In recent years, the idea of hosting a 3-day wedding or celebration has become increasingly popular. In addition to being a fun way to make the celebration last longer, it is also a practical and generous solution, seeing that many guests have to travel to the event and take time off to join. In order for everyone to get the most out of their time, an event spanning several days simply makes sense!
But, as if planning a “regular” 1-day wedding or event wasn’t enough, hosting a weekend celebration requires a lot of time and effort. To ensure that everything runs smoothly and that you can just sit back and enjoy your days, it’s therefore a good idea to get help from professional planners.
Luckily, we at Malaga Weddings have a lot of experience with such celebrations, having hosted many three-day weddings, birthdays and more. We have developed the perfect itinerary that makes sure your event is a success, and in this guide, we share our top tips.
WHY CELEBRATE A 3-DAY WEDDING OR EVENT
No matter if you are planning a wedding or another grand event, there is one thing we can tell you for sure: The day will pass in the blink of an eye. That is why taking the time to prolong the celebration for a whole weekend or several weekdays is a great option that comes with many benefits for both you and your guests:
- You all get more time together. The guests will get to meet ahead of the main event and there will be more time to greet everyone. This can make the experience more comfortable, intimate and fun for everyone.
- Reduce nerves and blues. It is very typical to experience a feeling of nerves ahead of and blues after a wedding or special event. But by not putting all the pressure on just one day, you’ll experience less of this.
- Turn your event into a vacation. For weddings, especially destination weddings, guests will often have to travel to the location, stay there and maybe take time off work to join. By extending the celebration, your guests will get more out of their efforts.
In general, a three-day celebration will give a more relaxed and joyful experience for everyone, with lots of memories to be created.
©️ Anna Kudinova
IMPORTANT FACTORS TO CONSIDER FOR YOUR GUESTS
Celebrating a destination wedding or another event abroad can be a really unique experience that your guests will remember forever. But at the same time, it is important to remember that it might come with some expenses for your guests. So even before sending out your invitations, there are some things to consider and decide on, to ensure everything is clear – and that everyone is taken great care of.
ACCOMMODATION AND LOGISTICS
In order for all of your friends and family to join, they might have to travel from different cities or countries. Some might just stay for a short time, while others take the advantage of the travelling and turn it into a full vacation. The actual flight tickets are normally sorted by the guests themselves, and it is not expected that the hosts cover them. However, there are some options to consider when it comes to accommodation.
Depending on your budget and idea, two options to consider are:
- Everyone sleeps in the same venue which is booked by the hosts
- Everyone stays where they prefer and book this themselves
For intimate weddings or events with around 30 to 70 guests, it is often preferred to have everyone staying together. There are many options of venues offering full exclusivity for the event with rooms for everyone. The full three-day event can then be enjoyed at this venue, or joint transportation can be arranged. For this option, it is most common that the wedding couple/event hosts cover the expenses of the accommodation, but it is also possible to discuss guests chipping in.
If you instead wish to give guests more space and flexibility in their schedule, having them all book their own accommodation is a good option. They can then freely choose something fitting to their wishes and needs, and stay for as long as they like. Even though the guests in this case will book and pay for the accommodation themselves, it is common for the hosts to recommend a few places to check out. This makes it easier to arrange transportation and can simply ensure that everyone ends up in the right place.
THE CHOICE OF VENUE(S)
No matter where you and your guests end up staying, you will also have to choose the venue(s) for the three days. This can be just one place for the whole weekend or a selection of different venues with transportation of guests sorted.
If you opt to have the same venue for all days, it’s important to ensure that it doesn’t become the same every day. Make use of different areas of the venue or consider renting different furniture, lighting etc to transform the same space into something unique. You want to wow your guests!
If you want to make use of different venues, we recommend choosing different styles of venues. You can for example host the “before” day at a more casual venue, like a beach club or traditional restaurant, and then choose a more formal venue for the wedding day.
THE PERFECT ITINERARY TO WOW YOUR GUESTS
One of the main goals of a three-day wedding is to be able to wow your guests on all days. To ensure this, we have perfected the ideal itinerary:
DAY 1: WELCOME DAY
The first day is all about getting together and enjoying a relaxed start, while also building up the expectations towards the main day. Guests will be arriving and checking in at different times, and want to meet up before going to bed early and getting ready for the next day.
A perfect solution for this is a casual welcome dinner, with Spanish style being a sure winner. Wow your guests with a stunning and colourful paella or a selection of delicious tapas, fresh sangria and mingling. As a final touch, live music from a Spanish guitarist or a flamenco show in the background ties it all together.
Note: You can also play around with themes for some of the days – such as a pre-wedding white party where all your guests dress in white.
DAY 2: THE BIG DAY
After a relaxed evening and a good night’s sleep, it is time to finally enjoy the actual wedding or celebration. To start the day, you can give your guests some time to have breakfast when they want within a two-hour slot or so, to allow some more sleep while still ensuring they don’t miss the most important meal of the day.
As the main event normally doesn’t start until the evening, it can be a fun idea to arrange a group activity for anyone interested. This can for example be a walk in the Spanish mountains, a boat trip, a beach day etc depending on your location. Guests will then have some time to enjoy the day while you are getting ready and the planners are going through the final details.
Once the sun starts to set, it is time to enjoy dinner and entertainment. When it comes to food, there are many options to consider. You can opt for a casual BBQ, buffet or family-style buffet on the table or a more elegant three-course meal. In between servings, speeches or live entertainment can be included.
After that, the dancefloor is waiting and shoes will be optional, as the bar opens and dancing moves come out. Dance the night away with a band or DJ of your choice and enjoy!
DAY 3: GOODBYE DAY
The feet might be a bit sore from dancing and your voice might not thank you for all the singing, but you won’t have to think of the event as a distant memory yet. That is because the blues can be fought with a final day of catching up, relaxing and saying goodbye.
The exact plans can be tailored to match flight times and more, but the overall idea of this day should be focused on good food and good times. A pizza pool party or a mimosa brunch are just a few options to consider, while you all laugh about last night’s endeavours.
©️ Aske Martinus
NEXT STEPS TO PLAN YOUR 3-DAY WEDDING
As you might have gathered by now, hosting a 3-day wedding requires a lot of planning, logistics and timing. That is why we highly recommend using a wedding planner to ensure everything runs smoothly. That way, you can enjoy the days with your guests, instead of stressing about the details.
At Malaga Weddings, we offer a full planning service where we can plan and execute the event of your dreams. No matter how many days you wish and what your thoughts are, we can make them a reality with the help of our trusted venues and vendors.
Our service takes care of everything from finding accommodation for guests to finding the venues and menus, activities and more for all the days. It is a full-service planning and coordination of all the days that you want to host, ready for you and your guests to enjoy.
If you are interested in this service, please don’t hesitate to contact our expert planners via our contact form or book a free consultation to learn more.
