So, you’re planning your nuptials in another country and you’re not sure how many days to plan out. Well chances are you don’t want your guests to arrive the day before and fly out as soon as the last dance ends. Your guests are flying from all corners of the globe and might want to engage in some extravagance for the weekend. But one does not simply have just a rehearsal dinner for immediate family the night before. So how do we structure a wedding weekend for our clients? Let’s look at this day by day. 

Arrival Day/
Welcome Party

When your guests arrive they will most likely be jet lagged and a little angsty from their travels. What better way to cheer them up than by placing a large glass of Veuve in their hands! We love to plan welcome parties that are short and later in the evenings to allow most people to arrive from their various locations. For tropical locations, a beachside social event is often easy to coordinate with your all-inclusive resort or hotel. If you’re getting married in the mountains you can host a cozy lodge together or choose an area with a beautiful vista in the summer months. Wherever you get married I strongly encourage you to incorporate local culture in you event. Whether that’s margaritas The welcome party should not have a cut-off time but remind your guests that there is no obligation to stay and have them rest up for the next day’s activities. 

The Rehearsal Dinner

Your guests will wake-up the next morning hopefully feeling refreshed and not hungover from last night’s imbibery. Give them a chance to enjoy the surroundings and make sure to include some local highlights for them to see in a welcome booklet! You might be asking 

“Who am I supposed to include and exclude in this rehearsal dinner?” 

The correct answer would be whatever your budget will allow. If you’re having an intimate wedding with a guest count of under 30 then your budget could allow you to invite everyone to the rehearsal dinner. If your weddings are on a larger scale, focus on close family and wedding parties to be a part of the dinner. If your second cousin, Timmy, is feeling left out then schedule after-dinner drinks with out-of-town family/friends to make sure everyone is included. Rehearsal dinner locations can range anywhere from a private boat to a sit-down restaurant that is locally loved. You can create themed-nights with an all white-dress code or explosion of color! If you don’t want to over complicate the dinner then your all-inclusive resorts or hotels will have options for smaller events. Again, it’s important to find local experiences to give your guests a true taste of the paradise you’re in. 

Morning Brunch/Lunch

Ok so you’ve reached the point in your wedding weekend where you and your guests will be trying to recuperate from all the festivities. A.k.a hungover. What better way than to soak up all those espresso martinis than a stack of pancakes or a good omelette. Make morning brunches available to your guests but reiterate that it is optional especially for guests that have a morning or afternoon flight. It can be as casual as a cabin pancake breakfast to avocado toast and mimosas at the local coffee spot. There is no immediate need to provide the entire brunch for your guests but you can set up a round of mimosas and coffee as needed. Once brunch is over you can politely send (or toss) your guests on their merry way back to their home and continue on toward your honeymoon or spend some time together reminiscing about the fantastic weekend!

Whether you decide to host one or ten events, the most important thing is giving back to your guests who have traveled from to and far. They will appreciate you taking the effort to include them in these events and provide some financial relief after spending on flight and hotels! 

Now let’s get this party started!

Arrival Day/Welcome Party