What’s an After Party?

It’s a party held after the “main event” of your wedding.  It’s held at a location other than the wedding venue, that’s designed to entertain your party size, at a low cost to you.

Throw An After Party at a Local Location

Here’s the thing; the majority of your guests are going to leave before the reception even ends. Older folks like your grandparents. Middle-aged folks who have families and work on Monday. A few others who might not know everyone that well. What’s left is your core crew, the family, and friends who are the most like you and want to keep the party going.

For those people, an after-party at a local establishment can be a great idea. Or you can have it in the lounge of the local hotel where everyone is staying. Here are a few in wine country;

• Dukes’s Spirited Cocktails – With wonderful service, a private room, and proximity to hotels, Duke’s is a great choice. Located in Healdsburg.
• B&B Lounge – Another fantastic choice that’s within walking distance of the Dry Creek Inn and a Best Western. Located in Healdsburg
• Railroad Station – Also a wonderful after-party location that’s moderately priced to keep your wedding budget in line. Located in Cloverdale.

The Benefits of an After-Party

• Much less expensive for you. Most wedding venues charge a $1000.00 an hour or more.
• In addition to the venue expense, you have to keep paying for staff, wedding planner, bartender, security, DJ, photographer, and others.
• Fewer (or no) noise ordinances to deal with. (Who wants cops showing up on their wedding night, are we right?)
• No extra cost for alcohol and food. Your guests can pay for whatever they want.
• If someone gets crazy on alcohol the risk and responsibility are out of your hands.

Another Benefit to an After Party – You’re Beat

When planning their wedding day, couples will think about parties they’ve attended that lasted until the wee hours of the morning.  But here’s a reality check – the couple, and the core wedding party, have been working on the wedding day plans nonstop, and began their day early on the wedding day morning.  Yes, people other than the wedding party, the bride tribe, may still want to keep the party going, but normally the couples are dead tired by 10 pm and ready to relax.  So if you have an after-party, instead of staying at the venue, you can sneak out and not have to worry about what everyone is doing to your damage deposit.

Get Together the Next Day for Brunch or Lunch

There’s no law saying that you have to throw an after-party after your reception. Let’s be honest, you already provided a party and, if people want to party more, they can always do that on their own back at their hotel. Instead, you could have everyone get together the next day for lunch.

The best part about this option is that everyone will have (mostly) recovered from their hangovers and been able to make themselves look good again. (You and your new spouse included.)

Consider Hiring a Party Bus So Nobody Needs to Drive (Or Crawl) Back to the Hotel

If you want to get crazy that’s OK, as long as nobody has to drive. Hiring a party bus to get everyone back to their hotel would do the trick here. Just make sure everyone stays at the same location. It will add a little to your wedding budget but less than staying overnight at your venue by far.  And the peace of mind that your guests won’t be driving themselves, is worth it.