We are officially in the era of the wedding weekend. While it’s not required, many couples choose to turn their weddings into a lineup of events to have even more time to celebrate with their loved ones. Since many friends and family will travel a long way for your wedding day, building out a full weekend of parties and activities can be a wonderful way to thank them for joining you in this major life moment. Planning a wedding weekend, however, is not for the faint of heart. It requires investing more money into your celebration, as well as time and thought into the planning of these other events.
Ahead, we asked top wedding planners to give their guidance on whether hosting a wedding weekend is right for you and provide tips to help plan out the perfect itinerary for your nuptials.
Is a Wedding Weekend Right for You?
One of the best reasons to plan a full wedding weekend? You get to spend more time with your nearest and dearest who have traveled to celebrate with you. “Couples get to experience a sense of community with friends and family that they wouldn’t get to experience at a one-night event,” shares wedding planner Marcy Blum. Not only can you have more time to connect with your guests, it gives your friends and family the opportunity to get acquainted as well and build a rapport as the weekend moves along. “People often complain that after spending so much time and money, the wedding itself goes by so fast, and a wedding weekend mitigates that.”
Another plus of crafting a multi-day wedding celebration is your ability to curate a unique, individualized set of events. While you can host traditional rehearsal dinners, day-after brunches, and welcome parties, you could also throw in some fun activities that fit your destination, like a beach party or wine tasting on a vineyard.
“One of the biggest advantages of hosting a full wedding weekend is the freedom it gives you to design a schedule that genuinely reflects who you are as a couple, emphasizing your priorities, your interests, and an optimal guest experience,” notes event planner Augusta Cole. “When you have ownership of the entire weekend, you’re no longer tied to a traditional wedding flow, and that flexibility can be incredibly impactful.” One of her clients that was featured in Vogue decided to host their ceremony and an alfresco dinner on a Friday night, leaving Saturday as a day for a full-scale dance party. “They knew this flow would allow them to be fully present and enjoy every part of the celebration without feeling rushed or constrained by an impending ceremony,” Cole says. “Think about your personalities, your families and friends, what you love most about your chosen wedding location, and plan a weekend that’s designed for how you actually want to celebrate.”
While there are many perks to throwing a wedding weekend, it obviously comes with some setbacks. “The biggest consideration is simply that a full wedding weekend is a significant undertaking. It is a multi-day commitment from your guests and multi-event financial commitment on behalf of the hosts,” explains Cole. “You may find that throwing one epic celebration day or evening allows for you to check more priority boxes than diluting your resources over multiple days.”
Consider the Destination and the Venue
If you’re dreaming of a wedding weekend, it’s important think about travel and lodging logistics around your venue before you lock it in and craft an itinerary. Cole advises thinking of a destination as your “home base” for your celebrations. “A home base can be a full hotel property buyout offering a variety of onsite venues, but it could also be a great town that offers a range of hotels in close proximity to one another,” she explains. “The goal here is to keep your guests together so transportation from event to event is convenient and efficient. It is so important to remember that the event experience starts with the journey to get there and ends with the return home, so be especially mindful of this as you plan out your guests’ weekend itinerary. Moving hundreds of guests also takes longer than zipping between point to point as a couple on a vacation.”
Cole recommends not having any events more than 20 minutes away from the main hotel. She adds, “If there is an event location that is spectacular but 30 minutes or more from accommodations, try to concentrate most of your events at or very close to your home base, saving the travel time for one incredibly memorable and worthwhile experience!” While property buyouts can be expensive, the planner does say it comes with a few benefits. “A buyout often allows for hosting parties in spaces on the grounds that would otherwise be unavailable to a regular hotel guest. For example, How fabulous is it when the late-night party ends at the buyout hotel?” Cole says. “Guests safely return home to rooms no matter how late the party goes, without any transportation concerns.”
Speaking of transportation, consider how easy it will be for your family and friends to make their way to your destination. “Guests generally prefer destinations with a single flight versus those with layovers,” shares Blum. Don’t forget that budget will be a major factor for those heading to your wedding as well. “Something that is overlooked (assuming you’re not paying for all of the hotel rooms) is the affordability of the destination or resort,” she adds. Selecting a location like the Hamptons in peak season might mean some guests will need to pay a high premium to attend a full wedding weekend and may end up bowing out of the festivities.
