Many brides and grooms plan on having an after party after their reception. Either the couple will hire a DJ for an hour or more after the reception ends, or the DJ they hired for the reception will switch gears and begin playing more club-like music. Some couples will even switch locations for their after party.
I’ve only been to a few weddings where there was an after party and for all of them we didn’t know there was going to be one until well into the reception. Friends, and in some instances the couple, asked if we were staying for the after party. Dave and I knew what an after party was, but we had no idea that there’d be one.
We usually ended up staying, especially if they were close friends or relatives, but it got me thinking. Did they send out a formal invite for this party and just forget to send one to us? I’m not talking about an engraved card, but an evite or an email would suffice. Did they just expect people to find out by word of mouth?
If you’re going to have an after party please let your guests – or at least those who you want to stay – know about it. They’ll need to know where it is, especially if you’re moving locations, what time you're having it and when it will end, if they should change into more casual outfits and if you’re supplying any transportation to the location.
If your guests know what to expect in advance they’re more likely to join in the fun!
