How To Plan The Perfect Wedding Welcome Party

A wedding welcome party is your very last pre-wedding event. While it's not essential, throwing this kind of soiree is a great idea if you want to make the celebrations last as long as possible (understandable!), are hosting a destination wedding and/or expect a large number of guests from out of town for your special day. That's because the main purpose of gatherings like these is to help your family members and friends from far afield settle in to the venue/the festivities before the actual wedding celebrations begin.

Wedding weekends, or multi-day weddings, have seen a significant rise in the last few years, and we can TOTALLY see the appeal of these weekend-long wedding celebrations; more food, more fun and, of course, more quality time with the ones you love most because as we hear time and time again, your wedding day is going to go by in flash!

It's fair to say that a traditional wedding weekend would usually feature a pre-wedding celebration, but bear in mind that this first-day gathering doesn't have to be all bells and whistles. After all, you've already planned and paid for the main event, and you and your guests have more celebrations ahead of you, so it's best to keep things simple and relaxed on day one instead of going all out! So, with that in mind, keep reading for everything you need to know about planning the perfect wedding welcome party.

Set a budget

We're sure you've heard this time and time again; when it comes to planning your wedding and pre-wedding welcome party, creating a budget is the first and most (integral) step. Remember to work within your means wherever possible; it's honestly all about the company at this stage, so try not to go overboard with the décor or the fancy cuisine. Your guests will simply be happy to be there and will be saving themselves for the big day, so treat this gathering as an informal chance to get together and let the excitement build for the wedding day ahead.

Decide on a date

Wedding welcome parties are best held one or two days before the wedding day. If you're having a Sunday wedding, consider hosting your welcome party on the evening of Friday or Saturday. Handy tip, why not double up and merge your welcome party along with or after the rehearsal dinner?

Create your guest list

Are you planning a destination wedding? If so, you really should extend an invitation for your welcome party to everyone who needs to travel into town by car, train, or aeroplane (which is probably everyone). You can, however, expect to invite fewer people if your wedding is close to home. It's recommended that your wedding guests include your wedding party, friends, and family who have travelled from out of town to keep costs down (and any unnecessary stress).

Find a location

To make it convenient for your guests, look for a location close to (or even at) the hotel/venue where the majority of your guests are staying. You don't want to make them travel too far because they're probably already tired from the journeys they have just made.

But for those hiring their venue over multiple days, organising your pre-wedding gathering really couldn't be easier! You have a venue already good to go, with possibly some accommodation on-site that your guests will have booked for two or three nights - voila! All that's left to decide is whether you have a sit-down feast or a laid-back BBQ!

If you do need to find an alternative setting for your pre-wedding party, we would advise selecting a venue that doesn't require a lot of wedding decor. You will unlikely want to place a second order for additional bunting, linens, and centrepieces since you have already likely spent a significant amount of time, energy, and money on your wedding venue decor.

Send out your invitations

If you're on top of your wedding planning game, you might include information on your wedding welcome party along with your invitations to the big day. However, if it's taken longer than you'd hoped to get things sorted for your welcome party, why not send something a little less official? An e-vite, for example, would be perfect; they're much less formal and are just fine for this kind of event. Your wedding welcome party info could also be included on your wedding website, depending on who you're inviting, of course. Here at Say I do, you can invite certain guests to specific events and still expect those all-important RSVPs. For example, if you're inviting 25 guests to your welcome party out of 100 guests in total, you can create a private event with a dedicated guest list and send invites to just those lucky few -- perfect!

Plan your menu

Depending on your budget, you might not be able to treat your guests to a multi-course welcome party menu with a fully stocked free bar; therefore, a couple of bottles of bubbly and a few straightforward sharing platters should be sufficient. In fact, you might be able to skip the meal entirely if your wedding welcome party is scheduled to take place after the rehearsal dinner. If that is the case, a few drinks at the hotel bar to welcome everyone would suffice.

Consider a toast

This is the perfect opportunity to formally greet your guests after they've all gathered together in one area. So why not prepare a brief speech to express your gratitude for travelling from out of town? It's best to keep things light and sweet here though, rather than spend all night constructing a lengthy and meaningful toast. After all, there will be plenty of speeches, toasts and formalities at the wedding reception. Following this, all that's left to do is mix, mingle, and enjoy the festivities with your loved ones!

The ultimate wedding welcome party ideas

This isn't for everyone, but it could help break the ice for the day ahead, especially for guests who have come solo or don't know many people. We recommend choosing a couple of activities that everyone can participate in during the welcome party. This event is more than just a cocktail party and more of a 'let's all get together before the big day.' With that in mind, select one activity that is more active, such as a quiz, jumbo board games or croquet; perfect for those who want to do something with a little more energy. Then add in a passive activity such as watching a mini-concert by a local band or a DIY ice cream bar.

Here, you could incorporate a theme, such as a carnival or festival theme, for a more light-hearted feel. When it comes to planning and arranging the event, ensure you're going with the easy and low-stress options because whilst they need to be a good fit for your specific guest list, they can't take up too much of your time/energy either!

Plan an exit strategy

Remember that the welcome party is just the start of an extremely hectic wedding schedule. Even though it will undoubtedly be an amazing kick-off event, try not to get too carried away! To ensure you get a restful night's sleep before the wedding, always prepare a plan for leaving at a time you feel comfortable with and stick to it. You'll want to look and feel your absolute BEST on the big day, and your hair and makeup will knock on your door bright and early, so no hangovers, please!