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Photo: Bella Bridesmaids Charlotte | Avonné
Couples spend months, sometimes years, planning their wedding day. So we totally understand why so many brides and grooms turn their wedding day into a wedding weekend.
And the best way to do that is to throw a wedding welcome party to kick off the festivities!
Like all pre-wedding events, the welcome party takes some thought and requires planning.
Not sure where to start?
Here’s everything you need to know about planning a wedding welcome party:
Is It Necessary to Have a Wedding Welcome Party?
Photo: Bella Bridesmaids Chicago | Teresa Williams
A wedding welcome party is a great idea if you’re having a destination wedding. It’s also a nice gesture if many guests from out of town are making a weekend trip out of your wedding celebration.
Couples having a local wedding sometimes wonder if a welcome party is necessary or if it’s asking too much of local guests to attend two separate events.
While it’s certainly not required or expected for a local wedding, it’s a good idea if most of your family members, loved ones, and friends haven’t met yet. It’s a great way to introduce people and let them get comfortable with one another before the big day.
What Happens at a Wedding Welcome Party?
A wedding welcome party is the official kick-off to your wedding weekend. It’s a purely social event filled with cocktails, food, entertainment, and dancing or activities. You should set it up in a way that encourages mingling and conversation.
Think of the welcome party as the “getting to know you” part of the weekend.
If you or your spouse-to-be have relatives who live out of town that the other hasn’t yet met, devote some time to them at your welcome party. That way, you won’t have to spend precious time making those introductions at your wedding reception.
Your welcome party can be anything you want it to be:
It can be as casual and low-key or as fancy as you like, but it should be distinctly different from your wedding reception.
When planning your welcome party, schedule some time for esteemed guests to make toasts, share memories of the bride or groom, and wish the couple well. It’s a perfect opportunity for people who won’t give speeches at the reception to say a few words to the happy couple.
Read: What to Wear to a Wedding Welcome Party
When Should You Have Your Wedding Welcome Party?
Photo: Bella Bridesmaids Freehold | Meghan Moran
If you’re unsure when to have your welcome party, don’t worry — several timelines work. The trick is to plan the party based on when your guests are arriving in town, the wedding date, and when you intend to have your rehearsal dinner.
Let’s say you’re having a Saturday wedding (as most couples do)
Your guests arrive in town on Thursday, and your rehearsal dinner is on Friday. In this scenario, consider having your welcome party on Thursday night, leaving Friday as a “day off” for wedding guests to relax.
Another option is to schedule your rehearsal dinner for late afternoon or early evening on Friday. Then, have your wedding welcome party after the rehearsal dinner on Friday night.
When throwing a welcome party the night before the wedding, always set an end time. You’ll want your guests and wedding party to get plenty of rest before celebrating the next day.
Still planning your rehearsal dinner? See our complete checklist for help planning the entire event!
Where Should You Have Your Wedding Welcome Party?
Photo: Bella Bridesmaids | Brooke Nash Photography
There’s no right or wrong place to have your welcome party — it’s totally up to you!
But there are some things to keep in mind when choosing a venue.
For a destination wedding at a hotel or resort, having your welcome party on the premises or close by is best. If it’s not on the premises, arrange for shuttle buses or private transport to take guests to and from the hotel and the welcome party venue.
Just don’t have it at the same event space as your wedding reception — always save your wedding venue for your special day!
You’ll also want to choose an event space that meets the vibe and theme of your welcome party. An upscale restaurant, swanky lounge, backyard BBQ, chill beach bash … it can be as fancy or casual as you want.
The Wedding Welcome Party Guest List: Who Should You Invite?
You should invite all VIPs, bridesmaids and groomsmen, immediate family, close friends, and every out-of-town guest who traveled to be there.
For a destination wedding where everyone has traveled a distance, invite everyone. It’s a fun way to thank everyone for making the trip to celebrate your nuptials.
Giving a welcome bag with the essentials to survive the whole weekend is also a nice idea. For a destination wedding, provide a bottle of sunscreen, healthy snacks, bottled water, and flip-flops for the beach.
Our Wedding Welcome Party Planning Checklist
Photo: Bella Bridesmaids Miami | La Vie Studios
To make sure your wedding party goes off without a hitch, follow this party planning checklist:
1. Secure Your Venue
Decide on the date and time of the party and reserve your venue well in advance.
2. Send Invitations
Mail paper invitations or invite everyone to attend the festivities through a post on your wedding website. Be sure to include the dress code and theme if there is one.
3. Pick a Vision & Vibe That’s Different From Your Reception
Your welcome event should be distinctly different from your reception. With or without a theme, it should set the tone for the entire weekend but not compete with the actual wedding itself.
4. Select Your Entertainment
Consider hiring local talent if you’re having your wedding in your hometown or at a far-off destination. This will give your guests a taste of the local culture. Fun activities are also forms of entertainment, and you can tie them to the party theme or the venue.
For example:
5. Decide on the Menu
Welcome out-of-town guests with local dishes to give them a taste of the local cuisine!
It’s best to offer food and service distinctly different from what you have at your reception.
For example, for a sit-down reception, have a welcome party buffet. For a buffet reception, host a cocktail-style welcome party with passed hors d’oeuvres or food stations. If you’re having a cocktail wedding reception, hire food trucks or set up a buffet spread.
6. Set Up Seating That Encourages Mingling & Conversation
The welcome party is a way for people to get to know one another. Set up lounge seating with comfy couches where people can gather in small groups. Or arrange cocktail tables or high-top tables so people can stand, mix, and mingle.
No matter where you have it or how many people you invite, your wedding welcome party just might be your best pre-wedding event! And if you use some of our wedding welcome party ideas, you can pull off an amazing event that will leave you with memories to last a lifetime.
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