We all love a good party, and a wedding is no better place to show off your personality, style, and the way you like to have fun.  But we all know that the 5 hours of an average wedding is just too short a time for most people to celebrate.  After the formalities are over and the dance floor closes up, it is normal to want to let loose with your friends and family in more comfortable clothing and a more relaxed environment. Knowing they won’t want the party to stop, the biggest trend we are seeing this year is having an after party following their reception to keep the good times going. Here are a few helpful tips to plan an amazing after party and to make the transition from reception to late night as easy as possible 🙂

• Keep your guests informed – It seems like common sense, but trust us, if your guests are confused or don’t have all of the details, they might opt out and just call it a night.  Put your after party address, timing, and shuttle info on your wedding website, or send formal details out with your invitations.  Nothing kills the buzz of a great after party more than a weak guest count.
• Location matters – If the after party is too far from the venue or out of the way from guests’ hotels, they might choose to not attend. If you are setting up a room block for your guests somewhere, or you know a good chunk of people are staying in a particular area, look to hold your after party space in those areas (if the wedding venue itself isn’t an after party option).
• Transportation for your guests goes a long way – Most people attending a late night party are out trying to enjoy themselves (aka might need a safe ride home). If they don’t have to worry about getting from the venue to the after party or from the after party back to their hotel, they’re more likely to stay late night and enjoy themselves. And safety for all of our most loved people is always of utmost importance, so no one has to worry about anyone making it back to their destination at the end of the night.
• Go fun with your details – Weddings often include a lot of traditional formalities but the beauty of an after party is hosting an event that feels less formal and more fun!  Include things like karaoke, live music, food trucks, disco dancing, partying in PJ’s, game night, lawn games, fire pits, or whatever feels right to you and yours.  There are no rules about how to have fun after the wedding reception is over so dig into your roots and end your night in the way that feels best for you!
• Food and beverage – If you are a guest who made it through the wedding day and are arriving at the after party we all know you are ready for more food and drinks.  While the bar setup will be molded by the venue you definitely want to think about some seriously good late night snacks everyone will be going crazy for.  Anything that is comfort food applies, so think about pizza, mac and cheese, sliders and fries, chicken and waffles, taco bar, ruebens, etc.  A little grease and a lot of tummy filling carbs are the absolute best way to close out an amazing day.

Plan ahead for not only the wedding day but the fun you will have afterwards and you and your guests are set up for a truly unbelievable night!!

Xoxo,
The WPP Team

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