How to Throw an Epic After Party at your Wedding

Congratulations! Now that the big day is over, you may celebrate with your loved ones at a party. But how can one organise an excellent get-together in the wake of such an event?

Now that the wedding is over, you may finally let loose. You already have the place reserved, the DJ lined up, and the outfit stored away. The after-party needs to be organised immediately.

Wedding after-parties are a fun way to keep the party going and ensure that everyone has a good time, but they can also be very costly. Following are some low-cost but effective ways to make your after-party one to remember.

Your first step is to choose between a quiet get-together at home with close friends and family and a wild night on the town. Once you have the information, you only need some creative ways to pass the time (and maybe even help relieve any stress from planning).

Do you need ideas for post-ceremony activities to keep guests excited and involved? Do you want them to have enough time to get ready, take pictures, eat supper, and visit with relatives who couldn't make it because of other commitments?

If that's the case, you've found the perfect blog post for your needs! Of course, the ideal way to do this is to host a massive after-party for your nuptials. It's good to have one less thing to worry about after the stress of planning everything.

At this point, all that remains is for you to get yourself physically and psychologically ready for the celebrations to come.

Here's some good news: it's legal to throw a party following your wedding. You've just organised a once-in-a-lifetime gathering, and now comes your chance to make it even more memorable.

A Wedding Reception's "After Party" is Exactly What it Sounds Like.

You have probably grasped the general idea, right? An after-wedding celebration. The most important part is that it takes place somewhere else than the actual wedding location.

When to Have an After-Wedding Party and Why

After-parties have gone from being a costly bonus to something virtually expected at weddings, much like having a second dress for the event. No one is obligated to attend a party after the wedding reception, but it's also probably not going to be completely foreign to your guests if you decide to arrange one.

It might not seem essential if your location is booked until 2 am, but some communities have noise restrictions that require receptions to finish at 10 pm or earlier. We can totally respect the newlyweds' desire to spend more time with their loved ones if this is the case.

After-parties vary widely in terms of formality; if you decide to throw one, you'll need to determine whether to reserve a specific venue or just have everyone meet up at the hotel bar.

Because of the low key nature of a post-reception bar gathering, the location can be announced on the wedding website and guests can make their own way there. It's customary for the newlyweds to foot the bill at the bar, but guests are expected to pay for their own drinks.

Often held in a separate area inside the same location, a more formal party is similar to a second reception. This can add to the festive mood, but it's also something else to decorate for and organise.

You should think about the time your wedding reception ends and the number of people invited before choosing if an after-party is necessary. For instance, if the party is small and includes many elderly relatives or parents with young children, it will likely wind down at a more reasonable time.

Contrarily, if you're a younger bride and you invite a significant number of your friends who are also younger, the reception will likely go on for longer. Therefore, a low-key bar crawl is more suited if fewer partygoers attend the after-party.

A more formal, official after-party will feel like a seamless continuation of your wedding when the majority of your invited guests attend.

The Thought Of Getting One Makes No Sense To Me.

That's because of two factors:

• The venue you're using has a strict midnight closing time (or you have an early wedding at, say, lunchtime)
• After the reception is over, you and your friends will want to keep the party going.

Perhaps there is no curfew at all at your venue; perhaps you can keep the party going until nine or ten p.m. But if you and a sizable portion of your guests are anticipating a lengthy celebration, this is the optimal plan of action.

The reception hall where your wedding will likely end may have a curfew. For several reasons, venues must enforce curfews, and if they don't, they risk losing their ability to conduct events and a hefty charge.

We understand that this may come as a disappointment to many who had hoped to celebrate with friends and family well into the night.

What kind of Planning Goes Into a Wedding's After-Party?

• Include a checkbox on your wedding invitations for attendees to check if they'd want to attend the after-party.
• Once you have an accurate headcount for your after-party, you may start making reservations at a late-night establishment.
• Plan on hiring a bus to take guests from the reception location to the after-party location.

Invitations

Who do you tell about the after-party and how do you do it? Again, this isn't as official as your wedding, so there's no need to have guests RSVP. Insert a separate card into your wedding invitations.

Invitations through the grapevine are acceptable as well. You should get the word out far in advance of the wedding by having your wedding party members do so.

As the reception comes to a close, you might have the DJ or lead singer of the band make an announcement about the after-party.

Don't leave your guests at the wedding out of the after-party fun just because you want to hang out with your inner circle. Because of this, an after-party usually only includes very close friends and family members.

