What activities do you have planned for the guests?

[DWBride615]

I was wondering what everyone has planned for the guests before the wedding...like group activities or fun get togethers. So, please post your plans or if you're already married, then what did you do during your wedding week?

 

 

 

 

So far we have one day fully planned out as far as activities go.

 

We're anticipating the possibility of jet lag with a lot of the guests so our welcome dinner will be delayed a couple nights after they arrive. 

A day or so after our welcome dinner, we have the full day planned out:

The day starts out with a hop-on/off bus day tour of Rome for all the guests. Lunch will be provided. Then later after the tour, the guests be treated to a dinner cruise to see Rome by night. We're thinking of separating these two into two different days though.

Of course, closer to the wedding, there will be the usual with a rehearsal dinner and bachelor/bachelorette parties too. But we'll be in Rome for about a week and a half, so there are still plenty of days without things planned yet.

 

We're not planning something for everyday because we wanted the guests to have days for their own vacation and be able to spend it how they wanted to. However, we also wanted to add a couple/few more activities or something into the stay, to prevent boredom and just for everyone to have fun together. Any ideas/suggestions? Just as an FYI...Any activities will be paid for by us, anything not planned by us or not to do with the wedding, the guests pay for themselves. Everyone's hotel location will, also, not be an issue, as FI and I are renting a floor or two in a hotel and providing the guests' accomodation. So, no one will be staying in separate hotels to arise transportation issues.

 

 

I would love to hear what you all have planned and maybe even get some more ideas myself =]

 

 

[kmarie]

Wow, sounds great!  Wish I was a guest.  I know they will definitely enjoy anything you have planned and Rome is such a gorgeous city your guests won't have a hard time finding things they want to do!

[Mr M]

My fiancee and I are planning on a getaway day for everyone to Playa del Carmen, as well as a welcome party on the beach the night before the wedding. The rest is up to them!

[dmob]

sounds beautiful, Rome is one of my favorite cities! If young crowd, or active, maybe renting bikes and seeing some of the countryside.

[sunstarsmoon]

I really don't have anything planned before the wedding day. Maybe a trip to Dunn's Rivers Falls (free with the hotel).  2 of us our celebrating our birthdays a few days before the wedding so we may make the beach party part of that.

 

I am renting a private catamaran for the afternoon of the wedding for my guests (getting married at 10 a.m.)

[Sax Lady]

I am not planning anything my guest are only staying a long weekend thursday-sunday and half of them are staying at another hotel those are friends but my family is staying at the same hotel. Its only 15 of us total But my parents will have celbrated their annivesary about two weeks before our wedding so i asked FI what we could maybe do with them on saturday our wedding friday so it would only be about 8 of us traveling somewhere. I think what you have so far sounds great. Maybe one day you could split up and all the ladies could go somwhere and the guys somewhere else as you know we like different things among the sexs haha. Also I lived in Germany before and I know there they have lots of different tours you could go on to like a beer factory or wine or glass making or something like that and I'm not sure but Rome probably has something like that. Also we went on castle tours. If I think of anything else I will let you know.

[DWBride615]

Thanks for the suggestions =]

 

We were actually thinking of, also, including a wine tasting or something similar for the adults and hiring a babysitter for the kids. Of course, something fun would be planned for the kids to do as well.

 

haha Oh yes, we will definitely separate and do a ladies thing on our own one day and let the guys do their own thing.

 

As far as castle tours go, that is an option. However, we're currently contemplating our wedding venue being at the Odescalchi Castle in Bracciano near Rome. That's probably the only castle nearby where we're going to be staying. If it ends up not being our venue, then we'll definitely plan a tour of the castle.

 

@dmob The majority of our group is young (in their twenties and early thirties) with a few older adults(our parents, etc.), and a few children.

 

Thanks again!

[lyndsay_h]

Wow, Rome!  That's awesome. 

We're going to have a welcome dinner the day we all get to the resort so that everyone can get to know each other a little since we're all at the same resort for a week.  And we're looking at doing a Saona Island excursion for the group, we want to do something for everyone but aren't sure yet what the most people will enjoy.   I think the night before the wedding will end up being a girls group/guys group thing because my friends are pretty excited about having a bachelorette party at the resort.

[Jen1407]

DWBride615 - your wedding/vacation sounds like it will be a lot of fun, your guests will be very appreciative of what you have planned for them.  Having your wedding at a castle sounds so romantic.

 

We don't really have anything planned for our guests in terms of excursions, we are going to get together for cocktails with the group either on the night of arrival or the 2nd evening.  We are doing a rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding but that is just for wedding party and parents.  We tossed around the idea of taking the group on an excursion but felt that seeing it is their vacation as well we didn't want to make them feel obligated to do something they didn't want to do. 

[stina76]

WOW!!!  That sounds amazing!  How many people are you having?  I did a destination wedding in the FL Keys so my guests weren't coming as far, but I didn't plan too many group activities. I had about 75 guests and they were only there for about 4 or 5 days.  We did a welcome bbq the first night and rented a party bus to Key West the 2nd night.  Then I had the rehearsal dinner for everyone also.  I would have loved to do a catamaran or something one day but we just didn't have time or any more funds to pay for it!!  : )  I felt like it was kind of hard to coordinate everything with so many people but maybe that was because I didn't have much help.  I did everything myself and am really anal about being on time and schedule!  It was fun though, everyone really enjoyed everything. I keep hearing how amazing it was and that they were so grateful that I planned so much for them to do.  No one had ever been to a DW before.  But I think your guests will be thrilled with all of that you have already done!  Congrats!