How To Nail A Wedding Recovery Party

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How To’s

Annnnd: exhale. It’s done. You’re married. Believe us, the day after feels SO DAMN GOOD. All that hard work, planning and anticipation came together for one day of joy, laughter, and memories, and hopefully, it was the absolute best.

But with the end of celebrating comes an inevitable realisation: it’s all over, and you might be a bit worried about feeling a tad flat. Our advice? Keep the good times rolling as Sarah and Erich did at Byron Bay venue, Bangalow Bowlo, where their guests could forget about their hangovers for a quick second and enjoy an insane spread put on by One Green Acre.

So, how do you pull off a recovery party? Scroll on to read and to see more of this Byron Bay celebration.

Photography by Bianca Virtue.

Why you should organise a get-together the day after your wedding

It’s an awesome way to hear stories from the night before.

Hilarious anecdotes, cheeky wedding hook-ups, potential disasters you were kept clear of – all these things will be the topic of convo the day after the wedding when everyone gathers together. You don’t want to miss out on hearing about all the memories forged at your big day.

You’ll keep those endorphins flowing

Plenty of couples report feeling a slump of energy after their wedding. Makes sense – you’ve been looking forward to a day for months and now it’s all over. Nuh-uh, not with a wedding recovery party. Let’s keep those happy hormones on a high.

It’s a great way to share any leftover food or wedding wine or to try something totally different

If you’re lucky enough to have a few cases of wine or beers spare from the night before, it’s the perfect way to lighten the load home by sharing the excess with family and friends. Alternatively, you could opt for some delicious grub that’ll help cure any hangovers.

If you need a hand calculating how much alcohol you’ll need for your wedding, we can help too.

You can have proper chats with people

You and your partner are hot property on your wedding day. If you’ve got a large-ish number of guests coming to your wedding, you’re going to be hard-pressed having good, long conversations with everyone. Don’t worry about this – it’s to be expected. The beautiful thing about getting together the following day is that you can properly catch up with all the people that made an effort to come and celebrate your nuptials with you, which takes the pressure off you somewhat on the wedding day.

Wedding recovery party ideas + things to consider

What any epic recovery party should/might have…

Some styling. We’re talking some beautiful flowers (you can totally use some from the wedding, as Sarah and Erich did with their florals from Bower Botanicals), as well as some extra bits and pieces like this beautiful set up by Style and Hire.
Amazing grub. Goes without saying, but your guests (and you) are more than likely to be a little worse for wear and in need of a serious feed. Burgers, kebabs, bacon and eggs, pig on the spit, oysters, cheese boards, and more will all go down a treat. Just take a note out of One Green Acre’s book, because they totally nailed it.

If you’re having a destination wedding…

Head back to your venue the next day (obviously with permission from the venue owner) and enjoy the set-up one last time.
Gather at a local bowling club like Bangalow Bowlo, pub, winery or park with BBQs
Get together at one of the accommodation properties booked for the wedding
Barefoot bowls is a relaxed vibe and means guests can just grab food and beverages for themselves whenever they like

If you’re sticking around your home town…

Again, the pub is a solid choice for a meeting place
Host the recovery session in your backyard/a parent’s backyard
Go to the beach if you’re on the coast

Our top tips

Get organised

Call the local bakery several days in advance and place an order for any bread you’ll need. Don’t expect that you can lob up the morning after your wedding and have 80 rolls available, particularly if you’re in a regional town.

Take the load off yourself

Ask your wedding caterer to cook you a handful of frittatas or slices that you can serve cold or lightly warmed for the recovery party. Or hit up the local Country Women’s Association for things like baked good and sandwich platters. Alternatively, if you’re keen to self-cater, keep things simple – bacon and egg rolls, sausage sandwiches, simple salads and plenty of fresh fruit and water to help dust out the cobwebs.

Send your guests off with love (i.e. treats)

If your guests have travelled for your wedding, a thoughtful, unexpected touch is to have a basket on hand of easy nibbles that guests can take with them on their journey. Biscuits, mixed nuts, lollies and a bunch of paper bags and a scoop will do the trick.