Recently, I was asked by one of my favorite outlets, Southern Living, to explain the difference between a Welcome Party and a Post Toast when it comes to your wedding weekend events. These two terms have been used nearly interchangeably in my experience, but since you’ll have to eventually put a name to your wedding weekend events – and as such, on your invitations – we might as well discuss what this looks like for our couples in even more depth.

As you might guess, how these terms are used is more of an observation than a rule – and while we’re talking about rules in weddings, let’s just say there aren’t many of those either. My official take for Southern Living is that our destination clients often forgo a traditional rehearsal dinner and instead host a Welcome Party for all their guests who have traveled to be with them that weekend, while our couples who are hosting a wedding local to them and most of their guests will gravitate to the term Post Toast which would be held after their more intimate rehearsal dinner.

So what’s the point here? Mostly that first and foremost, our couples want to spend as much quality time with their guests as they possibly can. Sometimes embracing tradition in the way of a rehearsal dinner is honoring their families, but adding in another way to include their other guests who may not want or need to hear speeches and toasts is always on ask – a la the Post Toast. For others, they want to set the excitement early with all their guests and have a full out party before the party by way of the Welcome Party.

The scale of what either of these events can be has just as many options as the wedding itself. Sometimes it’s as casual as cocktails and appetizers before calling it a night or it could include entertainment, a theme and a menu to match. What these events *should* be is entirely based on the couple and their families, but in my book, it is whatever gives them the best way of spending an amazing time with the most important people in their lives.

Until next time… xoxo, Julie