Ready to extend your wedding into a multi-day celebration and wonder how to plan a wedding weekend?
Well, as a NYC wedding photographer, I’ve been to my fair share of wedding weekends and now I’m here to share my best tips to help you plan with ease.
If you’re unsure where to start and looking for unique wedding weekend ideas then read on.
How to plan a wedding weekend: My top 9 tips
Let’s create a beautiful celebration everyone will cherish forever. Here’s how:
1. Set a theme
As someone who’s been to many wedding weekends, I always enjoyed seeing all the different themes. This is a great way to help you keep everything cohesive and let your guests know what to prepare and expect too.
The theme could be anything you two enjoy doing and making a full weekend out of it. All of that with having your nearest and dearest around for a few days.
Your theme can be anything from a breathtaking beach celebration with a little bit of a high-end bohemian vibe, a picnic garden with a candlelight dinner, a character-filled cocktail bar celebration, a party with your favorite DJ, to having a 3-day festival.
The choice is truly yours. Allow your creativity to run free and go with what feels authentic to the two of you as a couple.
2. Go a little bit ‘extra’ with special details
Speaking of creativity, one of the best tips on how to plan a wedding weekend is to prepare unique activities you can all enjoy together.
Focus these activities around your main theme (retro, boho, classy, etc.), and feel free to include playful dress codes and fun transportation options to make it even more memorable.
If you want to take it to the next level, consider preparing theme-based welcome bags for your guests, a special password for entry, or matching robes for a spa session. Just have fun with it!
I always recommend my clients create a theme and then “wedding-brand” around it.
3. Find a dreamy venue (that fits your theme)
The next thing to figure out is – the venue. In my opinion, the best is to stay with your guests on-site for the entire event.
For this, your venue can be anything from a dreamy beach resort, retreat venue, mountain lodge, campground site, or lake-side property to anything you two desire.
This way you’re able to create a beautiful immersive guest experience, spend quality time with your guests, and enjoy the slowness of each moment.
4. Hire top-quality vendors & capture all the tiny moments
Alright, once you’ve poured your heart into creating your dream theme, picked the perfect venue, and fine-tuned every little detail, it’s time to bring in professionals: Your photographer, videographer, and wedding planner (the three key vendors).
This way, you can avoid unnecessary stress and truly enjoy the weekend wedding planning process. Leave the rest to your team. To make everything flow smoothly, hire people who put as much intention and care into this as you do!
Before saying yes to anyone, look through their portfolio, discuss your wishes, check out their reviews, and see if you enjoy their personality. After all, they’ll be with you for the entire celebration.
As a NYC and destination wedding photographer, I absolutely adore weekend weddings. I get to immerse myself in the celebration, give my clients all my attention, and craft custom photo collections that truly capture the spirit of the entire weekend.
If we work together, I’ll ensure you get timeless, authentic photos, filled with heartfelt artistry and planned with the utmost care.
To see my work, feel free to browse through this website here. If you love what you see, let’s talk more about your dream vision!
5. Create a mood board for your vendor team
Your vendor team is here to help you create a magical weekend, but since they can’t read minds, try putting together a mood board to share your vision.
This will help you see if your vendors’ portfolios align with your ideas and ensure they’re the right fit for you.
Give yourself the freedom to scroll through Pinterest and Instagram, and save any images that resonate with your vision. Then, create a Pinterest board or IG collection for your wedding weekend.
Once it’s ready, compare it with the styles of your potential photographer and videographer. If it feels like a match, reach out to them.
If you like the pictures in this post and think my work aligns with your vibe, I’d love to chat more and make sure you get a stunning, charismatic picture collection.
6. Craft a thoughtful itinerary
Your itinerary should reflect your theme, have plenty of gaps for guests to prepare, and not feel rushed. At the same time, make sure there are plenty of connecting activities so no one gets bored.
To do this, start with the main event and plan around it. For example, if the ceremony and reception are on day two, you can have a welcome dinner with introductory activities on day one.
Think about what will be most enjoyable for you and your guests, and let your wedding planner help with the rest.
One more tip: publish your itinerary on your wedding weekend page, send out emails, and have your guests RSVP for each activity. This will make everything so much easier, and you’ll know exactly who and what to expect.
7. Make it inclusive for all budgets
If you’d like most of your friends and loved ones to join, my advice is to make it as accessible as possible.
Many couples let people join for just one day instead of three (as a shorter time commitment might be easier for them) and offer a range of accommodation options to suit different budgets.
This approach might help you achieve a higher attendance rate, ensuring all your nearest and dearest can be there with you, even if it’s just for a little while.
8. Pack items for detail shots
Lastly, don’t forget to pack not only the essentials but also those special complimentary items you’d like featured in your detail shots.
If you’re hiring a photographer, they can help with this or even bring extra props for you (if you don’t have any you’re particularly attached to).
Final thoughts on how to plan a 3 day wedding experience people will rave about
And those are all my tips on how to plan a wedding weekend that you and your guests will never forget. Follow them and you’ll have the smoothest, dreamiest, and most fun multi-day wedding celebration out there.
Just think about what feels right for the two of you as a couple (it’s YOUR weekend) and invite your closest people to join you. The vendors you hire will make a huge difference, so be very intentional about that too.
Lastly, if you’d like to have me on your vendor team, I’d be delighted to join you for this big weekend. I’ll give you all my attention, guide you through your photoshoot, and create stunning photo collections to cherish forever.
If you’re interested, feel free to contact me here, and I’ll be in touch ASAP.
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