Weddingbee Blog
If you’ve been following the progress of our wedding day schedule, you know that our ceremony is really early, which means our reception is pretty early, as well. Our awesome venue, Lake Union Café, hosts two receptions on Saturday, and we’re the afternoon one. I actually don’t mind that the reception is in the afternoon. The room will be filled with natural light, and people will get to appreciate the beautiful daytime views of Lake Union. Fitting right? Celebrating our union on the side of Lake Union. I just figured that one out. 
So here’s our current planning dilemma: the after party. We know we want to have one, but we don’t know where, and what time it should take place.
Option 1
Somewhere close (walking distance) to the reception venue where we could go immediately after. It probably won’t be super nice, because most of the bars around there aren’t too amazing looking.
Option 2
Somewhere else in the city (within 20 minutes drive) that’s nicer. This party would still take place right after the reception.
Option 3
Somewhere downtown, or within 10 minutes of downtown, that is nicer and serves food. This after party would take place around 8PM. That gives everyone to a chance to change (if they want to), and gives visitors time to enjoy a little of the city during the day. It also gives us time to enjoy what just happened (the getting hitched part).
There are pros and cons of each. We’ll get a better turnout for Option 1, but I don’t want people to feel obligated to come. This is a totally optional event. It’s rare to get all of our friends in one place, and it would be nice to have a little more time with them before we leave for Australia (woot woot!) and before they get back to their regularly scheduled lives. Saying that makes me feel like Option 3 is a better idea, but I don’t want people to feel like this wedding is an all-day event. Remember, we’re starting early.
Also, I should say, the after party is a cash bar system. We’d reserve a space ,but we’d expect everyone to pay for themselves, as this is totally optional.
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Shaking My Booty All Night Long, or Until 8 PM
Are a lot of your guests staying at the same hotel? We did our afternoon in the hotel, in their lounge area, and it was a great success because so many people were already staying there!
And by “afternoon,” I - of course - meant after party.
Sorry!
@Lisa: No. We ended up not reserving a hotel block because only about 10 of our out of town guests would have needed a hotel. Most of them have family or friends they are staying with.
The after party doesn’t HAVE to be walking distance, unless folks will be inebriated, and then they should be staying over night nearby the venue as well. From our standpoint, the after party should be a time for the younger guests to cut loose and “throw down.” We usually try to lend the location a night club atmosphere with effects lighting which compliment the dance music geared at the younger wedding guests.
I’m having a pretty early wedding and we will be doing something similar to option 3. Our reception will end at about 4ish and then we are going to pick someplace to meet later that evening. The main problem is finding a place we think many people will like. FI’s friends are the dive bar type and many of mine are not. I have to admit being in NYC we don’t need to worry about the driving part, but many of our friends are no familiar with the city, so we will be taking that into account.
Our reception will also be ending at 4, but we won’t start the after party until 8ish. I want to give people some time to relax and do their own thing, take a nap and change if they feel like it. And it will give the new hubs and me time alone, which will be nice, and then later we can focus on party time!
i went to an afterparty that reconvened later in the evening. it worked out great since i got a really good nap in between events!
We’re also doing something along the lines of #3. Our ceremony/reception is scheduled from 9am-3pm. We were worried that by doing something right afterwards, we would be way too exhausted to have any fun. We still want to see our friends, most of whom are coming in from out of town. While our reception is about 30 minutes away from the downtown area, we’re thinking of renting a party bus and doing it downtown around 8/9 pm. We’ll also encourage people to take cabs back to their hotels around the wedding site if needed.
I think your guests (and you!) would appreciate some down time after the reception. We had a similar situation with our schedule. The reception ended at 4 and then we met everyone at a bar near the hotel around 8. The other great part about this was people could eat dinner that fit their budget/cravings. Also, most everyone changed into something more comfortable and took the chance to explore or nap!
I’m doing an afterparty at a baseball game downtown. Maybe something like that will get attendance up?
