Paying for a group activity vs. hosting a welcome dinner???

[StephanieMN]

We are planning on doing our Bachelorette /Bachelor parties the night before and most of our guests will be coming to that. We felt like we needed something for our older guest (our parents--ok so 54 isn't old but who wants to get a lap dance with their mom?) so we came up with this idea. We are not sure what to call it yet but it will be our mothers hosting dinner at a local restaurant (guests pay) and the whole group will meet at the restaurant before departing for dinner or to the casinos/clubs.

This way we can greet the guests and have a drink then head off to our girl/guy thing.

[ajncooter]

I was thinking the same thing... but i lucked out and my mom said she would host the welcome dinner and bonfire and brads parents are going to do the sunset cruise after our rehearsal.. yea...

[deleted]

We were lucky enough to do both, and it made the wedding so much better because people had become friends by the time the wedding reception happened.

 

We did the zip line tour - I wrote a whole post about it (search Canopy Costa Azul) and it was an awesome group activity. We subsidized the cost, but we couldn't afford to cover the whole thing. People were still really grateful.

 

If you can't afford a welcome dinner I would definitely do something like drinks, apps, or a bonfire or something even if it's lite fare.

[jak27]

I completely agree with Janet, doing something just makes the entire weekend mesh together. Your guests will get to know each other, feel comfortable together and that group dynamic will be so much more enjoyable if everyone has already met, been introduced, etc.

 

As a guest, I always want to know who everyone is, etc, I think it just makes the destintation wedding part feel more intimate, if you have 20 or 200 guests.

 

Doesn't have to be fancy, but something organized is appreciated!

[dragonfly]

We are doing a welcome recepton, all we need to cover is the cost of the wait staff, and some hor'dourves. We have not decided if we are doing it in the afternoon before dinner the day everybody arrives (we will be there already), or after dinner. I am leaning towards the afternoon!

 

Everton is hosting a deep sea fishing excursion for the guys, and we have organized a beach vollyball game, and a casino night.

 

volyball is free, and the casino night is just the cost to get there for whoever wants to join us.

 

Kelly~

[Can'tHardlyWait]

One cost effective option if you are at an AI is asking your WC at the hotel to section off a part of one of the restaurants at the hotel for you and your guests as a welcome dinner. I feel like it's a really good option if you are trying to save money AND your guests get to spend some time together before the wedding You can even decorate your section with flowers or candles to make it more personal. This way, you have a welcome dinner AND $ for a group activity... hope this helps!

[michelle08]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mridgway We are doing a Sunset Cruise through Sunrider. We've got a large group and really wanted a way to get them out of the resort for at least one night. My family and I took the cruise when we were there last month and the company that runs it is very nice. I've got the prices also if you are interested. Melissa

I would definately be interested in the prices!!!

[michelle08]

I didn't read all the posts before I posted last....I got the prices thanks!

[Amy&Andy]

I also booked the sunrider sunset cruise for our rehearsal dinner option. We will have no more than 30 ppl and the price I got was between 1500 and 1700 from what I remember. That included the cruise, mexican buffet, and domestic bar. I thought that was a really reasonable price for a boat, food, and drinks. That is the only "event" so far that we have booked. We will host a welcome dinner/cocktail party at our resort since it is AI...and shouldn't cost too much.....I hope.

 

My future FIL is a huge fisherman so he is paying for a boys fishing trip...girls maybe a spa trip for the tootsies. We'll see......

[lavalos]

We may do the sunset cruise as our welcome/rehearsal dinner all-in-one. We're planning a bachelor/bachelorette night out the day prior (Thursday) and may do ATV or zip line tour the Sunday or Monday after the wedding. I forgot who said it but I keep thinking about fun activities for the younger crowd and keep forgetting about the older crowd so really want to do the sunset cruise as I think this w/b enjoyable for all ages.

 

FYI...the only event we'll host is the welcome/rehearsal dinner. We'll, most likely, negotiate some type of group rate for the other activities depending on how may people express interest.