Okay, I hate being an evening guest at a wedding. It sucks!
That said, I can't afford to have everyone I want at my wedding there during the day so I am having an evening guests.
I've been trying to think of ways to make it more fun for evening guests. We have a band, a DJ, favours for evening guests as well as day guests, a cupcake table, the cake-cutting during the evening rather than during the day, fireworks and the usual buffet.
Would you be excited if you received a welcome drink (probably a glass of bubbly or a non-alcoholic alternative) as an evening guest or would you think it was just OTT?
CommentAuthorrebeccalou21
i think it would be a nice touch to offer evening guests a drink on arrival x
CommentAuthorMrsSaraParry!
I'd love to be able to provide each evening guest with a welcome drink, I think its a lovely idea but we just can't afford it. We're doing the cake cutting in the evening too and we're going to serve the cake as part of the buffet xx
CommentAuthormadison_uk
its a nice thought but if your guests are a bit picky on there drink choice like i am, i would personally prefer to get my own you seem to be providing enough fun and entertainment for them as it is, so in sure they will all be happy to get there own drink
CommentAuthor~*~ Becca ~*~
i personally wouldnt do it!! it is , in my view, a bit OTT considering how much your putting on for them already!!!
but if thats the way you work and you want to be different go for it...its just another unnecessary expense that you could use the money towards something more needed x
17.09.2010 ---I am officially Mrs Rebecca Mollins
Twilight - its' like my own personal brand of Heroin...
Edward Cullen - The Hottest Vampire since 1901 !!
I have OTD - Obsessive Twilight Disorder :D
its a lovely gesture and i agree evening guests dont get all that a day guest does... its a great idea but cost effective its not.... ha its lovely but i wont be doing it due to costs i think xxx
Cant wait to be Mrs Melissa Mooney!!!
Hes The Man Of My Dreams
Kos 2013!
CommentAuthorStave
edited
The evening guest thing is an issue for me too. I hate missing the speech!!!!
Knowing wat I know about your wedding how about this?
First dance before dinner Evening guests in a holding area You go and get changed Day & evening guests come together They are given a drink for a toast You an G come back swoosh onto the dance floor A quick speech Then your other "first" dance......................?
CommentAuthorloubyscooby
Unless they all arrive together or you give them all a "first drink free" chip I think its really difficult to do. I dont think evening guests mind too much but if you want them to be more included in the day event can you project wedding photos( that have been taken by guests) onto a wall via a laptop or in a quiter space so they can see the days events unfolding...
CommentAuthorSpecialSundae
I just feel that when I've arrived at evening receptions before I've felt like an intruder and I don't want anyone else to feel that. I was thinking of having a little drinks reception before the entertainment kicks off. Have the pianist playing and let everyone circulate like it's the beginning of a whole new party, rather than it just being a continuation of the dinner.
CommentAuthorStave
Ohhhh thats a fab idea louby!
CommentAuthorMrsSaraParry!
ours is going to be a bit like that because we've got a 90 minute gap between the reception and the evening function so the evening guests will be arriving at 7pm for a 7.30 start so everyone can mingle in the private bar area before the disco starts :o)
CommentAuthorspooney24
But then if you did have a wee drinks reception before the entertainment kicked off wouldnt that involve the day guests partaking in the welcome drink to as they may wonder why not everyone is getting a free drink. I know one of my friends had a welcome drink for evening guests and unfortunately ended up supplying plenty more than expected as the day guests started helping themselves to it too.
Like some others are doing a drinks voucher or chip would possibly be a better idea.
26th December 2007 - the day I met my special man
8th August 2008 - the day he was mad enough to propose to me
24th July 2010 - the day I felt beautiful inside and out and
became Mrs Dickie for life. xx
CommentAuthorsarahwasabride
we are having a drink on arrival xx
CommentAuthorSpecialSundae
I wasn't planning to exclude the day guests in the second drinks reception. If I do it, I'll do a glass of bubbly for everyone (or even do half bubbly, a quarter beer and a quarter soft drinks).
CommentAuthorloubyscooby
We have an hours turn around whilst our room is made up for more of a party and most of our day guests are staying so will go to their rooms to freshen up. There is a small bar area where all evening guests plus the day guests all meet up and then we will open the doors to the reception room again and then have a welcome line so that no one sees that room before anyone else (if that makes sense) The laptop pics will be screened in the bar area.
