The photographers left just after midnight, meaning that we had professional photographs technically covering two days!
Despite them leaving, I promise you…the party did NOT stop.
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Instead, there were photos (and incidents) like this.
After Journey finished, the crowd started chanting for “one more song” and Jellyroll kindly obliged, choosing “All Night Long.”
Mr. Turkey and I ended up like rock stars, joining the band on the stage.
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Showing off our stellar dance moves
The reception went until 12:30 AM, and then it was time for the after party, which was held in the Boat House bar, just steps from the reception space. A fitting location, too, considering our rehearsal dinner location.
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Late night food—wooooo
The desserts from the reception were brought over, along with soft pretzels and mini cheese steaks (chicken and steak). We were trying to keep with both our Philly food theme from the OOT bags and our affinity for mini foods.
Mr. Turkey and I did indeed make it to our after party—for about 45 minutes.
However, at that point, we were both exhausted…and I was ready to take off my dress. It had been on for over 12 hours and my body was ready to be free of the boning.
If I hadn’t sat down, perhaps I could have lasted longer…
Turkey Dad and his friends made it to the bitter end (2:00 AM), along with a surprising number of people.
When Mr. Turkey and I arrived upstairs, we realized we were still hungry. (How? NO idea.) So, we made a quick call down to the front desk and asked them to deliver us the mini cheese steaks and pretzels from the after party.
We already had chocolate-covered strawberries and champagne in the room, so it was our own little mini after party, but in PJs (ah-maz-ing).
Nice treat!
Don’t judge—we sat on the floor and SCARFED this down.
The next morning (just a few short hours later, actually), we woke up for brunch, exhausted and hurting all over.
Ballgown brides—you will wonder why your forearms hurt, and I will tell you it’s from grabbing and pulling up your dress all day/night when walking. It took me about three days to realize this, so you’re welcome! 
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The fact that the dress stands on its own tells you something…
As a testament to how much we crashed, my hair looked almost exactly the same in the morning. (You all know what happened next.)
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Telling Turkey Mom about the tennis ball sized bruise, courtesy of the dress
Brunch was another lovely event, hosted by Mr. Turkey’s parents, complete with LOTS of food (sorry to any of our guests who were on a diet).
The spread
Some flowers from Saturday night made their way upstairs.
Despite the late night, we had an impressive showing at the brunch (maybe it was the promise of free bacon to help with the hangover?), and it was nice to have a few more moments with our guests.
And, with that, the Turkey wedding (weekend) had come to a close.
Mr. Turkey and I were thrilled to be married (and ready to jet off on our honeymoon), but also utterly exhausted. I’m sad to admit that we spent the duration of our first day as a married couple like sloths on our couch (when not over-packing).
Are you doing an after party or brunch following your reception? Married bees—please tell me we weren’t the only lazy couple following the wedding! And was anyone else injured by their dress?
Miss a Turkey recap? No worries…links below!
Recaps Commence with a Trailer Video
Views at the Vesper (our rehearsal dinner)
Getting Lovely (with Law & Order)
The Time Has Come (for Mr. Turkey)
Bridal Portraits (and Some Tips)
Turkeys Take the Art Museum (Part I)
Turkeys Take the Art Museum (Part II)
Final Photo Spot Before We Wed
Cocktail Hour in the Cassatt Lounge (and Garden)
From Heartfelt to Humorous (speeches)
Special (and Surprise!) Dances
Our Favorite Dance of the Night
True Life—We Had a Wedding Crasher
We were so lazy as well! But really, we were together (and cuddling), so it was amazing nonetheless.
Oof, I had bruises from the boning in my dress, too. So crazy!!
My dress also stands on its own so thank you for the heads up – will definitely be considering these things.
Also, I am super jelly of your after party in PJ’s. I’m running on like 15 total hours of sleep over the past four days and that just sounds like heaven right now.
I have a pic just like yours when I finally took a seat in the hotel room lobby… soooo ready to get the dress off. 
My hips were starting to hurt from carrying the dress!
