The Preston Barn invites you to celebrate not only your wedding day but the entire weekend. It’s all about keeping the party going all weekend long. Our venue is designed to accommodate all pre and post-wedding events, from intimate rehearsal dinners to large welcome parties, send-off brunch, and “Speakeasy-inspired” afterparties to continue the festivities. At The Preston Barn, you and your guests will have the luxury to plan an entire weekend experience. Here are the most popular ideas on how to keep the party going all weekend long because you have a lot to celebrate!
Photo: Sweet Alice Photography
1. The Welcome Party
It all starts on the Friday before the wedding. Couples are planning a wedding rehearsal before their big day and also a special time for family, friends, and out-of-town guests to enjoy each other's company. They do this by hosting fun, wild, and entertaining welcome parties. This is a way for you and your guests to enjoy time together and create a connection between family and friends. The Preston Barn has 7 acres of property and plenty of outdoor space to set up and cater or bring food trucks in for an incredible welcome party.
Here are the top trending ideas for welcome parties:
● Plan to play a sport for some friendly competition before the big day. This can be setting up a volleyball net to play volleyball or badminton, tag football, or soccer.
● Set up lawn game activities such as corn hole, ladder ball, life-size Jenga, or outdoor giant bolling.
● Play entertaining music that everyone will enjoy listening to and even break out a few new dance moves to warm up for Saturday’s dance party. Have a dance-off competition and see who has the best moves.
● DIY ice cream bars are a delicious addition to any welcome party. If it's an adult-only party consider an alcoholic ice cream bar to add a little twist. Instead of the typical toppings of sprinkles and cherries, try chocolate chip cookies, mint brownies, caramel, candied nuts, ground espresso, or candied bacon.
2. Early Wedding Ceremony
Another trend that we are seeing is wedding ceremonies starting earlier in the day. Couples who are planning on having their wedding ceremony at a different location than their venue will have the option to plan for an early ceremony. Having a morning ceremony allows the newlyweds and guests extra time after the ceremony to relax before the dynamic dance party starts. An informal lunch or BBQ can be catered by the Preston Barn for guests to enjoy after the ceremony. Your guests can explore the beautiful venue grounds and surrounding sites the Preston Barn has to offer while you rest up before the evening party starts.
3. Keeping The DANCE Party Going
After the relaxing, refreshing, and oh-so-needed afternoon, everyone now is ready to celebrate. Instead of having the wedding party enter one by one consider having everyone enter the venue at once with a group entrance dance that gets everyone up on their feet and ready to party.
Here are our top fave ideas on how to keep the party going all night long:
When planning your wedding, think about the party being the main focus. This will eliminate traditions such as the cake-cutting ceremony, bouquet, or boutonniere toss. You can still have cake at the reception but the Preston Barn will have it prepared for you in advance. This allows you and your guests to enjoy the cake throughout the night and to save more time for dancing.
Plan event dances early in the night. The first dance, mother of and father of dances should be first on the list to allow any guests who plan to have an early night to still enjoy all of the wedding activities. Once the event dances conclude the party atmosphere continues throughout the night.
Have a good professional DJ or Band to play the best dance music! Music can make or break a party and if you want people out on the dance floor, then make it clear the type of music you want played at your wedding. Commonly couples ask their guests prior to the wedding to request their favorite songs so you know the kind of music they enjoy dancing to.
For the dance party favors hand out foam multi-colored flashing glow slicks for everyone to dance with. Even if guests are not into dancing this will help them to feel more comfortable on the dance floor by waving the glow stick to the music.
Serving a late-night snack is perfect to keep the party going. With all that dancing a little extra food helps to keep everyone energized. Late-night snacks can include pizzas, mini sliders, or a S’more bar.
4. The After Party
It doesn’t just end with the dance party, what if there was a VIP after-party for those who wish to keep the night going? The Preston Barn offers a “Speakeasy-style” after-party in the Old Drovers Inn that you can use to surprise your guests. There can be late-night comfort food and signature drinks accompanied by great conversations and amazing memories made at the after-party. Once the after-party has ended the newlyweds and their guests can stay overnight in the Old Dovers Inn and the Carriage House which is included in the Peston Barn venue’s site fee.
The wedding trend is parties and the Preston Barn knows just how to plan the best party wedding weekend in Upstate NY that will exceed your expectations. Not only will you enjoy the best moments of your wedding ceremony but also all the other memories you will create by having a full weekend filled with love, laughter, and excitement by incorporating a welcome party, a late-night wedding party, and a surprise after-party. Who says a wedding only has to be only one day? At the Preston Barn, we say it should be an entire weekend event. Book a tour of the Preston Barn to see for yourself how our venue and grounds can be transformed into the best wedding weekend party that you both envision.