't fly in for a wedding if there was a chance i wouldn’t be allowed to go to it

I agree with coming up with another plan to include 100. I can only imagine if there is a light sprinkle how many people will call you that day to figure out what to do

View Quoted Comment Thank you! This was extremely helpful

Is getting a tent for the outdoor ceremony not an option? I think that’s the standard course in a case where the indoor part of the venue cannot hold as much as the outdoor. Or is there a different way to setup inside for reception that would allow everyone to witness the wedding?

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I agree with this and don't think it's rude at all to ask people to celebrate with you at the reception after.

The ceremony itself is a small part of the whole wedding, and for guests the fun is really the reception with drinks, food, dancing, and fun people. Sitting and watching people say vows isn't really all that exciting, TBH, and I don't feel like having a smaller, more intimate indoor ceremony "uninvites" guests to your party.

We've had a number of friends who have done really small, intimate wedding ceremonies and then had a much bigger party at a later date. You are pretty much doing the same thing, just on the same day, so I don't know why so many others seem upset by it. I think of it more as you are trying to include as many as you can, but if the weather doesn't cooperate you want your guests to just come for the part where they can be comfortable and sheltered. That doesn't make you a bad host or rude.

View Quoted Comment Thank you Kari for understanding. Yes, this is almost my exact thought process. The venue does not allow tents to be added. I would just invest in umbrellas as well, BUT the gardens are RIGHT next to the Detroit River and have a tendency to flood/muddy in the months with higher rain. I.e JUNE in MICHIGAN. Lol.
I would love to have everyone join me at the ceremony if possible, but if it’s Extremely wet, it just won’t be possible (or enjoyable for ANYONE.)
Kari, how do I phrase it on the invite? The option Gratia01 commented was very helpful, but I feel I may want it to sound more personal.
Please HELP! as of now, I’m officially stressing. Ty!

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You might want two different sets of invites - ones that go to the people who are in that close group that would be included as part of the indoor ceremony, and ones for whom would be only going to the ceremony if the weather was nice, but are still invited to the reception regardless. However if the indoor ceremony is just immediate family and wedding party, I feel like you can just communicate directly to them that they are one of the chosen few that need to be there for the ceremony regardless of location.

Also you can have that information on your wedding website, where it is possible to better explain things and have them sound less formal. Something along the lines of "You are all invited to celebrate our marriage with us. Please join us for our outdoor ceremony at TIME. In the event of rain, we will hold a smaller private ceremony indoors and request that you join us for the reception after at TIME."

Ty Kari, those are great options!

Maybe make fun with it. Tell them to bring all umbrellas or they’ll have a wet party. Or maybe have them stand outside in the rain while immediate fam and you get coverage.
Worst case? Throw on some galoshes and embrace the rain. I personally love the rain so I’d struggle not to puddle jump in my fancy white dress 😂

Why not have your rain plan be to have your ceremony where your reception is, with the guests sitting in their seats for the reception?

It could be raining at the venue but not at someones house hours before when they are getting ready. I would be pretty pissed off if I arrived to a wedding and realized there was no ceremony because it started raining 5 mins before I arrived. If you cannot accommodate all your guests rain or shine, I would really re-think your venue or guest list.

Maybe rent a large tent as a back up plan that can fit all your guest then everyone can move to the reception location or have both at the reception location.

You are now hosting a tiered event, which can come off rude. I agree w/ everyone else that you should try a different contingency plan for poor weather.

Good Luck

I would not do this. Yes the ceremony is a small part of the day and the fun part is the reception, but the ceremony IS the day in the end. It is the marriage part and the wedding and people want to be a part of that not just the party.

Are any of these guests that you will now tell to wait from out of town?

At this point I guess there isn't an alternative, but I would keep asking.