ALLLLL these parties!!!!

[So_happy]

Okay, here is my conception of the parties/events associated with our wedding that we hope to take part in/host/help organize in the order I feel they should occur.......

We are getting married the end of August on a Sunday.


1. Bridal shower (end of June)
2. Bachorlette/Bachelor party (both held on same night but separately) (beginining of August)
3. Bridesmaid luncheon/breakfast/tea (Friday before wedding)
4. Rehearshal Dinner (Saturday before wedding)
5. Wedding: Ceremony & Reception (Sunday until 11pm)
6. After-party (Sunday-Monday until 1am)
7. Post-wedding Brunch the morning after for OOT family and anyone who wants to/can attend (Monday after wedding)

This is our ideal timeline of parties. However, between FI and I, we have one attendant who is coming from several states away and needs to fly in/out and 2 attendants that would need to drive about 3 hours to our area (the rest are relatively local). Thus, we are wondering how to have all of these parties so that everyone of the attendants (10 total) could take part. The only thing we can think of is to have it all spread out (minus the Shower) from Thursday- Monday where each day will bring a different party. But THAT sounds tiring just writing that lol. But it would increase the chances that all but that one flying-in attendant could make it to all...........(altho I''d imagine that even the locals would find it challenging to do all of that in one long string of days)

As one final "problem", I have one BM who won''t be 21 until the Wednesday before our wedding so to include her in the Bacholorette party (where there will be drinking and lots of places around here do NOT have 18+ policies due to crackdowns on underage drinking) would mean having it the Friday before.

Alternatively, we could remove the post wedding brunch and have a big RD instead where all OOT''s and the BP will be invited with the BP coming a little early for the actual rehearsal part. That may make it a bit easier with a Thurs-Sun time frame????

This is begining to sound like a destination wedding for cripessake! lol

Any suggestions to make this simpler?????

THank YOU!!!!

 

[tanyak]

Wow. That''s busy! Just some quick thoughts. An event every day for four days seems like a lot, particularly when it''s not wrapped around a holiday and people might have to take off from work. I think I would move the bachlorette party to Friday so that the birthday girl can go. Also, do you think many people will come to the post-wedding brunch on Monday? A lot of people might be ready to head back home first thing that morning. Maybe it wouldn''t be a bad idea to invite everyone out on Saturday.

Are you getting married on Aug. 26? That''s when I got married this year!

 

[So_happy]

Tanya~ Yes, August 26th is our day I love discovering date-twins

Your suggestions are good.

I could have a RD on Saturday that includes the OOT guests that can make it AND the BP...with the bridal party coming an hour early to actually rehearse. Then, if folks need to leave, they could do that first thing Monday morning. It would also save me the time and money planning two separate events.

I might also consider having a bridesmaid breakfast or brunch the morning of the wedding instead of on Friday. I imagine we''d all be together anyway and it would be nice to eat a good meal early on before everything kicks off at 5pm.

Additionally, I wanted to add that the after party will not be a structured and planned party.....FI and I are just going to think of places nearby where we can walk to (there are two that I can think of now) after reception ends at 11 for those more party-minded friends of ours. Luckily, our reception site is in the middle of several hotels and bars so no one will have to drive......they can park at thier hotel and walk 3 minutes to reception venue and numereous watering holes In fact, we haven''t confirmed it yet, but our bridal suite would be located actually in one of those hotel''s bars so we could even bring the party back to our suite if we wanted to........hmmmmm.

It seems I''ve pared down my 7 parties to about 5 now yay!!!! And you right, I''d like to have all my BMs there if possible on the Friday b4 wedding so I''ll see about that.........

 

[dtnyc]

Date: 12/14/2006 3:21:33 PM
Author:So_happy
Okay, here is my conception of the parties/events associated with our wedding that we hope to take part in/host/help organize in the order I feel they should occur.......

We are getting married the end of August on a Sunday.


1. Bridal shower (end of June)
2. Bachorlette/Bachelor party (both held on same night but separately) (beginining of August)
3. Bridesmaid luncheon/breakfast/tea (Friday before wedding)
4. Rehearshal Dinner (Saturday before wedding)
5. Wedding: Ceremony & Reception (Sunday until 11pm)
6. After-party (Sunday-Monday until 1am)
7. Post-wedding Brunch the morning after for OOT family and anyone who wants to/can attend (Monday after wedding)

This is our ideal timeline of parties. However, between FI and I, we have one attendant who is coming from several states away and needs to fly in/out and 2 attendants that would need to drive about 3 hours to our area (the rest are relatively local). Thus, we are wondering how to have all of these parties so that everyone of the attendants (10 total) could take part. The only thing we can think of is to have it all spread out (minus the Shower) from Thursday- Monday where each day will bring a different party. But THAT sounds tiring just writing that lol. But it would increase the chances that all but that one flying-in attendant could make it to all...........(altho I''d imagine that even the locals would find it challenging to do all of that in one long string of days)

As one final ''problem'', I have one BM who won''t be 21 until the Wednesday before our wedding so to include her in the Bacholorette party (where there will be drinking and lots of places around here do NOT have 18+ policies due to crackdowns on underage drinking) would mean having it the Friday before.

