Hot Trend: The Afterparty

Who says the party stops after last call at your wedding?!  Have you given any thought of where you and your guests will be going after the reception?  If you still have enough energy after the party, why not continue the good times with all of your family and friends well into the morning?!

Afterparties are becoming popular with younger couples who have a lot of guests who are not entirely ready to go home and sleep after the reception, but are ready to celebrate the night away!

Who to Invite?

All guests attending the wedding should automatically be aware of the afterparty and be invited to attend the party at the new location.

Plan a Proposed Guest List

All of your guests at the wedding will most likely opt out in attending the after party.  Ask around your guest list of who might be interested in attending an afterparty to get an idea of how many people you could expect for the party.  This will also help you budget for the party if you are interested in continuing a bar package of some sort at the next venue or local bar.  Also, you can look into budgeting for some food to be delivered or catered by your after party!

Choose a Location

This all depends on where your reception is located.  If you have your reception at a hotel or a large reception hall, they may have smaller, more intimate rooms to host your afterparty.  If you are married on an estate, restaurant or a reception hall with no other private rooms, then look to popular local bars in the immediate area!  ALWAYS think of how to transport your guests to the new location if it is different from your reception!!  If you choose to go to a bar, keep in mind the amount of guests that you would like to attend.   You may want to call the bar owner weeks in advance to see if you could rent private space within the bar or block off the bar for the evening.  In most cases, you will not have to reserve the entire bar.  Anyways, it might be fun making new friends that night at the location that would love to toast to the new couple!

Glen Sanders Mansion has the Maquas Lounge open to wedding guests until the party is ready to go up to their Inn rooms!

Saratoga Springs has a diverse range of bars and restaurants to host your afterparty

Food and Beverage

If your dinner service was 3-4 hours beforehand, your guests may enjoy some munchies during the afterparty.  Prepare to have pizzas delivered, snacks dropped off to the location prior to the party, or have your caterer wrap up some leftovers from your late night station and bring them to the bar!  For drinks, guests will not expect for you to pay out extra money for cocktails.  Cash bar is perfectly acceptable for the afterparty!

Photo Credit: Elario Photography

Afterparty Attire

No need to impress anyone after the reception!  This is totally up to you, but for the afterparty you could wear a nice white cocktail dress if the party is still a dressy occasion, or you could dress down in your favorite comfy clothes at your favorite bar!  You have the freedom to decide what to wear late into the evening and early morning hours!  Maybe you are leaving for your honeymoon the next morning….no one will judge if you change into your favorite sweatshirt and yoga pants for your early morning flight!!  🙂

Party the night away Aisle Filers!