Q&A: Invitation Wording: How to State the Time?

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Q: I will be getting married at 5:30 p.m. How do I word the time on the invitations? I've heard "half after five" is appropriate, but I think it sounds stuffy. If "five thirty" is okay, should I hyphenate or not? Also, should I say "in the afternoon" or "in the evening?" I don't want my guests to think I'm having a formal, black-tie wedding -- plus it's summer and the sun will still be up, so I'm leaning toward "afternoon."

A: "Half after five o'clock" is the traditional wording, but if you feel that sounds too formal, you can certainly use "five-thirty in the afternoon" or "in the evening." Also, "afternoon" is fine, for the reasons you've given, even though five-thirty is technically evening.

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Q&A: Invitations: Destination Wedding Etiquette?

My fiance and I are getting married in Maui and know that not all the 200 guests we would like to invite will make it. When we come back home, we are going to have a reception for everyone not able to make the trip. I've read that when getting married away and returning home to a reception, you should only send out wedding invitations to those you know can and will attend the wedding, then send out separate invitations for the reception. We both feel very strongly about sending invitations to everyone and then including (at the bottom) that a reception will be held in our honor when we return. We are afraid that if we follow etiquette, we will hurt people's feelings. Do we follow the rules or do what we feel is right?

by The Knot