Alternatively, we could remove the post wedding brunch and have a big RD instead where all OOT''s and the BP will be invited with the BP coming a little early for the actual rehearsal part. That may make it a bit easier with a Thurs-Sun time frame????

This is begining to sound like a destination wedding for cripessake! lol

Any suggestions to make this simpler?????

THank YOU!!!!

Are you having your wedding on a holiday weekend where people will have Monday off? I hope so with a Sunday night reception- I think it is a lot to ask OOT guests to take a vacation day so they can travel home after your wedding.

I wouldn''t have your b-rette party so close to your wedding, if you drink a lot you don''t want to be hungover the weekend of your wedding. Also think about the amount of time you are asking people to take off from work, etc.
This is your wedding, not theirs. I was a BM in a Sunday PM wedding and they had the rehearsal on Friday during the day. Since the wedding was 4 hours from where I live I had to take a Friday off and then I should have taken the Monday off as well, but my DH didn''t drink and drove us home after the wedding in the middle of the night so we could both be at work the next day. It sucked, but neither of us could take (or wanted to take) off any more days.

You really can''t plan your b-rette and shower, since traditionally those are parties that are thrown for you and as the guest of honor you should just sit back and let others plan and worry about them. Your bridal party needs to find dates that work for them, since there are 5 of them and some of them have to travel and there is only one of you. Nothing is tackier than a bride getting overly involved in her shower... it looks very gift-grabby and bridezilla-ish.

Perhaps for your b-rette you could start things off at the home of one of your local BM''s w/ dinner or just apps & cocktails (and maybe fun games) and your underage BM could attend that, then she could go home when it was time to hit the bars. I hosted a B-rette party like this for a friend and it was nice to start the evening out in a private setting.

 

[tanyak]

Yay, a date twin!

DT is right. You do want to try to limit the number of days your guest and WP have to take off. In my case, guests took off Friday and were all able to travel home on Sunday. Since your guests will have to travel on Monday, they really might not want to also take Friday. Sometimes people don''t have the time to give up two vacation days.

Re the shower and bach parties. Are those dates your WP has suggested or what you have in mind?

 

[Jaders731]

Just my input...

I am also having a 5pm wedding ceremony (but on a Saturday). Since I live out of the country, and all those parties just arent a possibility for us... my MOH is planning a lingerie shower for the morning of the wedding.. say 10ish... and my mom is having it catered... just a bridesmaid tea/brunch.. but in my cottage that I am staying in. This works out perfect, as I have hired two stylists to come and do hair at noon!!!
I think this will work out better for all the girls as they pretty much have the day devoted to being with the Bridal party as it is... why not make a party out of it, and then they dont have to devote ANOTHER day or evening to another party...

I hope that helps... I say turn your wedding day getting ready process into a party.. (not rowdy or anything.. just calm and fun girly time) and spend the day will all your best girl friends.. and mom of course! I am sooo happy we are doing it this way...

Hope that helps!

 

[So_happy]

My BMs and I are very close and they are ALWAYS trying to get me to come out partying with them. Alas, I usually have to say no so I can study or prepare for class or work

So, I have NO worries about my girls and I having a Shower, B-rette, and BM breakfast/brunch spread out over the course of this wedding process They SO will not feel bummed that they have ANOTHER party to go to (lol). It might be different for me, too, in that four of the five BMs are pretty local (an hour away) and we are all DYING to see eachother but I always beg out. This wedding will be such a great reason to spend fun times together......especially if the parties start in June when I''m out of school It''s kind of funny but one of the first things each of them said was "great!!! now we can get you out partying with us and you can''t say ''no''!!!"

I am, however, concerned for them taking that much time off in a row. That''s the big reason right now for NOT doing b-rette on Friday even tho all could come to it. Because, as my date-twin (

) mentiioned, thats alot of time to take off at once........it almost a whole darn week (yikes!) if I had them from Fri-Mon!!!

My sister is my MOH and her and I are best friends too so I also don''t have to worry about giving my opinoin when it comes to when the parties occur. I know some say it''s tacky to have the bride involved in planning her own parties......but, again.........my situation is so different I think. My sister ASKS for my opinion all the time and I very happily give it. In fact, we are pretty much planning most of the parties together I just love her to bits!!! I don''t have to be involved really with the Shower as everyone already knows it''ll be a couple months before the wedding (so OOT BM already knows she can''t come) and that it wouldn''t be a crazy booze fest anyway (so underage BM can come and stay with us the whole time) because.....well....for one FIs mom and my mom would be there lol. The logistics of the Shower are easier so I don''t really need to help out there too much.

Here''s a thought I ran by her for a b-rette that she loved............(again, read my second paragraph......the b-rette party is more like a great reason to get together with all of us as a group again rather than all about me).....my university often arranges bus trips that go to Montreal for one or two nights for a really cheap all-inclusive price.....and no one will have to drive and my 20 yr old BM can drink if she likes It''d be an unforgettable night that''s for sure lol.

Anyhoo.....sorry so long! If you got this far THANK YOU FOR READING!!!. And if you have any other tips, please share