Activities for your Destination Wedding week
My clients are always looking for activities for their guests to participate during their destination wedding week. I was lucky enough to attend a few destination weddings myself, and I would love to share with all of you my perspective as a planner as well as a guest!
By no means do you have to plan all of the below for your wedding week, but these are just general suggestions:
WELCOME DINNER OR GET TOGETHER
It’s always nice to have a casual get together when all of your guests arrive at the destination. It could be a sit-down dinner, a fun BBQ party, a cocktail reception, or even an ice-cream/dessert social. Guests will have fun mingle with each other for the first time (if they don’t know each other already) and with the bride and groom and their families. My hubby and I have made so many new friends through the destination weddings that we’ve gone to. It’s truly amazing!
GOLF
The perfect way for all of your male guests (and of course the groomsmen) to bond is to spend a day golfing, especially if your destination offers some of the best courses such as Hawaii, California (Pebble Beach), Scotland, Australia… This is the most popular activity amongst all of my grooms!
SPA
And this is the most popular activity amongst all of my brides and their bridesmaids. So while the guys are at the golf course, the girls will relax at the spa with their massage and just hanging out with the girls. Most resorts have an amazing list of massage treatments, body and facial treatments to choose from. Make that appointment and pamper yourself!
OUTDOOR YOGA
This activity is starting to get popular now in Hawaii where you can also do the yoga on the beach. For those of you who are into yoga and pilates, this is a great way of connecting with nature and staying fit at the same time.
SUNSET OR WHALE WATCHING CRUISE
If you are having your wedding at a tropical destination, more likely than not you will get a chance to hop on a catamaran for a sunset (summer) or whale watching (winter) cruise. If you want a more private event, you can always charter the entire catamaran. Lunch or light snack will be served with an open bar.
REHEARSAL DINNER
Traditionally, the rehearsal dinner is only for the immediate family and those who are involved in the wedding, such as the wedding party. But with destination weddings, extended family and even regular guests are invited to join as well. It could be semi-formal or casual, totally up to you. Here in Hawaii, a lot of my clients are interested in doing a luau for their rehearsal dinner; especially if it’s a lot of the guests are first time visitors.
POST WEDDING BRUNCH
A post wedding brunch is a lovely way for close family and friends to get together the very next day after the wedding to give a warm send-off for the bride and groom. Since the wedding couple is probably ready for their honeymoon, and the rest of the guests will be on their way home later that day, it’s nice to have something more casual. If hosting the brunch is not within your budget, it’s perfectly fine to let your guests know that it’s a “no-host” event where they can choose to join or not.
Even though it’s your wedding week, make sure you allow some free time for your guests to explore your destination on their own. After all, it is their vacation as well!
Tags: Activities, Golf, Post Wedding Brunch, Spa, Welcome Dinner
