Brides who have planned welcome parties/day after brunch

We did this. We had a DW so all of our guests were included in the RD. It was a separate invite, but in with the wedding invite. We also had a morning after brunch. This was on a enclosure card with the RSVP on the wedding RSVP.

I think its a very nice touch and was necessary for me as all my guests were traveling. I actually don't think I've been to a wedding in the last 10 years that didn't at least have a morning after brunch.

I would also consider cost into this factor. You are going to need a venue to host the welcome party, brunch, and the wedding. You are also going to need a cater and bartender to cook food and mix drinks for all of these events. You might be able to find a venue in Oregon that does all-inclusive weddings that might include pre-party and post-party. I think it is going to come with a hefty cost then a destination wedding in another country.

We are having a RD for 30 people and then a "social" with wine, beer, s'mores and possible grooms cake! There will be a great roaring fire and board games.

We didn't do a Welcome Party (opted for a small rehearsal dinner instead) but we did do the day after brunch--my MIL spearheaded and hosted the whole thing (it was catered, but took place at her condo), thank goodness, because i would've been wiped out otherwise. i think it's usually something that a family member coordinates--i know it's a UO here to ask family to help out, but if it's something you feel comfortable asking for a bit of assistance with, it is worth it. another option we thought about was doing it at a restaurant and picking up the bill at the end. make it as low-maintenance as possible, because i can pretty much guarantee you will be exhausted by Sunday morning.

We're doing a very casual welcome dinner and a similarly casual morning after brunch. But because of the international nature of us and all of our guests, we felt that we needed to host as much as possible for our guests. It's a small wedding so everyone is invited to everything - the friday/sunday events are included as an insert in our formal wedding invitation. We picked a spot for Sunday brunch that is located in a major transport hub (King's Cross Station) so that people could literally just swing by on their way to either home/the airport or other things in London they may want to do that day.

As a bride, the welcome party and day after brunch were not in the budget (though my parents decided to host a brunch for family). As a guest who has been to elaborate three-day weddings with welcome dinners and brunches, they were fun. However, these were family weddings, so I knew a lot of people, and it was a good chance to hang out with aunts, uncles, cousins I don't get to see often. If I didn't know anyone else or just knew one or two other people, I would be less inclined to participate in these types of events as I am an introvert. Also, adults are perfectly capable of entertaining themselves. Unless you have dropped them in the middle of nowhere, they may prefer to spend their weekend exploring rather than hanging out with other wedding people since these events tend to be "wedding" all over again. Edit - typo

We are doing a "dw" @ Belknap springs in McKenzie bridge oregon. We chose it because it is a lodge with a hot springs, McKenzie river, camping spots, lodge rooms, rentable cabins, and rv spots. I thought it allowed all types of incomes to be accomodated. There is a two night stay minimum so we are having family come a day earlier, rented the big cabin for a party/brunch/reception etc. It's not all inclusive and the nearest store is about 20 minutes away. But my mother and I are over planners so I think we should be good. Check it out? If anything it is an amazing day trip

Mcmenamins is also an option if price is not an issue. Edgefield is an amazing venue but 5000 just for venue and about 100+ per guest

It's Oregon! Do a wine and cheese welcome party. Nothing outrageous, just basics. Then generally, a brunch the day following the wedding.

I was at a wedding earlier this month and they had all the guests who were staying on property (it was a camp) at the RD, and all were invited on Sunday to a brunch. It was nice and very much appreciated!!

I live in CO and am getting married in the mountains about an hour away. I'm having an "open house" in our hotel room (it's more like an apartment) for out of towners to stop in and chat. Then after the rehearsal dinner I'm going to tell everyone we're going to x place to drink and everyone's invited. So once again we all have time to socialize and I can actually talk to people instead of just a quick hi at the wedding. No post wedding brunch as I hear we'll be tired. I have a huge family and my parents (and FHs) are divorced, so they can all do their own thing.

We have a casual food truck rehearsal dinner that is essentially just a welcome party.

We didn't invite everyone- just wedding party, family, and certain far out of town guests who we didn't think would have anything else to do or anyone else to hang out with. We honestly think it would be more imposing to invite everyone because there's so much to do at the wedding location on Friday night and there will be lots of mini reunions that weekend based on the guest list.

We are having a welcome reception for everyone Friday night. Casual bbq and yard games at our venue which we rented for the weekend. We want everyone to be able to enjoy it as much as we are. Everyone is traveling at least 1.5 hours to get there, so we figured we'd do it up. We are also not morning people so a day after brunch would likely be me standing there all awkward while FH sleeps in and refuses to get out of bed after partying all night. So...welcome reception it is. Since it's casual, I do not think it will detract from the wedding at all. It will also give us more time with out of town guests to get our hellos into which means less time doing that on the day of the wedding.

@wed18 beat me to it, I was at the same wedding! I don't think it would be too much stress as long as you cater and use professional services. Make sure you budget accordingly though!

MDEasternShore- we rented our venue all weekend too! Best wedding related decision so far! Can't wait for that Friday morning when I get to head there for 2 whole days and see it all come together.

We've found ourselves with a little wiggle room in the budget (Venue knocked almost $2k off the price after we had some nonsense with scheduling) so we're thinking of doing a welcome dinner since half of our guest list is from out of state.

I suggest making the brunch very informal. I expect to have leftovers from the reception because I'm having a ton of food. Since it's at my father's house the rentals will all still be in place and we can casually eat when people trickle in. Assume that your guests will be hungover the next day and might not be ready all at once. I am only inviting our college friends and out of town family so about 60 people. One of the caterers is coming by at 9 to get the food out, plus I'm buying a couple dozen bagels and orange juice for mimosas. I do not suggest overseeing this yourself as the wedding will tire you out the day before. It was well worth hiring someone for a couple hundred.

My FMIL has been completely in charge of the rehearsal dinner, and she invited all out of town guests. I couldn't also be in charge of that plated dinner for 100 people, but if doing it yourself a casual welcome party is doable for you to also plan. Having it at a restaurant where they take care of everything is easiest. I am guilty of taking on too many things, so make sure that you don't take too much on yourself.

We are doing a welcome party. We are keeping it simple and it hasn't been at all overwhelming.

We're doing a casual BBQ catered welcome dinner for everyone (about 85 have rsvp) and hosting beer and wine (from the store) and then having a band; it's going to be about 3k; then the wedding (120 people) and then we're having a casual lunch with street tacos at a restaurant garden where everything is a la carte and they have bands on the weekends. So super casual! We aren't covering the cost for the lunch, just more of this is where we're going to be, and if you wanna come fantastic, but no pressure!

We did a Welcome dinner instead of rehearsal dinner for out of town guests and a family brunch the day after the wedding. It was nice to be able to spend that extra time with family and close friends that live out of town. It wasn't overwhelming at all and I'm glad we did it.