During the last few years the wedding has evolved beyond the typical ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception compressed into one day. Why not expand it into a long week-end or better yet, a small vacation. After all, we can go away anytime for a week-end. Your wedding should be more important, it is after all ?Your Day to Shine.?



Most people when polled enjoy the idea of a wedding taking several days, like one beautifully extended dinner with scrumptious courses of food and wine, lazy dancing and endless conversations with people you know and love. Anyone who has attempted to compile digital photos or a video knows the importance of arranging all the items and having the right equipment. The software is the means to the end, assembling the images into the orderly cohesive fashion that flows seamlessly from one scene to the next. That is exactly what you can do when you plan and arrange your wedding weekend vacation.

Do you want the wedding in a particular location, a Caribbean Island, or maybe Hawaii? Do you want the spot centrally located for all the guests you are inviting? Only you can decide this, remember to plan for traveling to and from the location. Most people plan their wedding around three days. The actual wedding itself is situated in the middle of the three days. This will allow people to arrive and depart based on their schedules, but still allow some time to rest before the wedding. Start your planning early, the earlier the better. It allows flexibility for the inevitable issues that will arise affording you the opportunity to change based on availability or cost.

Once you have the date and the site then you can start planning and organizing. As clich'd as it sounds attention to detail will eliminate the errors to undermine your event. Some people keep a small notebook subdivided into specific sections. All the items necessary from organizing travel plans to the specifics of the rehearsal dinner can be organized in this notebook. Lets face it some of our family members aren't the most resourceful in another state, much less another country. Provide organized events but keep them low key. Remind your guest that these events are not mandatory. Allow your guest time to themselves and the opportunity to explore their surroundings. For many of them this may be their first time to this destination so let them plan some of their own events. Include information on local sites and hot spots. Include small maps for traveling around the area sightseeing. Attention to detail-remember!

Some people use the rehearsal dinner as a method to bring both groups together. You can continue with this tradition but now you have daytime activities to help everyone mix and mingle. Remember to utilize the resources and delegate some tasks to responsible family and friends planning these events. Only you can decide if you want any activities scheduled on the wedding day. You can still arrange some low-key activities for the adventurous and they can decide. You can plan and arrange activities based on the time available and the level of activities to accommodate the different ages and cultural groups coming to join you.

In addition to the outdoor fun and sightseeing, dinners can also be used as a way for you to bring everyone together and enjoy spending time with them. After all you are not an event coordinator. Plan a dinner for different guests to show off the location. In Hawaii nothing does this like the Luau. Just don't tell anyone what poi is. The day after the wedding traditionally was a brunch for the out-of-town guests. Just plan it for everyone and you can continue the party before people leave for the airport.

A Weekend wedding adds a new dimension on the traditional wedding. Careful planning with attention to detail can make it a fun filled, exciting and memorable weekend.