Organising a Wedding Weekend
Why just have one wedding day when you can dedicate an entire weekend to celebrating? Your wedding day will without a doubt be one of the best days of your life, and we’re all for dragging out that pre-wedding and post-wedding feeling. Now more than ever, couples are opting to create a ‘wedding weekend’; multi-day wedding celebrations to allow the couple to indulge in quality time with all of their guests. Ready to hear more about planning a wedding weekend itinerary in Wiltshire? Read on.
What is a Wedding Weekend?
What is a wedding weekend? We hear you ask. After months of planning and build up, your wedding day can feel as though it’s over in a flash! Through a wedding weekend, you can make your special day last just that little bit longer! Making the most of that pre-wedding excitement with your loved ones, and enjoying a post-wedding debrief with your closest friends.
Typically starting on a Friday and ending on a Sunday, a wedding weekend often sees the wedding day sandwiched between a pre-wedding party or pre-wedding dinner, and a post-wedding brunch or post-wedding BBQ. As weddings are hugely individual, these wedding weekend events may look different from couple to couple, and should be as bespoke as you’d like them to be.
A pre-wedding event often takes place on a Friday, on your ‘wedding eve’. After a day of setting up your special day and making those last minute arrangements, a pre-wedding dinner is a lovely way to finish things up. Whether you’re looking for an intimate dinner party to kick things off in a sophisticated manner, or a chilled BBQ to take things easy, there are all sorts of ways your pre-wedding party can take shape.
After the big day itself it can be a little sad to say goodbye to your guests so quickly. A post-wedding brunch is a fun way to debrief with your bridesmaids and groomsmen… and a good way of roping in helpers for the tidy up!
Why have a Wedding Weekend?
Trying to make time to engage with all of your guests on your wedding day is no mean feat, especially if you have over 100 guests. Spreading your celebrations across the weekend will naturally allow more time with your loved ones; plenty of opportunity to create special wedding memories. As well as more time for you to spend with your wedding guests, a whole weekend of wedding celebrations allows your guests more time to spend with each other. A pre-wedding party lets your guests get to know each other ahead of the big day, building connections early for a super fun and relaxed wedding day.
Although a whole weekend sounds like a lot to organise, grouping all of your celebrations into one weekend will make things easier to plan. Your guests will only need to put one weekend in their calendar to celebrate the two of you, meaning no back and forth on various dates. Some couples even swap the stag and hen for their pre-wedding party. The bride and bridesmaids spend their pre-wedding evening in one location, and the groomsmen in another.
A wedding weekend also makes the most of your chosen wedding venue, if they allow exclusive weekend hire. For example, if you’re setting up a marquee for your special day, this will likely be up for 3-4 days anyway. Having a pre and post-wedding event will maximise on the amount you have spent hiring the venue. Equally, some Wiltshire venues such as Euridge Manor have a cost for weekend hire which allows you use from the Friday to the Sunday. At a venue as beautiful as this, you’ll want to spend as much time as possible, hosting your various wedding events in each area of the venue.
How to plan a Wedding Weekend
Where to start? Good question! As with your wedding day itself, setting a budget is the first place to start. Once your budget is set, look at the elements and order them in priority; food, drink, photography, decor. Then, allocate budget according to your priority. For some couples, food won’t be a priority and a drinks party will work best for them. For others, only a foodie extravaganza will do! It’s all about creating a bespoke experience that reflects you as a couple.
A wedding weekend works particularly well when you have a venue with weekend hire, however, some couples look at alternative venues close by for their pre and post-wedding events. If your chosen wedding venue doesn’t offer weekend venue hire, why not look to your own garden for an intimate pre-wedding BBQ with your family? For a post-wedding event, a local farm venue such as the Farm at Avebury is a great spot for hosting a large group.
Does the planning feel a little too much for you? Understandable! A wedding planner can offer planning for your pre and post-wedding parties, too. Get Wed are the ultimate planning gurus who can take care of your entire wedding weekend. We’ve worked with them on wedding weekends at Euridge Manor and have been blown away by how carefully curated their wedding experiences are, but equally, how relaxed and friendly they are throughout.
Wedding Weekend Venues
Wedding Weekend venues are venues that offer exclusive hire across a weekend, or three day period. Euridge Manor is one of our favourite spots for hosting a wedding weekend. With so many beautiful spaces at this English country garden style venue, you’ll be spoilt for choice for your celebrations. A pre-wedding dinner in the orangery and a post-wedding BBQ under the rose pergola, sounds idyllic doesn’t it?
Ridgeway Barns also offer a three-day exclusive hire of their beautiful countryside wedding venue. An intimate dinner in their manor house sets the scene for what’s to come, and you can extend into the Sunday for a brunch event overlooking rolling Wiltshire fields.
Marquees are also a great choice for wedding weekends; often put up a few days before your wedding, you may as well make the most of it and celebrate the night before! As marquee weddings are often DIY weddings, it’s important to have a plan for ‘changeover’ between your events. You’ll need to ask your catering team to re-lay the tables in between your events or enlist the help of a planner to make the experience fuss-free. We love working with Abbas Marquees, Buffalo Tipis and Archers.
Wedding Weekend Catering
We’ll shout it from the rooftops; ‘We’re a weekend wedding caterer’! We love working with our couples to create an entire weekend of celebrations. Whatever you have planned in terms of food and drink for your wedding weekend, we’re all ears. From micro-wedding style sit-down dinners to canapé and drinks parties, we can offer a variety of options for your pre-wedding celebration. Equally, for your post-wedding event, an abundant brunch filled with colourful dishes or hearty BBQ to soak up the hangover are particular favourites.
It’s important to have a plan for drinks for your pre and post-wedding events, too. We always suggest keeping things simple! Having a completely different drinks menu for each event can complicate things a little; a traditional glass of fizz and good wines for your pre-wedding dinner are all you need to bring your event together. For your post-wedding brunch or BBQ, refreshing and thirst-quenching drinks are a must. Infused waters, tea and coffee may be enough for your guests! Though, if you’re still looking for alcohol, a simple breakfast cocktail or local beers and rosé are popular choices. We’ll work with you to put together a drinks package for your entire wedding weekend.
So, there you have it! Our ultimate guide to planning your very own wedding weekend. Looking to plan a wedding weekend in the UK? Pop us an email or DM us on Instagram for more information. We have a little black book brimming with ideas and contacts to put together an amazing three-day wedding celebration.