The After-Party Wedding Plan

Do you not wish for the celebration to cease when the reception does? It's not necessary! Now that after-wedding parties are commonplace, you can dance until dawn if you like. Before the big day arrives, make sure that you have everything planned out, from the location to the refreshments.

Strategically Placing Your Business is Essential (as is Transportation)

Our advice is to pick a location that is conveniently close to the site of the wedding reception, or even in the same building if the reception will be held in a hotel.

It is your responsibility to see that your guests are securely transported to and from the after-party destination if it is not within walking distance. Many of your wedding guests have probably had a few drinks by now.

It shouldn't be a major hassle to organise a celebration following your wedding. You don't have to obsess about finding the perfect venue and fine-tuning the menu for months in advance, but you will need a plan.

Your best bet is to book a room, even if you plan on visiting a local watering place . You wouldn't want to ruin your wedding night by trying to enter a packed club just to be turned away because it's too full.

Provide transportation options for your attendees who need to get from their hotels to the event and back again. After a couple of your speciality cocktails, they won't be able to drive safely, so arrange for them.

Maintain excitement by scheduling a fleet of taxis, having Uber on standby, or rounding everyone up into a party bus.

There's no reason to stop the celebration early, but it would be prudent and polite if you made arrangements for everyone's safe return home. For those who can't get home on their own, offering cab or motel alternatives is greatly appreciated.

Tip: On the other hand, you shouldn't have the reception in the newlyweds' hotel room. Everything about their first night together as husband and wife is ruined!

Provide a Late-Night Snack And You'll Stand Out as a Thoughtful Host.

Food can assist your guests recover from alcohol consumption and prepare for the drive home. It's likely been four or five hours since dinner, at which point they would be severely hungry.

Let them eat! You may give your guests a tasty treat that they can enjoy in the comfort of their own homes as a favour. As a last touch, we adore late-night nibbles, which reveal much about your character. Inquire about advice and suggestions from your caterer.

Your visitors may get hungry in the short hours between supper and the reception.

Be sure to have some late-night snacks ready for your guests before they leave the reception or arrive at the after-party location. The only requirement is that they satisfy your guests' hunger.

As take-home favours, they may possibly prepare snack boxes. Having mobile eateries at the party is a great new trend.

People Shouldn't be Excluded.

Even if you might not want all of your guests to attend the wedding reception's after-party, you can't exactly pick and choose who gets an invite.

You probably won't have to be concerned about hundreds of guests accompanying you for post-wedding beverages, since many guests will likely be ready to call it a night as soon as the reception ends.

Still, to stay on the safe side, you should prepare for more people to attend than you now anticipate. You don't want to have to turn people away because the venue is full.

Modify Your Attire

You may wish to change out of your wedding clothes and into something more casual at this point. Now is the time to change into your reception attire if you haven't already.

Wearing your wedding dress to the after-wedding reception is unnecessary, as it will be a more casual event. After all, you don't want to ruin your new outfit, do you?

Make the switch from your wedding dress to a more practical cocktail dress, jumpsuit, or anything else makes you feel beautiful and confident. You should safely stow your bridal gown before attending the reception, though.

The same is true for a groom, his attendants, and his buddies. The bridal party need not dress in tuxes and long gowns if they so choose.

Drop the gown off with a trusted companion or Mom and change into something more comfortable. Dress anyway you choose; there are no restrictions during a wedding's after-party.

The world is your fashion oyster; dress up or dress down, romper or jeans and tee, the choice is yours.

Treat Your Neighbours With Kindness.

Planning on having the after-party at someone's house or cabin? Couples who are throwing an after-party should think about the parking and noise concerns if they live in a neighbourhood with nearby neighbours. It would be a huge embarrassment if the cops had to be summoned to your after-party.

Isn't it enough of a statement? Not only is it courteous to inform them of your intentions in advance, but doing so may also prevent unnecessary disruptions. If they are aware of what's on in advance, they can make accommodations and be more understanding.

Make an Unforgettable Late-Night Mix Tape.

A great playlist is a must for any successful party. In order to prevent your guests from falling asleep while the evening is still young, play music that will get them up and dancing.

We've got you covered if you don't feel like spending hours browsing Spotify for the perfect playlist for your party.

Make Use of Your DJ to Get The Word Out.

Planning an after-party requires good communication, regardless matter whether the decision to do so was made at the last minute or months in advance

Make sure your musician or DJ makes a few announcements during the night to let people know about the after-party.

Venues for Social Gatherings

The location of your wedding is just as crucial as the location of your reception. A post-wedding party, on the other hand, doesn't require quite as fancy of a location as the ceremony or reception.

