Planning a wedding weekend offers the perfect opportunity to extend your celebration, capturing more intimate and candid moments beyond the big day. By spreading the events over several days, you create more space for memories to unfold naturally, allowing you and your guests to fully immerse in the joy of the occasion.
Wedding Weekend in Chattanooga
This welcome dinner at Common House in Chattanooga perfectly illustrates how planning a wedding weekend can create an unforgettable experience. Custom elements like a cigar lounge, a martini tower, custom matchboxes, and even a couple’s newspaper elevated the evening. They balanced elegance with a laid-back vibe by serving pizza from Honeyseed – an unexpected yet delightful touch that everyone enjoyed.
These personalized details didn’t just look beautiful – they spoke volumes about the couple’s unique story and style. The custom invites were thoughtfully designed, adding a personal flair, while the casual pizza brought a laid-back (and delicious!) vibe to the evening. All these elements combined to turn the wedding weekend into a unique, memorable celebration.
Why to Plan a Wedding Weekend
Planning a wedding weekend allows you to tell your complete story. Instead of focusing only on the ceremony and reception, a multi-day event gives you time to savor the moments you might otherwise miss. From your guests arriving and catching up with old friends to the toasts made during a laid-back welcome dinner, these candid, joyful experiences are often the most memorable.
Planning these extra events also just allows more time to enjoy moments with your favorite people! A wedding can often feel rushed, leaving little time to truly engage with all your guests. By planning a weekend of events, you ensure that you’ll have intentional, quality moments with your friends and family, especially those who’ve traveled to celebrate with you. This is especially important for destination weddings, where guests have made the extra effort to be there!
Events to Include in Your Wedding Weekend
If you’re ready to take your wedding weekend to the next level, here are some key events to consider incorporating:
Welcome Dinner
A welcome dinner is the perfect way to start your weekend. This is typically a more laid-back event where guests are just starting to arrive. This is an especially ideal event when you are planning a destination wedding, as it gives your guests more opportunities to celebrate you and make all the travel even more worth it. It’s typically treated as a cocktail hour or can even be a seated elegant dinner. It can just be a chance to spend time with people you care about before the busyness of the wedding day.
Rehearsal Dinner or Brunch
A rehearsal dinner is typically an event that is included in the itinerary, as it is a chance for the wedding party and family to get together after rehearsal at your venue. These can be hosted at a restaurant, someone’s house, or even at your venue. It’s a much more intimate event with just the people involved in the day. If your wedding is during the day rather than an afternoon wedding, you can opt for a rehearsal brunch or lunch instead!
Day-After Brunch
This one is all about goodbyes and final time together before everyone heads home. When many of your family and friends are traveling and may not be people you have the chance to see often, this gives you the opportunity to spend more time with them and celebrate one more time!
Tips for Planning a Wedding Weekend
Planning a wedding weekend can feel like a big task, but with the right approach, it can be a smooth and enjoyable process. Here are some tips to help you plan an unforgettable multi-day celebration:
Choose a Central Location
Make it easy for your guests by choosing a venue convenient to hotels and local attractions. This way, everyone can relax and enjoy the weekend without worrying about transportation. There are many venues that are geared towards wedding weekends, so consider looking for one like that!
Create a Detailed Itinerary
Share a clear itinerary in advance, so your guests know where to be and when. Include downtime in the schedule to allow guests to explore the area or relax. Your guests will appreciate knowing what to expect throughout the weekend.
Offer a Welcome Bag
A personalized welcome bag with snacks, water, and local treats can make guests feel appreciated when they arrive. Include the itinerary and any information about local attractions or transportation options.
Consider Hiring a Wedding Planner
Planning a wedding weekend takes a lot of time and energy, and it could be difficult to keep up with all the details involved. Hiring a wedding planner who knows the industry and can handle all the vendors will help alleviate time and stress. This means you can spend more of your wedding weekend relaxed and truly just enjoy the experience!
Sample Wedding Weekend Itinerary
If you’re looking to structure your wedding weekend for maximum impact, here’s a sample itinerary that flows well for both you and your guests:
- Thursday Evening: Welcome Dinner
Start with an intimate, laid-back event. Think beautiful decor, delicious food, and plenty of time for everyone to mingle. Include unique and stunning details, like the ones pictured in this post, to personalize the event and fit you and your partner.
- Friday Evening: Rehearsal + Rehearsal Dinner
Get together with your family and friends to practice for the big day, and celebrate and thank them afterwards with a dinner! Or if your wedding is earlier in the day, opt for a lunch or brunch afterwards instead.
- Saturday Afternoon: The Wedding Day
And then it’s time for the big day! Spend it taking in every moment with your partner and celebrating with the people you love the most.
- Sunday Morning: Day-After Brunch
Spend the next morning with a casual send-off that allows for those final goodbyes and heartfelt moments. It’s the perfect way to round out your weekend, and have one more opportunity to celebrate the occasion.
Chattanooga Wedding Planner + Designer
Hi, I’m Erin from Wild Magnolia Events + Design! Whether you’re planning a full wedding weekend, a stylish welcome dinner, or an intimate bridal brunch, I’m here to help you bring every detail to life. With a passion for thoughtful design and a meticulous eye for detail, I’ll work with you to create a wedding weekend that reflects your personal style and vision. I’d love to help you plan your special day or any other event you have in mind. Feel free to reach out to me here, and we can chat more about your ideas!