What to Host Each Day
While the schedule of events doesn’t have to follow a standard formula, there is a general flow most wedding weekends will follow. The first evening often begins with the rehearsal dinner—usually with a smaller guest list limited to the wedding party and close family. Hosting this on an earlier day can give guests who aren’t in this group the option to spend less on lodgings. The following day will have a welcome party, which can range from a casual get-together to a cocktail attire affair. “We love a day party,” adds Cole. “In St. Barths, we threw a fabulous all-day Friday party at La Guerite, which went from noon to sundown on the Friday before the wedding. Guests had the evening off to recharge or explore the island on their own, but they enjoyed a full seated lunch and DJ dance party throughout the day.”
Then comes the wedding day, complete with the ceremony and reception. An after-party can follow into the early hours of the morning. The ambitious can host a goodbye party as a final sendoff to their guests. “Instead of a brunch the day after the wedding, we’ve been doing more events later in the day, like a Sunday roast, movie night, or game night for any guests that may not be leaving until the following day,” notes Blum. In the hours between all these events, couples can choose to host other opportunities for their guest to get together, ranging from pickleball tournaments, hikes, pool parties, or happy hours. “A recent favorite at Blackberry Farm was a rosé-and-croquet picnic hosted on a Saturday afternoon—yard games, takeaway lunches, and plenty of rosé flowing,” shares Cole. “It was an effortless way for guests to enjoy the day and location together.”
Communicating Multi-Day Events to Guests
It’s one thing to plan activities for guests—it’s another to make sure they are well-informed of the schedule. Invitations and a wedding website will serve as your main tools to make this happen. “We always recommend sending a save-the-date well in advance with clear weekend dates, location, and a link to the wedding website so guests can begin planning travel,” says Cole. While the invites can give the basics of events, the website will get into the nitty-gritty of all your details. “It’s the best place to communicate additional events, sign-ups for on-property experiences, accommodation booking information, and important notes like childcare during certain portions of the weekend,” recommends Cole. “We typically keep the paper suite language more traditional and streamlined, allowing the website to host the bulk of the practical information.”
As the wedding is coming closer, you may also want to send direct emails to your guests as well. Blum says it’s best to keep it concise. “To keep the email reminders more helpful, we try to ask all of the questions or share large blocks of information at one time versus constantly emailing or spamming guests,” she shares. Getting your guests’ phone numbers for text reminders over the wedding weekend can also be helpful. “If weather shifts plans or a time or location needs to change, having the ability to quickly reach guests ensures everything runs smoothly,” notes Cole.
One final communication tip? “Once guests arrive, nothing is more effective than a physical itinerary. A beautifully designed, on-site schedule helps guests stay oriented and feel cared for throughout the weekend,” says Cole. If providing guests with wedding welcome bags, you can easily slip them in to keep them well-informed. She adds, “We love digitally sharing these agendas in advance of guest travel, as well as a final packing cheat sheet and weekend agenda reminder!”
Planning Tips and Mistakes to Avoid
While planning your wedding weekend, it’s understandable to want to provide options that constantly keep your guests entertained. While planning curated opportunities can be a wonderful addition to your celebration, don’t feel obligated to have activities every hour. “Often, guests appreciate a bit of breathing room to explore the destination on their own. Be thoughtful about how you want to entertain, but also honest about your energy and interests,” shares Cole. “A well-paced weekend that feels true to you will always be more memorable than an overpacked one.”
A major wedding weekend mistake Cole says to avoid? “Over-scheduling or not fully accounting for transition time. Hair and makeup changes, outfit changes, and transportation always take longer than you expect, especially at destination weddings,” she says. “We always recommend building in extra cushion so the weekend never feels rushed. A little breathing room allows everyone, especially the couple, to stay present and actually enjoy the celebration.”
- A wedding weekend is a multi-day celebration that extends outside the typical ceremony and reception. Crafting these dynamic destination events requires budget, lots of planning, and great communication with your guests to help the party flow.
- Marcy Blum is the founder of Marcy Blum Events, a top luxury events planning company that has been in business since 1987.
- Augusta Cole is a New York City- and Charleston-based wedding planner with over 15 years of experience hosting luxury events in destinations around the world.