CommentAuthorStave
Noooooooo I dont mean exclude the evening guests for drink purposes! I mean let them gather together rather than them turning up in dribs and drabs. Then they can all mix while you are changing into the shorter skirt. Then you "arrive" for the evening. :-0
CommentAuthorSpecialSundae
Exactly the sort of thing I was thinking of, Jae. Make a proper entrance again in the evening.
CommentAuthorspooney24
I take it you would then include these details in your invite to ensure that most of the evening guests attended on time for the welcome drinks reception.
26th December 2007 - the day I met my special man
8th August 2008 - the day he was mad enough to propose to me
24th July 2010 - the day I felt beautiful inside and out and
became Mrs Dickie for life. xx
CommentAuthorSpecialSundae
Which details, Spooney?
CommentAuthorLisa Ramos
I think it's a lovely idea and I totally relate to what you said about feel like an intruder, when you only invited to the evening do. If I could afford to give my evening guests a drink each, I would as well.
I love my lickle Ava
CommentAuthorSpecialSundae
I don't have to make a decision 'til we're ordering the wine in March, but I thought it would be a nice gesture for relatively little expense. It would only be about £2.25 a head to do it, which isn't that bad in the course of things.
CommentAuthorClareS
oo I was wondering what to do for evening guests as we can't afford to pay for a free bar. I like the idea above about a voucher or chip so we at least pay for everyone's first drink x
CommentAuthorStave
If money was no issue, booze fruits, in the holding area ;-)
CommentAuthorSpecialSundae
I'm thinking of having loads of candles added to the table and lit between the day reception and evening ball (as we're planning to invite people to a "celebratory ball" rather than an "evening reception").
CommentAuthorlala "mod" bunni
nice touch but not nessersary .....vening guest will arrive at differant times ...and you may have some that just go back to get extra drinks that they dont have to pay for ( not me .......no ....... never )
if you can afford it then i agree it is a nice touch because you have already fed/watered your day guests so is nice to provide for evening.
we cant afford it though as we are already providing champagne for welcome drinks and toasts and having bottles of wine on the tables.
if there is any left over then it will be going on a seperate table for evening guests to help themselves when they arrive but i doubt there will be any left
CommentAuthorSpecialSundae
We're currently planning to have two glasses of bubbly (including non-alcoholic bubbly for kids) during the drinks reception after the ceremony, half a bottle of wine per adult on the table and a glass of bubbly for the toast. I think that's a reasonable amount but not enough for everyone to be plastered (over the course of five hours with food).
I'm currently coming in under budget on my dress and a few other things, so rather than spend the excess on myself, I thought it would be nice to give it to our guests.
CommentAuthorRachie :D
Rowan, my Dad I believe is going to pay for some of the drinks on the evening - he's not telling me though (Mum has spragged!) He thinks we should offer people at least a drink when they get there.
9th June 2012 when two worlds collide
The Crazy Cat Lady and the Transformer Man!
CommentAuthorMrsMelodyWalker
I'm having welcome drink's for my evening guest's. Either a glass of bubbly or a cocktail which Stephen and I have put together and called "Sweet Melody" lol
All of my dreams come true the day I married you, Mr Walker
5.11.11
Remember Remember The 5th of November
CommentAuthorSpecialSundae
Ooh, a signature cocktail would work well! Hmm...
CommentAuthorMrsMelodyWalker
As my evening guest's arrive they will be met by waiters with a glass of bubbly but we are having a cocktail fountain so if they want the cocktail instead they go and help themselves. It's all being held in the lobby so none of my day guest's will be there and get confused and help themselves
All of my dreams come true the day I married you, Mr Walker
5.11.11
Remember Remember The 5th of November
CommentAuthorMrsMelodyWalker
And saying that, my evening guest's should be arriving as my day guests are having coffee in the winter bar so Steve and I can hang around at the lobby welcoming our guests
All of my dreams come true the day I married you, Mr Walker
5.11.11
Remember Remember The 5th of November
CommentAuthorAtaraxia
We're hoping to have the cocktail idea... in Spain you can get frozen cocktails and at the fiestas last summer, at all the houses we visited, everyone hired the slush machines for guests!
Last year I couldn't get enough of the frozen mojito... so we're looking into hiring a machine. Mojitos are good, but nobody tried to be different and use other cocktails... I'm hoping to try a frozen Cosmo, I bet it would taste amazing!
