Are you feeling like there’s another way to celebrate your wedding day? You like a lot of traditions from typical wedding, however you long for a more intimate experience. Maybe you’re not quite wanting to elope though. Because you want to involve the most special people in your lives and want to create an experience for them. Below we’ll go over our ideas about planning a wedding weekend vs a traditional wedding. And why we think it might be exactly what you’re looking for!

1. Envision your dream wedding & decide what your picture of happiness looks like.

If you love the idea of spending the entire weekend with your family. Sharing the experience and traditions of Door County, Lake Geneva, Elkhart Lake, etc.. with your guests. You may want to be planning a Wedding Weekend.

Wedding weekends can look a few different ways. This is the opportunity to create an experience for your guests and share all the traditions of Door County you love so much and brought you to have your Wedding on the Peninsula.

Do you want to have guests come in early starting Friday evening for the Rehearsal Dinner? Stay at a lakehouse or local inn so you’re all in one place? Spend Saturday with your best friends and then dance the night away? Get the chance to connect and say thank you at a Sunday Brunch? You can have a day where you feel present, relaxed, and have a blast throughout the entire weekend. You can have an incredible experience for yourselves and your guests. It’s sure to be a party they will never forget. It’s intimate, personal, and everyone feels included. It can be as simple & elegant or grand & chic, it’s all about how you design the event.

2. Do you want privacy or to be with family & friends?

Are you dreaming of a celebration where you are surrounded by your family & closest friends? Or keep it just the two of you? With wedding weekends, you can do either or both. If you want your privacy, there are inns on the lake that have beautiful cottages for you and your significant and all your guests can stay at the inn. Your mere steps away yet still have your complete privacy. Or you can all stay together and have as much time as you want together. We love that a wedding weekend offers all options, making it the perfect choice for almost everyone.

3. How much rushing around do you want to do?

When planning a wedding weekend, most couples choose to have the entire event at one or two locations very close in proximity. Just think, if you could get ready, have the ceremony, photos, your reception, and lodge all at one place wouldn’t that be awesome? Minimal travel time and reduce your stress by a lot!

4. Photography

This opinion is from documenting weddings for the last decade. No matter what you choose, you will have gorgeous photos. This is just to give you an idea of what the differences might be for you. Now if you create a timeline for your traditional wedding that allows more time to photograph each part of you day, the differences do lessen. Just something to keep in mind.

Wedding weekends allow your photographer more creative freedom. You find more time for the two of you to sneak away for portraits. As well as, there is far more time for connection and relationships to be highlighted. Do you want more photos of emotion and connection with your family & friends or more formal portraits like a traditional wedding day. These are all things for you to consider.

The Tale of Two Stories

Planning a Wedding Weekend vs a Traditional Wedding

Here we will paint the tale of two stories. Just know you can have as little or as much as you want for your wedding. We will support you in whatever you choose.

Planning a Wedding Weekend

Friday evening rolls around and your guests start arriving to town. You’ve planned an evening filled with cocktails and laughing at your Uncle’s stories of he and your Dad as kids, over the fish boil fire. Your rehearsal dinner guests are impressed. They enjoy the local fish boil tradition you share with them and are eager to try the cherry pie.

Saturday morning rolls around and you can hardly hold back the excitement. You’re about to marry the love of your life in just a few hours. You wake up early to the sun rise over the lake and draw open the curtains to the most gorgeous day coming to life around you. You get ready with your best friends in your families lake house, enjoying mimosas and giggling at your hilarious sister and her antics. You’ve already forgot your being photographed, because we feel like family and you’re getting ready to do a first look with your Dad.

The Father/Daughter First Look

When your Dad sees you in your dress the tears start rolling down his cheeks. He can’t believe his baby girl is all grown up. He also can’t wait to show off his fox trotting moves on the dance floor that you’ve been practicing together for the Father/Daughter dance.

You choose to do your first look down on the dock. The second your groom turns around he’s all tears, you’re beaming and he’s overtaken by how stunning & elegant you are. You’re glad you took the time to have a few moments together because it helped ease your nerves and gave you some intimate time together before the big party begins.

Your day goes smoothly and your feeling at ease, present, and having the time of your lives. Because together we’ve planned the perfect timeline for you. By evening everyone is dancing and having a grand time celebrating your love and toasting you while you share your first dance under the night stars and string lights. You’re glad you decided to have your special day at your family lake house filled with childhood memories of summers past playing with your cousins.

You’re hit with the best feeling ever as the light fills the room and you roll over and realize you are married! It’s the morning after your wedding day and your Grandmothers are hosting brunch. Get ready for another amazing day filled with family, mimosa’s in the garden, and crochet. You can’t believe you pulled off the celebration of the year!

Planning a Traditional Wedding

The traditional wedding usually starts with a morning of getting your hair and makeup done. Either at the salon, in your hotel room, or some other getting ready location. You may choose to have a Father / Daughter first look and/or have your Mother help you with final touches. We’ll do a few bridal portraits and then you’re whisked away to your ceremony site. Then you’ll either do a first look with your groom. Have a few bridesmaid photos done, or go in hiding before the ceremony.

You’ll walk done the aisle, the most anticipated part of the day, and the best, of course! He’s in awe watching you come closer him. He’s so excited for you to become his wife. You’ll be announced husband and wife for the first time and share your first married kiss. Trust me, you’ll be grinning from ear to ear all the way back down the aisle. Following the ceremony you’ll have formal family photos, bridal party, and bride & groom portraits before heading to your reception.

The DJ announces your Grand Entrance as Mr. & Mrs. followed by your first dance, dinner, and cake cutting. Afterward, you dance the night away and finally retire to your honeymoon suite. In the morning you wake to have continental breakfast or room service. You chat with your new hubby about how fast your special day went. And how you kind of wish it wasn’t over already.

Did you find “Planning a Wedding Weekend vs. the Traditional Wedding,” insightful?

Read more about wedding planning in our “For Brides,” section of the blog.

Curious where to find all the fine details for your wedding day? We wrote this blog article just for you!