Mr. Peacock and I went to a gorgeous wedding in St. Louis for two of my college friends last Labor Day weekend. Since most of their guests were out-of-towners, they had a whole weekend of festivities planned. Mr. Peacock and I stayed at the hotel where the wedding was located and, since it was a Marriott and Mr. Peacock collects Marriott points like sunshine, we had a lovely room down the hall from the concierge lounge. My friend’s family had booked the lounge for the entire weekend, filling it with homemade cookies (so very dangerous after a long night of “celebrating”), coffee, bottled water and occasionally some brewskis. There were also great maps of town and a welcome bag to help us fill our time that weekend. Unfortunately for Mr. Peacock, he was dragged around on the “this is what Miss Peacock did in college” tour and didn’t have time to take them up on any of their lovely suggestions.
Since we have been engaged, every wedding that we attend is filled with “hmmm.. could we do that?”, “should we do that?” or “oh my, I would never do that!” We had to have that concierge lounge. Mr. Peacock’s mom had already mentioned that she wanted to rent some kind of suite at our hotel for her grandkids to hang out in after they are done dancing. She wouldn’t mind if we used it for other reasons, we just needed to get it booked. Done and done. So… what else could we do with that big, lonely suite after the grandkids are in bed?
Ummm… after party?
Classy! I won’t be doing any keg stands, although I do foresee some Fat Tires (in a bottle). All we need is a room with a fridge and our most fun wedding guests. We plan on directing people back to our suite via our late night snack. The caterer will be passing out mini reubens on napkins with a secret message on it. “Pssst… keep the party going in Room 404!” It will be easy, inexpensive and we can keep the party going long after Cafe Brauer kicks us out.
Mr. Peacock and I have been debating the snack options. We need something simple that we can either just leave in the fridge or order in advance. We also really don’t want to spend very much money because we will have just handed over a HUGE check to the caterers. Any ideas? Anyone else through a stress-free after party?
We’re considering an ‘after party’ by having people come hang out at the bar down the hall from our reception room. It’s a Sunday afternoon party, so I assume most people will want to go home since they have work on Monday, but we thought some friends may hang out.
On an un-related note – are you a fellow Wash U-er?
Donuts (especially VooDoo donuts for Portlanders) or cookies with shots of milk
I went to my best friends wedding this past summer and they had an after party in the hotel that everyone was staying at. Originally they planned on asking for a conference room but there was a miscommunication and the hotel ended up not having one. The guy behind the desk just let us have it in the closed restaurant/ breakfast area. It was BYOB and food and it was great. Not a single guest expected them to provide anything. It was fun just keeping the party going and having a more relaxed party at the end.
My family is traveling from Ireland for our wedding in October. When they heard the venue kicked us out at midnight (1 am at the latest) they declared that they are in charge of the after-party. I’m pretty sure food will consist of left-over cake and booze. We aren’t picky and the folks who will be hanging with us that late aren’t either!
BTW – I heart Cafe Brauer, but when I called to check availability a mere year ahead of time they practically choked on their own laughter. Instead we’ll be cutting the rug at the Women’s Club of Evanston. 
We’re definitely doing an after-party! Since all of our guests are coming in from out of town, and we have a lot of older relatives who don’t like driving at night, it was natural to have a Sat day wedding. The reception ends at 4, and we’re all meeting up again at 6 or 7 to spend the rest of the evening together. We haven’t set specific details, but any suggestions you have would be great!
I do plan on changing – probably nice jeans and a white silk top.
EK- I am! There are so few of us, aren’t there?
Meech- How did you do BYOB if everyone was coming from the wedding? Thats an interesting thought.
Liz- Hmmm… leftovers, you say? I am sure I could get my caterer to just box everything up. I know there will be extra apps and desserts. And don’t even get me started on how snobby CB has become. The current coordinators are new since I booked and they have changed all the rules. The Women’s Club is gorgeous! I love the stage.
That picture is hilarious! Mr. Jasmine and I want to have an after-party too and we were thinking of a suite in the hotel. I love your napkin idea– that is so clever.
We LOVE fat tire. We are having it on draft at our reception along with Francis Conner. Could you do a Costo sammy platter?
We are doing an after party. We haven’t decided were yet (maybe my Grandma’s barn or since it’s a tent on our land we may just keep it going all night right there. We’ll have a kids tent set up with mattresses anyway so we can always lounge ther if the kids are taken home.
I think you should order a bunch of pizzas. Most hotels are ok with you ordering in pizza, especially after room service and or the restaurants are closed. Just designate someone’s cell as a contact number and have them meet in the lobby. On a Saturday a lot of pizza places are open til midnight or will stay open for a big order if you preoder it. Just call and let them know that the order is for x date at x time and see what they’ll do for 10 pizzas. an extra $100 isn;t so bad for the after party for food. Do that and a bunch of tubs of cookies from the bakery section at the grocers and you’ll be fine.
we all had to drive from the reception back to the hotel so the majority of people attending the after party just either a) stopped at the liquor store on the way there, or b) had some in the trunk of the car that we brought with us. As long as its not opened it isn’t a hassle.
We are doing an afterparty! I am having a destination wedding at Round Hill Resort in Jamaica so everyone will be from out of town. Since my group are serious partiers I know they will want to let loose post reception, which must end at midnight. We’ve decided to have everyone transported from the resort to a private villa we’ve rented and we’ll have a DJ spinning and snacks on hand. We were thinking finger foods: crab cakes, mini club sandwiches, and my favorite–jerk franks in a blanket!
We’re hopping on the after-party band wagon, too. That way the older guests will stay for the whole reception, and we’ll have the light for pics. The Inn we’re getting married at offers the use of a house on the property free for the entire night if you do a day wedding (well, you still have to get food/beverage through them, so it won’t be exactly cheap), but as long as I still have some energy left over, I’m so excited about the prospect of a more laid back evening just with our close friends and some family where we can actually throw a few back.
You can ask your wedding party to get snacks and cheap booze from Costco etc and drop them off at the suite beforehand. I did that for friends at their wedding. It doesn’t have to be fancy– coffee cake, chips and dip, plastic cups, that sort of thing.
[...] your night in a way that doesn’t involve picking a bar nearby for everyone to wander to! The Wedding Bee discusses the pros and cons of an after party– they can be very good for entertaining your [...]
I know there will be extra apps and desserts. And don’t even get me started on how snobby CB has become. I’m pretty sure food will consist of left-over cake and booze. We aren’t picky and the folks who will be hanging with us that late aren’t either.
I think you should order a bunch of pizzas. Most hotels are ok with you ordering in pizza, especially after room service and or the restaurants are closed. Just designate someone’s cell as a contact number and have them meet in the lobby.
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Miss Peacock, Chicago Age and Occupation: 26, PhD Student Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Internet Whiz Engagement Date: December 5, 2006 Wedding Date: September, 2008 Blogging Since: December 13, 2007 Venue: St. Clement Church, Cafe Brauer (or a big church wedding and a fancy party at a cafe in Lincoln Park. About Me: I am a grad student with a secret obsession for all things wedding related. I also love to read, travel, drink champagne and go for walks with our dog, Maisy, and Mr. Peacock. We are planning our very vintage wedding in the greatest city in the world, our hometown of Chicago. I am so proud to be a Bee!
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