5 Tips for a Successful Wedding Weekend
Remember the days when you were invited to a wedding and you knew you would just be going to a ceremony and reception? Nowadays the big question for guests is “Which of the wedding weekend events will I be invited to?” But for the couple planning the wedding, deciding what events to host, who to invite to what and how to communicate all the logistics to all of your guests can be overwhelming! That’s why I’ve put together these tips for handling a complicated multi-event wedding.
1. Knowing your etiquette can save you some difficult conversations!
If you are having a destination wedding, there is an expectation that there will be more than one event you are hosting. After all, your guests are putting up a lot of money to just attend your wedding and add a gift onto that and it’s a lot.
However, if your wedding is local, keeping clear boundaries on who will be invited to what can be essential. For instance, your rehearsal dinner can be limited to your family, wedding party and out-town guests only to keep your guest count low. However, if word gets out that your college friends are going, and they aren’t in your wedding party, then your close work friends might feel snubbed. Keeping those clear boundaries may feel hard, but it can save you a real headache as well as money.
2. Way to cut costs for destination or weekend getaway weddings
Like I said, if you’re having a wedding where attendance means your guests are definitely booking a hotel room, then they’re going to expect more than just the day. But rather than paying for everyone’s meals all weekend, know that there are ways to minimize the damage!
On Friday, consider hosting a Welcome Cocktail Reception on the early side with passed canapes and beverage service only. You can follow the reception with your official rehearsal dinner for your family and wedding party only. On the flip side, instead of a cocktail reception, you could end the night with a welcome bonfire after the rehearsal dinner. And for all you brunch haters out there (or am I the only one), brunch can be a cost-effective way to shower your guests with love. You’d be surprised at how many skip it all together, but you’ll still get credit for your generosity.
3. Don’t overpack the itinerary!
Having all of your most loved people together at once is a special experience and your wedding weekend will feel like a marathon no matter how you spend the time. Just know that you can’t do ALL the things with ALL the people. Keep the official events to a simple itinerary that allows for everyone (including you and your partner) to book their own down time or activities.
4. But do have a timeline for the entire weekend for yourself!
Having a concise timeline for you, your partner and your VIP’s may sound like a drag, but it will save you precious time that weekend. Trust me, you can’t just hand your mom the schedule of events that the rest of your guests have, otherwise, she’ll show up at the same time as everyone else not knowing that she was supposed to be somewhere for pictures beforehand. If you have to spend time hunting down your cousin for the rehearsal you could miss the cocktail hour of your rehearsal dinner. Corralling any group of people takes time and patience and a well communicated timeline can save you much heartache.
Added bonus: a clearly communicated timeline also saves you from answering the same question 5,000 times!
5. Hire a Planner!
Obviously, I have to add this, but if you have read this and think you want to do all of these things on your own, then ignore this tip. I’m only suggesting that you hire some help to coordinate this entire weekend because there’s so much more to the weekend then I have listed! You’ll need guest counts for all of the different events. Perhaps there’s design elements you want to see each day - flowers for brunch or a special cake ordered? You will not want to deal with any of that the morning after your wedding. At each and every event someone WILL hand you a gift, your planner can gather and organize them. Giving gifts to your wedding party at the rehearsal dinner? Your planner can handle that. When you are organizing multiple events on top of the most important event of your life, getting help is essential!