Think about the venue for the after-reception party when making plans. Ensure that the location of the party is convenient for all of the invited guests.

After parties are typically much less formal, making a bar a great place to have one. In a bar, your guests can mingle in a less formal setting as the celebration continues. If you want to have an after-party at a bar, try to find one that is close to the reception hall or in close proximity to the hotels where your guests will be staying.

Make sure the bar can hold everyone, and if not, there are numerous places around that offer private rooms for dinner. It's also easy to find a bar that suits your taste in jazz and live music or in flashing lights and upbeat pop music in a city, where there are usually plenty to choose from.

A hotel suite is a great venue for an intimate after-party. If your reception will be held in a hotel, this is a sensible choice.

A guest room is more small, but with some creative furniture arrangement, there's still plenty of room for dancing and toasting. Instead of spending the night on the dance floor, you and your friends can relax and catch up over a drink.

Arcades and beaches are two alternative, non-traditional party settings. Wherever you want to have the celebration is fine by me. Unlike the reception, after-parties are usually more casual.

Points To Remember

A late-night bar is within its rights (and legally compelled) to refuse service to anyone who appears visibly intoxicated, even if you have already spoken with the bar and booked a reservation for your after-party. This can, you know, occasionally occur at weddings.

One way to prevent this from happening is to have the wedding MC say early on that guests who intend to attend the after-party should not overindulge in drink because they will need to maintain their composure and energy levels throughout the night. Everyone hates being told they can go home early.

It's entirely up to you if you want to invest cash behind the bars for the afterparty or not. However, we advise spending money on food for individuals to eat because it will offer them renewed energy and they will likely feel better in the morning after.

Wedding After Party Ideas

Chow and Drink

After the celebration starts, you and your guests will probably be hungry. When dinner is going to be served a few hours before to the after-party, you won't ought to hire a catering or have the spread at your reception. However, it is a good idea to provide some snacks.

At your after party, you can choose from a wide variety of reasonably priced snacks. Appetizers, like those served during the cocktail hour of a wedding, are one option. Even if you don't want to hire waiters, you can still make the meal look elegant by serving small plates of food on silver platters.

Make it more custom by giving people the fixings for a snack they can make themselves, like a taco bar or a trail mix bar. An endless supply of pizzas ensures that everyone at your party will find a slice to their liking.

After-party extravagances include hiring a food truck to serve guests. While you don't have to provide a complete dinner at your reception, that just doesn't imply you can't have some fun with the food!

As the host, you have a few options when it to keeping the beverages coming. You can impress your guests by paying for their drinks at the bar. You can keep costs down by having an open bar for an hour and then having guests pay for their drinks.

To save money, serve a distinctive cocktail and have guests pay for whatever else they drink. Take your own champagne bottles to the afterparty, which will be held in a hotel or private room.

Decor

The centrepieces and floral arrangements at a reception hall are works of art. The setting doesn't need to be as fancy for your after party.

In this context, guests' primary concern is their own enjoyment; hence, it is less important that your place be elaborately decorated. The possibilities for, or even the ability to implement, decorative elements can be severely limited in public spaces such as pubs.

However, you have the option to personalise places like your hotel room. Your late-night bash may be uniquely yours with a little bit of work. Don't bother with elaborate table settings for the after-party.

Hang some fairy lights to set the mood. Selfies and group shots can also be taken at night under the glow of string lights. Balloons and streamers can be used as both decoration and a photo booth backdrop.

Activities and Amusements

After-party guests typically come for the social aspects, such as dancing, listening to music, talking to new people, and eating and drinking. For the wedding reception, you may have to decide between a band and a DJ, but the after-party music is entirely up to you.

An effective speaker is all that's required to play the tunes loud and proud. However, if you have extra money in your wedding budget, having live music at the after-party might be a pleasant surprise for your guests. Get a karaoke machine so that you and your guests can sing and have a wonderful time to the tunes.

As an additional participatory activity, have disposable or polaroid cameras ready for your guests to use. They are welcome to document the festivities and take photos of themselves.

Guests can leave messages for the newlyweds on the backs of their Polaroid images. Bring some hats or giant sunglasses for a photo booth with an added flair.

Invitees who aren't into dancing can still enjoy the party thanks to the selection of non-vigorous activities you've prepared. Giant Jenga and similar games are a great way to relive your youth while having a great time. The reception's after-party entertainment should be easy to organise.

After the wedding festivities have concluded, you and your guests will be ready to kick back and have a good time. Having fun and getting to know your visitors is more important than anything else.