Your ball gown experience scares me a bit since I’ll be wearing a ballgown in a garden and you can bet I’ll be pulling it up the entire day.
I love the idea of a day after brunch! I might suggest it toour parents.
These photos are wonderful! Looks like you had a great time.
Oh my gosh, we were so freaking tired the next day. Once we got home from the venue, we pretty much just sat. Ordered food, watched TV, and sat. It was lovely. 
I love the fact that you ordered cheese steaks and pretzels! Perfect munchies! Sounds like you had a great time! I am glad to see so many people came to your brunch. We are having one too and I am worried that a lot of people will skip out prior to the brunch!
My dress gave me a sore spot under each arm where the lace trim on the bodice rubbed. Didn’t feel it on the day but it was really painful the next day. Oh well, it looked great!
We got to our room at 4am (after a brief stop inbetween reception and afterparty to shower, have some newlywed time, and change into a different dress)! We were both zombies for the next week, we were so happy we didn’t do bruch or have anything to do the next day – we got a late checkout, ate lunch at the hotel, packed up our stuff from my parents’, and headed home!
ha! your warning about your arms being sore is hilarious!
The fire alarm went off at our hotel the morning after our wedding, so we got to see many of our guests bright and much earlier than they expected
We absolutely napped post (epic) reception parties the entire next day and my parents even stayed an extra night at the hotel after the wedding because they were that tired!! It is a great idea to build in a day of relaxation after the wedding if possible before heading to your honeymoon! We had a day to relax, a day to pack, and then traveled after.
I have legit scars from the longline bra I had on. Not pretty!
Really amazing idea! Looks very happy!!!
I want to do a day-after brunch, but our budget is extremely small. Is it wrong/disrespectful to let guests know that we plan on having brunch at “X” and they are welcome to join…but expected to pay for their own meal? It sounds pathetic to ask them to do that, but I know we have no extra room in our budget. Any thoughts?
@cbl: Laziness is the best – and was so needed!
@MrsJJC: Crazy that it happens!
@StephK527: Hope you found time for some rest. And yes, be warned of the dress “injuries”.
@Josina: It’s funny how a dress can all of a sudden become so heavy.
@Miss Toadstool: You’ll be fine – it’s just a little battle injury later on
@LauraJay: Thanks!
@Mrs. Fox: Glad we weren’t the only ones.
@katie395: I am sure you’ll be surprised by how many people come to the brunch. As a wedding guest, I always make an effort to go so I can see the bride and groom one more time.
@Nicky: Beauty is pain!
@almostmrsj: 4am – WOW.
@Miss Gray Wolf: It’s true…wanted to let other brides know earlier rather than later!
@Mrs. Pony: OUCH!!
@Orange: That’s a fantastic recommendation. We left on Monday for our honeymoon, but an extra day would have been even better.
@Mrs. Giraffe: YIKES – now that’s serious.
@http 3Aasian-culture-shop.com: Thanks.
@3Polkadots: I think that’s OK, but just make sure you let your guests know. You might want to google for good wording suggestions if you don’t want to outright say guests have to pay for themselves (something like “the bride and groom will be brunching at X and they would love if you joined them” and perhaps attaching the menu). I’m sure other brides have encountered this dilemma. Good luck!!
Love this post T! We had an after party and totally closed the bar! (We left sometime after 2 AM) We had such a blast. 
Mrs. Turkey, Philadelphia Age and Occupation: 29, Brand Management Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Consultant Engagement Date: February 2011 Wedding Date: May 2012 Venue: The Rittenhouse Hotel About Me: I'm a marketer who loves a good glass of wine, anything pumpkin-flavored, every crime drama on TV and, of course, Mr. Turkey. It's funny to say out loud, but we're former coworkers turned betrothed---now planning a wedding in the city of Brotherly Love. For three years, we've been eating our way through Philadelphia, playing tourist at home, and cheering for every sports team in the 215. Although we've hit some unplanned snags along the way, we're determined to have a rocking party this spring with our loud, fun families and friends.
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