Wow, this is a great post!!!! I have been having the same problems deciding on what we should do. Our timing is a little more set because our ceremony will be at 1, reception at 3 and our venue (state park) must close by sunset (7ish). We want to do an after party directly after which would work but we’ve been trying to decide how to get people there, where it should be, atmosphere, etc. I like the idea of having a bit of a break and then getting the younger crowd to head back out and continue the celebration, food is always a plus. If you have a cash bar will you pay for the food?
@Miss Red Head: No. we’re not providing food. We just wanted food to be available so if people get hungry, they can have a little something. We’ll probably eat elsewhere before the afterparty.
@MightySapphire: I checked, the baseball and soccer team is out of town that week. I thought of going to a sports event in place of the rehearsal dinner.
I agree with Cheery - it’s important that you get a chance to relax a bit between the reception and the after party so that you can really enjoy yourselves! We have to turn the music off at our outdoor venue at 10 p.m., so we’re heading straight to a nearby bar, but our ceremony isn’t until five.
I think the evening after party will be a much better way to signal that it is both optional and pay-your-own-way.
In fact, I would see people buying you two drinks to celebrate your day!
I don’t think you have to worry about the day feeling like one long event. That is part of the fun of it and at least you won’t feel like it wasn’t over in a blink of an eye. You’ll have a little extra time to savor being a bride!
(And I think you could find a bar that really fit your vibe without being restricted to the Lake Union area).
We’re having our after party immediately after the reception and definitely taking it down a notch (5-star restaurant to neon beer signs!) and I dont think that’s a bad thing; remember, its about the people you’re with rather than the surroundings. Most good friends are able to have fun in a cardboard box if you left them together!
I think any option is good-but with option 3 you have to wonder if your friends will, a-keep partying after the first reception and be too wastey pants at the evening shindig, b-go home to take a nap but then be too tired to rally. You know your friends best! Good Luck!
i think guests would enjoy being able to change and catch a breather before the after party. you could also have the after party have a different feel if you wanted to (e.g. more or less casual than your wedding).
sounds like fun!
I like option 3 because it allows your guests to rest a little after the morning events (especially if they are like me and get tired really easily :)). Plus if you have a lot of out-of-towners it will give them a chance to explore Seattle… and who wouldn’t love that?!
I vote for Option 1 because I love dive bars. But that might not be a feeling shared by your guests.
Silly Joey, it looks like you already know which option you should choose! I voted option 3 as well!
Since sometimes someone else’s random ideas sparks something new, what if you….
Ride the ducks? Reserve an Argosy boat (do they have a cash bar?)? The bars in nearby Fremont? Bowling at the Garage in Capitol Hill(you can reserve lanes PLUS there is food and bar)?
I went to a wedding recently where the reception ended and an hour or two later people met up at a bar about 5min walk from the hotel…It was great because it gave people a chance to change, the bride and groom time to relax, etc. Plus we got to see them relaxed and in their “natural environment,” if you will. Going local, i.e., not downtown, kept drinks and food a bit cheaper, which I know all the guests appreciated.
Sort of a combo of 1 and 3?
i think Option #3 is a great one! People will really appreciate the time to change clothes (and shoes!) and like someone else said, it’ll make it more apparent that you are not paying for this part. Plus, you and Mr. Joey can have some you time, because so many couples end up spending a lot of the reception separate - talking to different groups, dancing, etc.
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Mrs. Joey, Seattle Age and Occupation: 28, Project Administrator for Public Health NGO Fiance's Age and Occupation: 30, High School History Teacher Engagement Date: June 24, 2008 Wedding Date: August 2009 Venue: Eastside Catholic Chapel and Lake Union Cafe About Me: I'm a Seattle girl through and through except for the fact that I don't drink coffee. I love my job most of the time because I get to travel and work with brilliant people who are trying to prevent Malaria. I love DIY projects of all sorts, cooking, and watching sports. I'd wear anything at Anthropologie and could spend all day on Etsy. I love to travel but shouldn't because I always get myself into unbelievable situations!
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