Got married 27th June and blessed on July 5th 2012
Finally Mrs M :3
Love, love... Here we are.
CommentAuthorbarbie86
We were considering this, but decided against it for the following reasons:
0ur day guests will already be there, so we would have to provide another welcome drink for them too, otherwise it would be a bit weird (eg half the guests with a drink, half without)
Not everyone likes the same thing; we're providing 2 glasses of buck's fizz, 1/2 bottle of wine (choice of red or white), or a choice of soft drink, and a glass of toasting champagne for the day guests: we have options there so I think most people will be OK, but I reckon some of the wine and buck's fizz will be wasted as some of our guests don't drink it. I'm loathe to waste yet more in the evening
We're having a free bar; so, it's not like our evening guests will be missing out.
What we'll probably do is have the first dance, and also cut the cake in the evening, so the evening guests feel they haven't missed out completely. So, we will probably suggest that before the first dance and cake cutting, guests get themselves a drink of their choice at the bar.
It costs like £7 for a buck's fizz at our venue, so I don't want to spend £700 on 100 evening welcome drinks if half of them will be wasted and half the guests would be happier with a beer (which is also cheaper lol). Our bar budget is approx £2.5k which will not go far as it is :-s
CommentAuthorStave
lol spragged. Luv that word
CommentAuthorRachie :D
I know :D I'm not to tell him I know lol
9th June 2012 when two worlds collide
The Crazy Cat Lady and the Transformer Man!
CommentAuthorSpecialSundae
We're quite lucky in that our venue are VERY reasonable for drinks. A bottle of local sparkling "Oak and Elderflower" or "Strawberry" sparkling wine is only about £13.50 and so it works out as £2.25 per person if we have a welcome drink in the evening. Our total bar bill will be around £1.5k if we don't have evening drinks and about £2k if we do.
CommentAuthorLittle Kettle
We're not having welcome drinks, but we are proving guests with a toast drink later Hx
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CommentAuthorkimmy
Sounds like a fab idea :D
CommentAuthorbarbie86
Ahh ok; in which case I would do them, as even if they don't get drunk, it's not a huge amount.
Our drinks are costing a stupid amount; about £1500 for the day guests (and bear in mind, that is only 39 who are having alcohol, and 5 non-drinkers!!), and as I said we're putting approx £2.5k behind the bar in the evening for about 90 guests, and I doubt that will last the night, though I might be wrong; but, at £6 for a 175ml glass of wine or a single spirit and mixer, it doesn't look good!
If you did do evening welcome drinks though I think I'd include all guests, and maybe provide a selection so people have a choice
CommentAuthorSpecialSundae
I might see if we could arrange a keg of local beer too. We're trying to keep it local as much as possible.
CommentAuthorMrsMelodyWalker
I think I might give a welcome drink to everyone actually, it would work a lot better.
All of my dreams come true the day I married you, Mr Walker
5.11.11
Remember Remember The 5th of November
CommentAuthorLiz3yy
If you can afford then yes go for it as it will I'm sure be appreciated. That said I wouldn't worry too much if you can't. We're not providing drinks for our evening guests. There will be a bar open instead where people can buy what they want. They're being fed from the buffet and cake so I think that will be enough.
Can't wait until the day I become Mrs. Johnson :)
CommentAuthorMrsMelodyWalker
SS, you've given me a great idea with keeping it local. I could give my guest's a Mulled Cider welcome drink!
All of my dreams come true the day I married you, Mr Walker
5.11.11
Remember Remember The 5th of November
CommentAuthorSpecialSundae
Ooh! Local ales are only about £80 for a keg. While we'd be charged a bit more than that to serve it, it would still be reasonable.
CommentAuthorMrsMelodyWalker
I'm sure my venue could get hold of cider and use that instead of mulled wine.. mmm it will smell amazing!!
All of my dreams come true the day I married you, Mr Walker
5.11.11
Remember Remember The 5th of November
CommentAuthorbarbie86
Loving the sound of cider and kegs of real ale, yum!
CommentAuthorsarsibob1
We did the vouchers for a free drink for evening guests. Put their names on the back and it was for a glass of wine, pint of beer or soft drink. Came to 140 quid for 50 evening guests. Decided to do this rather than money behind the bar to make sure everyone got one - not just those propping up the bar
