DESTINATION WEDDING ESSENTIALS
Destination Wedding Essentials
Every engaged couple has their own aspirations for their wedding day. Whether you want a grandiose occasion or a small, relaxed ceremony, there are common parts to most wedding fantasies: beautiful flowers, delicious foods, or elaborate centerpieces. But what about the rest of your wedding weekend? Have you thought about the pre- and post-wedding festivities?
Guests coming in from out of town for a destination wedding may arrive two or three days early and may stay until at least the day after the wedding. After all that traveling, you can help turn their trip into a fulfilling weekend getaway. And wouldn’t you and your partner like to keep the celebration going all weekend, too? See how you can make the most out of your time with your out-of-town guests.
There are probably two days you should consider, the day before the wedding and the day after. And we can help. At any of our Run Away with Me venues, you can add on events that help make a whole weekend out of your celebration. Here are three great additions to consider:
Welcome Dinner
A welcome dinner is similar to a rehearsal dinner, but it’s open to all of your guests -- particularly the ones arriving from out of town. It’s a less intimate gathering than a traditional rehearsal dinner and is often more casual.
A welcome dinner is great a way to kick off the weekend with food and fun, and it brings everyone together to laugh and talk before the big day. Picture both of your families bonding and your friends from different circles getting to know each other. Also think about relatives who haven’t seen each other in a long time getting to catch up again.
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A welcome dinner is a fun, informal way for everyone to mingle before the wedding. The meal can be light or elaborate, depending on what you want. The purpose is to say “hello” and “thank you for coming” to your guests. One of the best things about having a welcome dinner is that it gives you more time to talk to all of your guests, especially out-of-towners you haven’t seen in a while. On the big day, celebrating your and your partner’s love for one another will overwhelm every other subject, so this is the perfect opportunity to have those long conversations with guests.
Whatever cuisine and venue you choose for the dinner, this gathering will get the weekend started off right. All you have to do is tell us your vision for the event and we’ll handle everything.
Wine Tours
If guests from out of town will be arriving especially early, a wine tour could be a great addition to their trip. Run Away with Me’s Napa Valley, St. Helena venues offer a variety of these, accommodating 2-50 people at a time. Your guests will have a great time tasting a selection of incredible wines together, talking and laughing throughout the tour. A wine tour is an easy addition to make the weekend even more relaxing and enjoyable.
Also consider making time for just the two of you to take a romantic pre-wedding tour. You could be strolling through the vineyard together, sampling a variety of wines, enjoying some special time alone. You and your fiancé may want to seize the moment to spend some quiet, quality time together to meditate on your future. It could be a nice pause in the weekend to stop and just take it all in. This simple tour could be one of your most cherished memories from the whole weekend.
And don’t worry about coordinating the tours. Just tell us which types you’d like and we’ll take care of it.
Farewell Brunch
Who doesn’t love brunch? Consider inviting everyone who’s stayed in the area to dig into a post-wedding spread of pancakes, omelettes, and all your other favorites. And at our Napa Valley I location, guests will have no trouble getting there if they’ve booked an onsite hotel room for $400-$900 a night. If you need any assistance with the booking process, let us know!
Farewell brunches typically start mid-morning, so everyone can sleep in a little and arrive well-rested. (Even those, including yourselves, you may have partied the night away.) Wear whatever you’ll be comfortable traveling in on your way to your honeymoon destination. A big brunch is a fun way for your guests to send you off, and for you to thank them one more time for contributing to making your wedding day extra special with their love. You’ll get to wrap up the weekend sipping mimosas with your guests as they call you Mr. or Mrs. for the first time.
A farewell brunch is also another chance to share great food together. Consider a meal that’s special to your family or to you or your partner. Maybe you’ll choose a breakfast that’s traditional to your culture, like bagels and lox or chilaquiles. Or maybe you and your partner are french toast connoisseurs, so you’ll make sure there’s a decadent one available. Our experience with our vendors will help us find you the right chef to cater this special meal. Whatever you choose, it’ll be a wonderful way to close out the weekend.
Planning Your Destination Wedding Weekend
Planning an entire weekend for your destination wedding can make the event that much more special. For your out-of-town guests, it turns the weekend into a true getaway. At Run Away with Me, we honor this special time you have with your guests and partner to create precious memories. See how we can help plan every part.
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