Tips and Tricks on Planning Your Stateside Reception

Are you planning on having a stateside reception following your destination wedding? A lot of destination wedding brides like to have one so they can give guests who weren’t able to attend the wedding an opportunity to offer congratulations and celebrate. Whether you’re planning an elaborate party, or something more lowkey and affordable, here are some tips and tricks on planning your stateside reception.

When to have it

First thing’s first – when should you have your stateside reception? Of course a lot of it depends on when your destination wedding is.

First, think of the following questions when determining the timing of your stateside reception:

Here are a few things to consider based on when your wedding date is.

Destination wedding in January-March

If you’d like to have your stateside reception shortly after your destination wedding then the summer may be the perfect time for you. With that being said, if you’re holding it at a specific venue or hiring vendors you may be paying more because of the time of year. Typically, the summertime is a popular wedding season time which means rates may be higher than average.

If you’re okay with waiting a longer period of time between the wedding and stateside reception then the fall season may be better financially. 

Destination wedding in March-May

Another time of year where you can have a quick turnaround for your reception in the summertime. Again, be cognizant of higher costs if you’re hiring vendors for food, music or photography. 

This would only offer you a couple months between your wedding and reception. Because of that, we suggest planning most of this before your wedding date. That way you aren’t stressed immediately following your wedding trip.

The fall would offer a little more time to plan and save, but may not be your preferred time of year for your reception so this is really up to you.

Destination wedding in June-August

If your wedding was in the summertime already we suggest having your reception in the fall. This still gives you time to plan but not be too rushed. One thing to consider is when school starts in your area. If you have a lot of friends and family that work in the school system or have children this can be a busy time of year for a lot of people.

Another thing to consider is the holidays. If  you want to wait a few months after your wedding then you may be looking at holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. This can be tricky for people to plan around and be able to attend all the events they have.

Destination wedding in September-December

If your wedding was at the end of the year then springtime would be a great time to have your reception. The weather is getting nicer but you aren’t paying quite as much for summertime popularity. 

This also gives you something to do and look forward to during those dreary winter months.

Who to invite

Because a destination wedding is typically more intimate and has fewer guests, some brides can be confused on who exactly to invite to their stateside reception. They don’t want guests to think it’s rude that they weren’t invited to the destination wedding as well.

There’s a couple ways you can phrase your wedding invites in case this is a worry of yours:

“Save the Date for the stateside wedding reception of BRIDE and GROOM. The couple will marry in a small intimate wedding ceremony in Cancun, and invite you to join them for a celebration upon their return home on X DATE.”

“Please join us in the stateside reception celebration of BRIDE and GROOM on X DATE. Following a small initiate wedding ceremony in Cancun we invite you to join us in celebration with family and friends upon our return.”

Of course, this only applies to friends and family that you didn’t already invite to the destination wedding. 

This is also where you can extend your invitation to more than just close family and friends. Consider coworkers, extended family of parents, and parent’s friends. We know it’s costly to invite those that you aren’t as close with to the destination wedding. Being able to invite them to the stateside reception is more affordable for you.

A lot of guests may have already gotten an invite to the destination wedding and weren’t able to attend. This is a great chance for them to attend the stateside reception to offer congratulations. We knew none of my mother-in-law’s family would attend the destination wedding, but everyone wanted to be there for our stateside celebration so it worked out great.

How elaborate should you go?

As mentioned earlier, your stateside reception can be just as involved as a traditional wedding or just a backyard gathering. Of course, the decision is up to you. Consider these factors if you’re not sure how involved you want it to be:

Your budget

A lot of how extravagant you’ll want to be will depend heavily on your budget. If you didn’t plan for a costly stateside reception or weren’t able to afford much more than your destination wedding then you’ll want to keep things pretty simple.

Time of year

As mentioned above, the spring and summer will be more expensive for vendors if you’re considering having your reception then. If you aren’t hiring vendors because you’re keeping things simple then this may not be a factor for you.

Where you live

Along with the time of year, where you live may affect your decision as well. If you were thinking of keeping it simple with a backyard BBQ you’ll only be able to do this in the warmer months if you live in a climate with cold winters. If you planned on having your reception indoors then this may not be something you need to worry about.

Monetary gifts from parents

Some brides use their monetary gifts from their parents to pay for the portion of their reception. This can be a huge factor if you’d like to include vendors for photography, food, or music. 

Ways to incorporate your destination wedding into your stateside reception

There are several ways you can incorporate aspects of your destination wedding into your reception to give guests the look and feel of being at your wedding.

Play your wedding video

A lot of destination wedding packages include a video of your ceremony. Getting a projector screen or large TV to play for your reception guests is a great way to make them feel like they were there. 

We played ours during our reception dinner, so most guests were sitting down and it was generally quiet. Not going to lie, it was a little awkward for me watching myself say my vows and see how nervous I was! But everyone loved being able to see us say “I do”. 

If playing it for everyone at the same time makes you nervous, consider getting a large TV set up somewhere in your reception area to have the wedding video playing on loop. That way guests can come and watch as they please. And you don’t have to worry about all eyes being on you at the same time.

Use decor that’s similar to your destination wedding

Another way to incorporate aspects of the wedding day is to include decor, colors, or drinks that were at your destination wedding. 

Here are a few ideas:

• The same flowers from your destination wedding as centerpieces 
• The same color scheme for decor items
• Food items that may be similar to your destination wedding meal
• Make a signature drink that was popular during your trip or is tequila based
• Print pictures from your wedding trip to display throughout your reception

We hope this post not only helps in planning your stateside reception, but takes some stress off of you as well. Whether you’re planning an elaborate party, or a lowkey backyard gathering, we hope our tips and tricks give you the confidence to make it exactly how you’d like. Any other suggestions for fellow destination wedding brides? Comment below or contact me here!