Wedding Blog
Having a destination wedding that is pretty costly to get to, Mr. Sushi and I wanted to have more than just the wedding for our guests to look forward to. Unfortunately we are on a tight budget and can’t afford a great adventurous event for all the guests. Our first (and best) idea was… a welcome BBQ!
What a great, casual way to hang out, introduce and bond with family and friends.
Our next task was to find a location to have said BBQ. I was thinking something by the beach, that (of course) had easy access to some sort of grill. Knowing a lil’ of Hawaii (being that I had lived there in my younger years), my first thought was Barber’s Point; it’s a military beach of sorts, and they have cabins and camping. That got me thinking of other military facilities like Bellows, another military beach… and a much nicer one at that (it’s Air Force “owned”, no offence to my brother branches). A cabin at Bellow’s would be perfect! We’d have access to a grill, a kitchen, the beach (and showers for after the beach). Perfect, perfect.
In June (about 9 months before needed date), I called Bellows to find out their availability. They were booked until May of 2009. No joke. I was bummed, but no biggie.
Months later and we still had no plan. I was aimlessly looking at the Bellows website again and came across a link for “facility rentals”, and saw that they had rental pavilions! I called Bellows again, and wouldn’t you know it, by this time their cabins were booked till September 2009, but for Welcome BBQ day all 3 pavilions were free. So for $75 I booked it.
Yes, it might be a lil’ pricey for a BBQ venue, but I can relax and be stress free about having to find a place, it’s by the beach, there’s a grill, you can drink at the pavilion (no drinks on the beach), and for a $2 volleyball rental there are volleyball nets nearby. Sold.
What type of pre-wedding festivities are you planning for your guests?
|
Share this post: Welcome…
I was just thinking about this. My family is traveling to Knoxville for the first time for our wedding, and because it’s such a long trip (and they’re the only ones having to travel) I really want to show them the area. On the other hand, there will be so much to do that I don’t want to cram any more in that we have to.
I’m not sure what to do for a casual welcome dinner if we’re having a casual reception! I considered a bonfire, but we don’t want to burn up the reception area (more on that in a later post).
I can’t wait to see what other people say. I love your idea here. I wonder if I can find a pavilion on the lake here.
Thats awesome! Pre-wedding activities- well, none. I figured Las Vegas has plenty to offer and it might be hard to tear some of our guests away from the slot machines (they’re EVERYWHERE- the graocery store, gas station, drug store, casino, airports, etc.).
when we get remarried, i totally want a bbq reception. nothing beats a good bbq! 
This is funny becuase I finally gave into my mom’s request to do a Carolina Pig Pull for the rehearsal dinner. When she brought it up to me a few months ago I refused. It seemed so, almost TACKY. But I guess it’s a rather fun tradition around here so I gave in. Nevermind the fact I’ve been a veggiesaurus for 14+ years. I hope my friends and family are thankful for their dinner when Im trying not to stare at a big sad pig roasting away on a giant pit on the beach 
@Mrs. Bee: FH and I are totally considering BBQ reception! I just don’t want messy BBQ w/ everyones nice clothes :-/
Im doing something similar on the beach here in miami but I’m thinking of catering from Boston Market. I love the idea!! Nice and casual. ;o)
FH and I are going with Famous Daves BBQ for our reception at our house. Letting the guests know its a BBQ reception would eliminate stress over whether or not their clothes get messy. YAY one less stress
Most of our guests are coming in from out of town, so we’re opening up the rehearsal “dinner” for everyone, which will basically be a meet and greet BBQ, similar to your welcome BBQ. I think I might like this activity better than any other wedding festivity. It is going to be so laid back and calm, compared to the wedding day… haha…
I tried to talk the FI into a Sunday brunch, following the wedding, but wants to order room service instead. In his opinion, having a Sunday brunch defeats the purpose of having a “send off” the night before. Instead, I’m going to recommend where everyone else can go for a good breakfast.
We are also traveling to our wedding, as is our bridal party, so there is no opportunity for bach parties or bridal showers. Instead, I’m going to invite my closest lady friends to a spa day before the rehearsal and my husband is going golfing with his buds.
Wedding weekend, here we come!
BBQs are awesome, what a great idea! We’re doing a dinner together at the resort, I think. Hmm… thanks for reminding me it’s time to figure that out…
yeah, i think this is what we’re going to do for our rehearsal dinner actually. We think both of our families would more appreciate getting to know each other over some kickball, sangria, and ribs than some hoity-toity sit-down dinner.
I’m a Honolulu native — i LOVE bellows!!! It’s a great place for a wedding BBQ… I remember having tons of BBQs in the very same pavillions. I totally recommend hitting up Costco before your BBQ so you can buy everything you need: food, utensils, charcoal, and even ice!
How fun!!
@saketini: I will totally be hittin’ up Costco!! Thanks for the reassurance on reserving Bellows.
| Visit our sister sites | Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Fertile Thoughts Infertility Support |
Mrs. Sushi, Hershey/Hawaii
Age and Occupation: 27, Graphic Designer/Photographer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Laborer/Aspiring Hip Hop Producer
Engagement Date: December 25, 2007
Wedding Date: March 2009
Blogging Since: October 9, 2006
Venue: Byodo-In Temple, Luau Reception
About Me: I’m a notorious people-watcher who loves all things paper, food, traveling, grubbin’ on food, gossip magazines, food, sock monkeys…did I mention food?! Mr. Sushi and I are both haolepinos (half Filipino, half Caucasian) and hope to be able to somehow incorporate our cultures at our destination wedding in Hawaii. All while planning from the sweetest place in earth, Hershey!
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| 29 | 30 |
Latest Gallery Pics