Putting Together Your Wedding After-Party
Though there are many facets to a wedding, most people will agree that it is pretty much one big party. Still, when it is your own wedding, you may feel like you don’t have enough time to really get down and enjoy yourself in the way you’d like. Brides and grooms often get caught up in the flow of the night, rushing around to various guests to say hello and take care of activities like cutting the cake, tossing the bouquet, and listening to speeches. To really enjoy your own wedding, you may want to consider an after-party.
The idea of the after-party is nothing new. The purpose of this type of event is to keep the energy and revelry of the wedding going after guests need to leave the venue. Follow these suggestions and see how you can put together an after-party you will truly love.
Pick the Space
The first and most important decision you’re going to have to make for an after-party is choosing the location. You are going to be somewhat limited in where you can go, but you can use this to your advantage. Guests will most likely have spent the night drinking and dancing, meaning you do not want to select a location that is far away from the reception venue. Instead, try and search for local bars or clubs that might be able to accommodate your group when everyone is ready to shift to the next part of the night.
In many cases, you might be able to work with the hotel where you and your guests will be staying the night of the wedding. Hotel bars can be a wonderful place to throw your after-party because most of the guests will already be planning on heading to the hotel at the end of the night. Throwing your after-event here allows everyone the opportunity to run to their rooms, change into more comfortable clothes, and get back down to the lobby for a bit more carousing before bed.
Create the Scene
Another important aspect of throwing the after-party is making sure that it still feels like a celebration, rather than a bunch of people grabbing drinks at a bar. To achieve this, try and plan ahead with some ideas for décor. Sprucing up the place where you throw your after-party and giving it a bit of pizazz can help to invigorate the space and remind your guests that they are still in “wedding celebration mode.” Of course, you’ll want to keep the décor as simple as possible because you won’t have a lot of time for setting things up.
One surefire solution for décor is to use what you already have purchased for your wedding reception. The centerpieces and decorations lining your venue can come in handy when the time for the after-party arrives. Simply assign a few members of your wedding party the task of gathering certain key pieces of décor from the venue before the night ends. Have these individuals head to the after-party location a little earlier than the other guests to set things up. This can make a big difference when it comes to keeping the excitement going.
Don’t Forget Munchies
Finally, your friends and relatives are probably going to be hungry after a night of revelry. The easiest way to make sure everyone has a snack is by ordering some pizzas and having them arrive at the after-party at the same time as your guests. You can also consider more advanced ideas like hiring a food truck to come to the venue parking lot. As long as guests have something to eat, you can be as simple or creative as you’d like.
Your wedding might speed by you so fast that you don’t have a chance to enjoy yourself. Remedy this by planning an after-party where you can have a great time and keep the party going for your guests all night.