How to plan a post wedding brunch people actually attend
Post-wedding events often suffer from poor attendance because guests face travel fatigue and logistical hurdles moving to a second location. Trying to organize an affordable, low-key gathering while dealing with post-wedding exhaustion leaves many couples canceling these events altogether or struggling to get a headcount.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Hosting the brunch at the same venue as the weddingDid this help you?
- 2Using hotel blocks for the gatheringDid this help you?
- 3Renting a nearby apartment or restaurant room and ordering delivery foodDid this help you?
- 4Skipping the post-wedding event in favor of a welcome party insteadDid this help you?
- 5Doing hair and makeup off-site at home beforehandDid this help you?
- 6Booking venues for fewer hours to save moneyDid this help you?
- 7Calling it a celebration of marriage and adding a note explaining that the couple will be married in a private ceremonyDid this help you?
- 8Writing 'We eloped! Please join us for a reception to celebrate!' on the invitationDid this help you?
- 9Framing the event as a vow renewal followed by a party and making it clear that gifts or pre-renewal events are not wanted.Did this help you?
- 10asking online communities or peer forums to review and critique the scheduleDid this help you?
- 11talking to friends or family members who have planned similar eventsDid this help you?
- 12Greeting guests as they arrive at the doorDid this help you?
- 13Handing out wristbands for the open bar during guest arrivalDid this help you?
- 14Doing a grand entrance later in the eventDid this help you?
- 15Waiting until a major milestone like a 10-year anniversary to host the eventDid this help you?
- 16Calling the event an anniversary party rather than a vow renewalDid this help you?
- 17Incorporating their children into the new ceremonyDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“We paid for everything and never got the “party”.”source ↗
“We still talk about throwing an untraditional vow renewal and party with our family and friends. Would it be fun to do it for year 7? The anti seven year itch? Or wait until year 10?”source ↗
“I’m also divided on whether I’d wear my original dress or get something new.”source ↗
“any ideas for an affordable post-wedding kickback in a city?”source ↗
“What do we call our party while making clear there’s no ceremony and we’d already be married?”source ↗
“asking guests to go to a second location is common too but it is a bit of a lift for people who have travel plans they need to get to.”source ↗
“personally I didn’t do one because i noticed in my friend group at least they were poorly attended.”source ↗
“This is the first wedding I've ever participated in doing and the last wedding I even went to was when I was 11. Does this day plan make sense? is it feasible?”source ↗
“My fiance and I are trying to figure out how we should enter our elopement party, which is the day after our ceremony.”source ↗
“Would it be rude to show up later than the guests?”source ↗
“30-45 minutes into the party is too long, I would assume you guys weren't coming and get ready to leave around the 30 minute mark.”source ↗
“My husband and I got married in a courthouse almost 8 years ago due to him being in the military and us not having the funds for a wedding. Now we’re wanting to have a celebration of marriage? Not sure what to call it. I’ve seen there’s a lot of backlash for wanting to do something like this. But we just want the experience.”source ↗
“Can you pick apart our wedding reception timeline? About 90–95 guests, outdoor dinner + indoor dancing — what am I forgetting?”source ↗
“Are there any awkward gaps in this timeline???? Anything we’re trying to squeeze too close together??? Any logistical things that become a problem when people move from outside to inside??? Anything you wish you had planned for that we haven’t thought about???”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 7Can you actually plan a wedding in just a few months?
- 9How to handle wedding planning when you find out you're pregnant
- 5Fiancé and family booking wedding vendors behind my back
- 5How to keep guests cool at an outdoor August wedding ceremony
- 6What should I be working on a year out from my wedding?
- 17Wedding day timeline example with an early ceremony