A wedding requires months of planning. Though the preparations take so long, the actual celebration is often over in the blink of an eye. No wonder throwing weekend-long weddings is increasing in popularity. It's a nice alternative to a traditional single-day wedding. Multi-day celebrations are more relaxed and allow couples to spend more time with their loved ones. That's a plus, for sure! However, there are cons too. Great news: we've compiled everything you need to know about hosting a wedding weekend.
Extends the celebration
As we’ve already mentioned, a wedding celebration goes by in a flash. But is there a way to make a special day last longer? Well, hosting a wedding weekend is the perfect option. It slows down the celebration and allows you to extend the magical feeling of the best day ever. Planning a full weekend wedding also means you will have far more time to spend with people you love and care about. Instead of just a few hours, you will have days for interactions. Isn’t it awesome?
A great getaway for guests
Wedding weekends also bring a sense of adventure. Planning a multi-day celebration around a special destination or venue will give your guests more time to explore the area and a chance to make memories along the way. What’s even cooler is that wedding weekends are great for getting people closer! While some of your guests might already know one another, others might not. Wedding weekends provide more opportunities for bonding and reconnecting. Who knows, maybe, your multi-day celebration might be the start of some new beautiful friendships (or even love stories!)
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More freedom
Typically, a wedding consists of a welcome party, rehearsal dinner, ceremony, reception, and finishes with farewell brunch. Though a weekend-long wedding incorporates all of these traditional elements, it is more relaxed. Such an event gives you more freedom to get creative with the structure, flow, and pace of your special day. Consider it a mini-vacation for your guests and yourself. Hosting a multi-day celebration is also a great opportunity to expose your family and friends to more things you and your partner enjoy. Have an excursion planned out on the water, or make a winery tour part of your wedding weekend. The options are limitless!
Higher cost
Weekend-long weddings come with bigger price tags. And that’s understandable! Unlike single-day celebrations, multi-day weddings require more planning, additional activities as well as more food and beverages. Plus, you might need to source more locations to host different events over the days of celebration. So when it comes to weekend-long weddings, everything depends on your budget. If it allows you to spend some extra money — great! The cost might not be a problem. In other cases, consider cutting down your guest list or giving your preference to a single-day wedding.
Lower attendance
Be ready to hear a lot of No’s! Not everyone from your guest list will be able to dedicate themselves to an entire weekend because of having busy schedules or families waiting for them at home. So the longevity of the celebration might be a deal breaker for some. If you are planning a weekend-long destination wedding that requires guests to fly to a particular location, expect your list to shrink even more. Well, for some couples, fewer guests means less stress, but if attendance is your top priority, consider hosting your multi-day event somewhere closer to home or find other ways to make the celebration flexible for everyone.
Less alone time
The other downside of the wedding weekend is that you and your partner will have less alone time. Well, you two are the main characters of the celebration, after all. The entire weekend you will be surrounded by guests yearning for your attention or asking to have a photo or two together. The best way out is to build some free time into the wedding schedule. While your guests will be relaxing or exploring the area on their own, you will be able to spend a couple of hours one-on-one with your significant other.
