Planning a Weekend of Wedding Events
For a Saturday wedding, the wedding weekend will likely begin on a Thursday. This is the ideal time for the bride to host a ladies’ luncheon, a lunch which she gives to show her appreciation for her bridesmaids. During the luncheon, the bride will give out the pearl earrings, or whatever gift she selected for her bridesmaids. The ladies’ luncheon is typically held in a nice restaurant, since the last thing the bride needs to be doing the week of her wedding is cooking and hosting a party at her house!
Friday is when things really ramp up. A trip to the beauty salon is usually the first order of business for the ladies in the wedding. This can be a really fun time for the bride, her bridesmaids, and the moms to bond over manis and pedis (and maybe a few Champagne cocktails, if the spa is really posh!). Friday afternoon is the usual time for the wedding rehearsal, and it is important that all hands are on deck for this event. Some couples like to line up an activity to entertain their out-of-town guests on Friday who will not be attending the rehearsal. A sight-seeing tour or trip to a local attraction like a vineyard would be a good choice.
Friday night is the traditional time for the rehearsal dinner. In recent years, some couples have opted to host a wedding welcome dinner instead of a rehearsal dinner. The difference is that the welcome dinner is open to everyone, which can make a lot of sense if a large percentage of your wedding guests will be out-of-towners. The rehearsal dinner or welcome dinner can be as formal or informal as you like. You could rent a yacht and serve a five star meal or have a picnic in a neighborhood park; there is no right or wrong. The only rule of thumb is that you don’t want to have a rehearsal dinner which is more lavish than the wedding reception!
On Saturday will come the wedding ceremony and reception, of course, but that is not all. For ceremonies with a 4pm start time or later, it has become very popular to arrange a group activity to keep people entertained before the wedding. The golf tournament is a particular favorite, although you could choose any activities which you think your friends and family would enjoy. The comes the wedding itself, which is of course, the main event of the weekend.
The final thing to add to your wedding weekend is a post-wedding brunch on Sunday morning. This is always a fun and relaxed event, where guests can see the newlyweds one more time before they head off on their honeymoon. It is really just a great way to cap off a wonderful weekend of wedding fun.
Filed under pearl bridal jewelry, Wedding Planning | Tags: Bridesmaid Gifts, pearl earrings, post wedding brunch, rehearsal dinner, wedding parties, wedding weekend | Comment (0)The Post-Wedding Brunch
As the wedding day has morphed into the wedding weekend, one event that has become quite popular is the post-wedding brunch. Although some brides may cringe at the idea of another event to organize and some guests feel like enough is enough already, personally I love the brunch the day after the wedding. It gives everyone a chance to visit a little more before heading out of town, and besides, who doesn’t love brunch? This is what you need to know about planning a post-wedding brunch.
First of all, the bride does not have to be the one to plan a day-after brunch. Her parents could host it, the groom’s parents could host, or even a grandparent could organize the brunch in honor of the newlyweds. Second of all, the post-wedding brunch does not need to be a fancy event at all. By far the easiest way to do it is to book a private dining room in the hotel where most of the guests are staying. Don’t worry about fancy flowers or custom linens; this is not the wedding, after all, just brunch. As long as it is a nice hotel (or restaurant, if you prefer), whatever they provide in the way of decorations will be absolutely fine.
The purpose of having another get-together the day after the wedding is to give everyone one more chance to see each other, which can be wonderful for families who are far-flung. One or two days just isn’t enough time if you only get the whole group together for weddings and holidays. The brunch serves one very other important role: it is always fun to gossip about a great party the next day! This is the perfect opportunity for everyone to rehash the excitement of the day before while it is still fresh in their minds. For the bride and groom, this is the time to get the real scoop on all the interesting things that happened at their wedding – so fun!
While the post-wedding brunch need not be formal, the newlyweds should still make an effort to look good. Match your attire to the setting. For a country inn, a cashmere sweater, tweed skirt, and pearl earrings is a polished brunch outfit. In the summer, a pretty sundress with a tin cup necklace and pearl earrings would be just right. Around the holidays, even daytime parties like brunches tend to be dressier, so step it up a notch with a beaded sweater set and a knee length velvet skirt or a silk wrap dress. After all, your post-wedding brunch is your first chance to make a great impression as newlyweds!
Filed under pearl bridal jewelry, Uncategorized | Tags: pearl earrings, post wedding brunch, wedding parties | Comment (0)Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Bachelorette Parties
Does a bachelorette party have to be rauchy? No! For that matter, neither does a bachelor party. The idea is to get together with your friends for one last night of fun before your wedding, and if Chippendale dancers and suggestively shaped lollipops are not your idea of a good time, then by all means skip the naughty stuff. A girls’ night out at your favorite pub or hitting the dance floor at the hottest nightclub in town are also fun and memorable, and you won’t spend the night feeling embarrassed.
Who pays for the bachelorette party? The bachelorette party is most often organized by the maid of honor and the bridesmaids (one more reason they deserve really awesome bridesmaid gifts!). If the party is one night at a local bar, they will usually split the costs between them. It may be that any upfront costs are evenly divided and that each person pays for her own drinks and chips in extra to make sure the bride’s bar tab is covered at the end of the night. However, if the bachelorette party is going to be held over a weekend away at a spa or a party town like Las Vegas, the bride should be expected to pay for many of her own expenses. And no, the bridesmaids do not have to cover her gambling losses at the casino!
Who should be invited? Certainly, all of the bridesmaids and the maid of honor. Unless you are opting for a spa day or some other G-rated activity, the younger members of the bridal party should sit this one out. When the bachelorette party is held locally, feel free to invite the bride’s other friends who are not in the wedding, her co-workers, and so on. Who to leave out? The mothers and grandmothers of the bride and groom! Also don’t plan on inviting an extended entourage if you are taking the party on the road; it is just too expensive for most people.
Can it be co-ed? Sure! Just as bridal showers are now sometimes “Jack and Jill” events, so too can there be a co-ed bachelor/bachelorette party. Assemble the whole gang for a wild adventure at a favorite watering hole or club. At least this way, the bride and groom will not have to wonder what the other one did at their party!
Filed under Bridesmaid Gifts, Uncategorized | Tags: bachelorette parties, Bridesmaid Gifts, wedding etiquette, wedding parties | Comment (0)