Perhaps you’re looking to turn your wedding day into a wedding weekend, or maybe you’re just wanting to welcome your guests the evening before you say “I do”. Regardless of where you fall on this spectrum, a wedding welcome party is just the event to make both or either of those things happen! Before you start organizing your itinerary and party plans, keep on reading for exactly what to know about planning a wedding welcome party.

What is a welcome party?

A wedding welcome party is a pre-wedding event welcoming your guests. As it is typically a less-formal affair, consider it a kick-off for all the wedding celebrations that follow. It’s a great chance for those you love to reconnect and/or meet one another and mingle before the big day.

How is it different from a rehearsal dinner?

While you can combine the two, the wedding welcome party is usually an event held on its own. While the rehearsal dinner is primarily for those that have a role in the wedding day, the wedding welcome party is more of a celebration for everyone that has come into town (plus local guests, if you chose to invite them) to celebrate your big day.

Who hosts the welcome party?

Traditionally, one partner’s family – whoever hosts the rehearsal dinner – usually hosts the event. However, it’s not uncommon for both sides of the family to join forces and pitch in for the celebration.

Who should be invited?

Realistically, everyone can be invited! But it’s not uncommon for mainly out-of-towners to be invited if the wedding is taking place in the couple’s hometown. If it’s a destination wedding, anyone that made the trip to celebrate is usually invited.

When should it take place?

A wedding welcome party is usually held the evening before the wedding. If you plan on hosting a rehearsal dinner the day before, you can decide how you want to best factor them both into your timeline. In most cases, the rehearsal dinner will transform into the welcome party. If you’re opting for a destination wedding, you’ll want to consider hosting this event the day guests arrive regardless if it’s the day before your wedding or not.

How should guests be invited?

If you’re inviting everyone on your wedding guest list, you can mention the welcome dinner on your wedding website or create an insert card to include in their stationery suite. Your wedding invitation is not the appropriate place for this information. If you’re only inviting select people from your wedding guest list, it is not uncommon to send a separate invitation or include an insert in the wedding invites.

Who pays for the party?

Most times, the couples themselves decide to pay for this event. Although, sometimes the parents offer to split the costs or one family takes over the responsibility entirely.

What type of food and drinks should be served?

Feel free to serve up whatever you want! However, drinks and hors d’oeuvres typically suffice for the simplistic nature of this event. Alcoholic drinks and cocktails aren’t expected, but are usually part of the menu. If the event overlaps with a rehearsal dinner, it’s common to have just cocktails for the wedding welcome party. If you are not covering the bar bill, just be sure to let your guests know ahead of time.

What forms of entertainment should you have?

A cocktail style party will totally suffice. But if you’re looking for something more, consider having a band, fireworks, or some sort of activity such as corn hole, mini golf, or even hosting your event poolside.

Do you need decor?

Since this event is more on the casual side, you likely don’t need decor. If you choose to include some type of decor, this is a fun time to get creative and design an affair that looks much different than your wedding day! For example, if your wedding is more muted colors, you could include bolder elements into your wedding welcome party decor. Also, if you have a lot of out-of-town guests, now is the time to play up features that highlight parts of the city you love.

Do guests give toasts at the welcome party?

There’s no hard and fast “rule” when it comes to toasts from guests at the welcome party. Usually anyone speaking on the day of the wedding will not speak during this time. However, if you have friends’ speeches that won’t be included in the rehearsal or wedding day, this party is a great time for those to be shared!