Trend Alerts: 3-4 Day Weekend
Of course we all know that the wedding day is just one day but now I’ve been noticing that weddings are starting to become more than a just day but rather a weekend. A weekend full of festivities and fun things to do in the area of the wedding.
We start with a welcome party.
Welcome parties are especially popular for destination weddings or if a majority of guests are from out of town and you want to welcome them for the weekend. Usually this welcome party is the day before the wedding or even sometimes two days, this is completely dependent on preference and of course, a nice tip is to pick a day that will not conflict with guest plane arrival times for many guests. The welcome party should be more a casual and low key part of the day and something light to attend. One of the most popular areas I have guests pick as a welcome party is the pool. A few cocktail, passed hors d’heouvres and lots of family and friends by the pool, what more can you ask for?
You can even have a cocktails-only party after the rehearsal in lieu of a welcome party (again, it’s all about your preferences).
Then we go into the rehearsal dinner.
I’ve been getting a lot more questions, at least recently, in regard to who attends the rehearsal dinner? What is it? Well, the rehearsal dinner is a dinner held after the rehearsal (shocking, I Know) so essentially who is in attendance of this rehearsal dinner is only the parents, grandparents, and bridal party who were in the rehearsal. As of lately, though, I have brides asking if they should invite out of town guests since they’re coming into town just for the bride and groom and now want to attend the dinner. Again, you can do whatever you want to do but I have a pro tip for you!
PRO TIP: If you have a lot of guests coming into town and you think it will create a family dynamic if you don’t invite them to the rehearsal dinner then arrange your rehearsal to be two days before your wedding, so that you can have the rehearsal dinner before anyone is in town and then hold a light and fun welcome party for all of the family and friends traveling into town for you.
Pro Tip:
Speak to your florist and discuss methods of keeping some of the wedding florals for the day after brunch! Why not utilize them to the fullest since you’re paying for them anyway
Then We Have Brunch:
Lastly, who doesn’t love a little brunch? A postwedding brunch is extremely popular and a great way to say your final good-byes before all of your guests leave town. The brunch is just as you think it is, it’s a brunch with food and drinks and the aftermath of the wedding. Something I always remind my brides to remember when planning their brunch is to always consider the guests check out times. You don’t want the guests to have to keep their luggage up front so that they can attend the brunch so it’s better to do it earlier than later.
