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Just Said Yes December 2021

Welcome Party Etiquette

Alex, on February 12, 2021 at 11:29 AM Posted in Etiquette and Advice 1 6

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Hello! I'm having a New Year's Eve wedding in Charleston - this year NYE falls on a Friday, so we're planning to have a rehearsal dinner and welcome party on Thursday. For some background, we are not from Charleston, so this is somewhat of a destination wedding as all of our guests are from out of town. We're hosting a pretty elaborate wedding AND after party. For the after party, we rented out an entire second venue, and we'll have late night food, plus an open bar, DJ, etc.

Given we are hosting both a reception and NYE after party, I'm wondering if we still need to pay for the welcome party or if we could have a cash bar? My thoughts are that we're already essentially hosting two receptions between the actual reception and the after party. I feel like most after parties are more casual and a cash bar, but since Charleston has a curfew at our actual wedding venue, we decided to do a more formal NYE after party that we're paying for.

My current plan is to have a rehearsal dinner (obviously paid for) and then open it up to out-of-town guests for the welcome party and turn it into a cash bar. Is this tacky not to pay for drinks/apps at the welcome party?

Any thoughts or advice on welcome party etiquette would be greatly appreciated!

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6 Comments

Latest activity by Courtney, on February 12, 2021 at 3:51 PM

Champion December 2022
Michelle · on February 12, 2021 at 11:37 AM
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Scale back to what you can afford. A rehearsal dinner/welcome party should not be and often is not expensive. Set a budget you can reasonably afford and work within that.
Treat it like a party in your home. You don't invite people to your home for a bbq or picnic, other laid back party, and charge them to drink. You serve what you have from your own budget you have preset. The same goes for a welcome dinner/rehearsal dinner.
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Legend November 2019
Caytlyn · on February 12, 2021 at 11:42 AM
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You don’t have to host, but I wouldn’t call it a welcome party or formally invite anyone. It’s fine to say “hey, we’ll be at xyz bar for the evening if anyone wants to stop by for a drink,” but a formal invitation insinuates that it will be a hosted event.
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VIP May 2022
Ava · on February 12, 2021 at 11:52 AM
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I agree with this, exactly
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Super May 2021
Stacey · on February 12, 2021 at 1:15 PM
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I don't think you're under any obligation to pay for the Welcome Party, but I agree with what others have said from the sense that I would steer clear of calling it that formally. If I were invited to a "Welcome Party," I might have some assumption that there will be food & drinks provided. I would just informally mention, "Hey we'll be at XXX after the rehearsal dinner, so if you're able to stop by and say hello, we'd love to see you!"
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VIP June 2019
Hanna · on February 12, 2021 at 3:33 PM
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I wouldn't call it a welcome party if there will be a cash bar and you won't be paying for drinks/apps. I would call it more of a casual hangout.
Another option would be to provide a limited bar if you have the budget. We only served wine, beer, and champagne at our welcome party and saved a lot of $$$ that way.
Having some kind of hosted welcome event for out of town guests at destination weddings is definitely a nice thing to do, but it's not required.
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Expert September 2022
Courtney · on February 12, 2021 at 3:51 PM
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I think Caytlyn put it best. Don't make it a formal invite or event. Just if people want to see you before hand pick a spot and let them know where you'll be, even if it's just at the hotel bar. Then you're under no obligation to pay for their drinks/food.
I know I would want to lay low the night before the wedding as a guest, especially if I'm coming in from out of town, so don't feel too much pressure to host the whole weekend.
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