If you’ve stumbled upon our top ten wedding trends for 2019, you might’ve noticed that we ranked wedding after-parties right up there with the best of them. We thought we’d delve a little deeper into this concept, as it’s a relatively new thing in the wedding arena.
What is a wedding after-party?
You’ve probably got the gist of it, right? It’s a party that happens after the wedding. The key thing though is that it takes place at a space other than the wedding venue.
Why would I have one?
There are two reasons:
- Your venue has an early curfew (or you’re having an early wedding at say lunchtime)
- You know you and your crew will want to keep celebrating after the reception wraps up
In fact, your venue might not have an early curfew at all – you might be able to party until 10 or 11pm. But if you know you and many of your guests will want to keep the good times rolling, it’s the perfect solution.
Most wedding venues will have a curfew. There’s a whole heap of reasons why curfews exist but ultimately it’s just part and parcel with their licence to host events and they’re subject to fines if they don’t comply. We get it though – it’s a bit of a bummer if you envisioned you and your loved ones kicking on until the wee hours.
Where should I have a wedding after-party?
At a late night hotel, bar or restaurant.
How should I organise a wedding after-party?
- On your RSVPs, have a section for guests to tick to indicate they’re keen to join in the wedding after-party
- Contact a late-night venue to make a booking for your group once you know your after-party guest numbers.
- Hire a bus to ferry people from your wedding venue to your after-party space
Things to keep in mind
Even if you’ve spoken to a late-night bar and made a formal reservation for your after-party, be aware that by law, they’re entitled (and obligated) to turn away anyone that is obviously off-their-face intoxicated. Which, y’ know, sometimes happens at weddings.
Our tip to manage this is for your wedding MC to make an announcement early on that anyone planning on continuing on to the after-party following the wedding will need to bring their stamina and their straight-face with them – so manage their intake of alcohol accordingly. Noone wants to be sent home early.
You may or may not want to put some money behind the bar for the after-party – totally your call. We’d recommend though paying for some food for people to tuck into as it’ll help give people a second wind and they’ll probably wake up feeling better the next morning too.
