You don't need a wedding welcome party, but it's worth hosting when many of your guests are travelling, and especially for a destination wedding. A welcome party is a relaxed get-together a night or two before the wedding, usually with drinks, light food and music, where guests can meet each other and you can spend real time with the people who travelled to be there.
A welcome party is the first event of a wedding weekend. It's usually held one or two evenings before the ceremony, and it's more relaxed than anything else on the schedule: drinks, light bites, music and time to talk, with no set order of events.
Its job is to bring everyone together before the wedding day. Guests who don't know each other get to meet, families mix, and you get to greet the people who made the trip, which is hard to do properly at a busy reception.
A welcome party makes the most sense when:
Many guests are travelling: people arriving from out of town have an evening free and nowhere in particular to be.
You're planning a wedding weekend: it gives the weekend a clear start and gets everyone into the spirit early.
Your guests don't know each other: a relaxed first evening means familiar faces on the wedding day.
You want more time with your guests: the wedding day moves quickly, and a welcome party gives you time for proper conversations.
You can leave out the welcome party if most guests live locally and will go home after the wedding, if you're planning an intimate wedding where a rehearsal dinner already brings everyone together, or if another event would stretch your schedule or budget. A welcome party should add to the weekend, not feel like one more thing to manage.
The two are often confused, but they do different jobs.
Rehearsal dinner: a smaller, more formal dinner, traditionally held after the ceremony rehearsal the night before the wedding. It's usually limited to the wedding party, close family and anyone taking part in the ceremony, and it often includes toasts. Our guide to rehearsal dinners covers it in detail.
Welcome party: a larger, more casual gathering that can include every guest, or at least everyone who has travelled. There are rarely speeches, and guests come and go.
Some couples host both on the same evening: the rehearsal dinner first, then the welcome party for everyone else. If you do, keep the timings clear so the dinner doesn't run into the party and leave guests waiting.
Decide who the welcome party is for before you plan anything else. Common choices:
Every wedding guest: the most welcoming option, and the simplest to explain.
Out-of-town guests only: a natural limit when many people are travelling and locals will see you on the day.
Family, the wedding party and early arrivals: a smaller group for a more intimate evening.
Whoever hosts usually pays. Traditionally that could be either set of parents or the couple themselves, and today many couples host it together with family. Make it clear on the invitation or your wedding website who is invited, so no one is unsure.
Most welcome parties take place the evening before the wedding, or two evenings before if you're also hosting a rehearsal dinner. Start once most travelling guests have arrived, and plan for about two to three hours so everyone gets an early night.
The venue can be as simple as a favourite restaurant or bar, a private room at the hotel where guests are staying, a garden or rooftop, or a beach. Holding it where guests are staying saves on transport and makes it easy for people to drop in after a long day of travel. If you've set up a hotel room block for your guests, ask the hotel about hosting the welcome party there too.
At a destination wedding, the welcome party matters more. Almost every guest has travelled, many are meeting for the first time, and the welcome party is their first taste of the place you've chosen.
Bring in the destination: serve a local dish or drink, book local musicians or choose a venue that shows off the setting.
Plan around arrivals: check when most flights land and give guests time to check in and rest before the party starts.
Keep it close: hold it at or near the resort where guests are staying, so no one has to arrange transport in an unfamiliar place.
Share the details early: put the time, place and dress code on your wedding website with the rest of the weekend's schedule.
Planning a welcome party in another country means booking venues, catering and transport from a distance, often in another time zone. Wedded Concierge can arrange the full wedding weekend for you and your guests, from the welcome party to the farewell brunch.
Decide who it's for: every guest, travelling guests, or family and the wedding party.
Set a budget early: decide whether a full dinner, cocktails and canapés, or drinks at a bar suits your plans.
Choose the date and time: usually the evening before the wedding, once most guests have arrived.
Book a venue: close to where guests are staying, with room for everyone you've invited.
Plan the food and drink: relaxed options suit a welcome party best, such as grazing tables, food stations or passed canapés.
Set an end time: two to three hours keeps the energy up and gets everyone to bed in good time.
Tell your guests: add the details to your invitation or your wedding website, along with the dress code.
A welcome party is usually less formal than the wedding, so the dress code is often cocktail or smart casual. Many brides wear a second look for the evening, such as a short white dress, a colourful outfit or something they loved but didn't choose for the wedding day. See the most stylish welcome dinner looks from recent brides for ideas, and tell guests the dress code in advance so they can pack the right outfit.
A welcome party isn't required, but when guests travel to celebrate with you, it gives the weekend a warm start and gives you time with the people who made the trip. Keep it relaxed and close to where guests are staying. Explore more ideas on Wedded Wonderland, and for a wedding abroad, start with our destination wedding packages and see how to plan a full wedding weekend for your guests.
Written by
Senior SEO Specialist, Wedded Wonderland
Mark Tuason is the Senior SEO Specialist at Wedded Wonderland, where he writes and refreshes the brand's guides to destination weddings and cultural wedding traditions. He starts with the questions couples search for, checks the answers against trusted sources, and shapes each guide to help them plan, compare and book with confidence. Based in the Philippines, he specialises in content strategy and on-page SEO.
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