How to Plan a Great Boston Wedding After-Party

Wedding guests can range in age from babies to great grandmothers nearing the century mark and everything in between. Your guest list may include a wide variety of people from close relatives to old friends, coworkers, mentors, neighbors or even the owners of the pub where you first met and fell in love. With such a wide range of people joining you to celebrate the big day, it's no surprise that not all receptions entertain equally for all ages or guests. Everyone has different preferences for entertainment, music and food, so providing a memorable experience that pleases everyone can be a tall order.

Planning a variety of gatherings leading up to your wedding day is a great way to bring together the people you want to celebrate with: bridal showers, spa days, bachelorette and bachelor parties, rehearsal dinners or even intimate pre- and post-wedding parties. These are all memorable ways to share your happy wedding moments with the people you love.

Adding a wedding after-party to your agenda of events is another opportunity to celebrate with your friends and family, and level up (or down) the celebration after your reception. It can be a way for your guests to have a more informal, let-your-hair-down celebration with you than the typical reception formalities. We have all seen the deep sighs and eye rolls from those who have grown weary of the common wedding traditions and formal events. Watch them fist-pump the air with relief when they discover you've also planned a great Boston wedding after-party.

Of course, you can still have all of your standard wedding reception activities. The traditional wedding typically follows this order:

Guests arrive at your reception after the ceremony and have cocktails and hors d'oeuvres as they wait for the wedding party to arrive
The wedding party arrives and is announced by the DJ or emcee as they enter the room
Champagne toasts are made, first by the best man and then the maid of honor, and often by other relatives, friends of the bride and/or groom
A meal blessing is offered by the officiant or other designated person
Dinner is served, usually first to the bride, groom and wedding party or if there is a buffet, guest tables are dismissed in order to help a rush or long lines
The bride and groom cut the wedding cake which is then served to the rest of the guests
As their special song begins to play the new husband and wife take to the dance floor
More dances follow with close relatives, parents and others
Single women can position themselves for the best spot to catch the bouquet and single men line up to catch the garter (many couples are omitting the bouquet/garter toss from their receptions, but for some it is still popular)
The newly married couple enjoy their last dance before leaving at the end of the reception

That may be it for your reception—but you don't have to let the party end there. You can continue the celebration by planning a great after-party. Boston boasts venues, bars and restaurants galore, and you can plan a great extension of your already memorable day.

Tips to help plan a successful Boston wedding after-party

Guest list—Take a close look at your guest list to brainstorm after-party ideas based on the personalities, preferences and people that will be attending your wedding. Have a lot of sports fans? You can host your after-party at The Fours, Tony C's (there are five locations) or even at Game On! at Fenway Park.
Timeline—Consider the overall timeline of your entire wedding day so that you can best incorporate the after-party. Remember that some guests will be coming in from out of town or driving in from nearby states. An after-party will extend the timespan of your wedding day, so you may want to shift a dinner seating for your reception to earlier in the afternoon to accommodate after-party fun, especially if your after-party includes stops at several locations.
Invitation—Include a few details about the after-party in your initial wedding invitation and your "save the date" cards. This will allow guests to plan their lodging or transportation if they want to attend your after-party fun. It may also help them "pace themselves" as they enjoy your reception so they can plan on continuing the fun afterwards.
Theme—When brainstorming after-party ideas, consider tying it into your wedding or honeymoon theme. For example, if you are going to Italy for your honeymoon, have your after-party in the North End and enjoy some of Boston's most delicious Italian food and wines.
Safety—Make sure you have designated drivers or a shuttle service available for your guests. After-parties can be loads of fun, but you want to be sure your guests stay safe and that no one has to drive after they have been enjoying a night out. If you plan it right, you can save even more when you arrange group transportation for the entire wedding day, including your after-party. The shuttle can stay with your group and offer more flexibility during an after-party so you can be in-the-moment with where you want to go.
Venues—Once you've decided on the venue (or venues) for your after-party, coordinate with the venue's host or manager to make sure they can accommodate your guests, provide private rooms or allow you to set-up ahead of time or bring some of your reception decorations with you to continue the theme of your wedding. It will help people know where to gather and will sustain the flavor of your festivities.
Take to the Seas—There are several fabulous harbor cruises you can take out for an after-party on the water. Massachusetts Bay Lines and The Boatonian embark at Rowes Wharf and Bay State Cruise Company sails out of Seaport. Reserve early as these charters book up fast, especially during summer months and weekends.
Capturing the Fun—Some of the most natural and hilarious moments of your wedding fun occur after the formal events. Capture those treasures a few different ways. Make sure you coordinate with your wedding photographer that you'd like after-party photography included and ask them about pricing and coordinating photographers. They may have a partner photographer they can recommend who may be more suited to the venue or informal nature of your after-party. You could also let your photographer off the hook and have guests take pics on their cell phones. Create a private Facebook group or DropBox folder they can upload their pics. Afterward, you can get creative and make a movie from the pictures or videos they uploaded and share the great memories as a "thank you for coming" after-party gift.
Next Morning-Parties—Who says you have to have your after-party immediately following the reception late into the night? Give your guests a chance to rest up from the reception and all of that chicken dancing. Make your after-party into a next-morning party breakfast or champagne brunch before you head off to your honeymoon adventures and your guests return home.

Above all, this is your special day and your time to be with your family, friends and loved ones to celebrate your marriage. Enjoy creating events and activities that draw people together to celebrate with you and create even more memories to share for a lifetime.

Congratulations and all the best from your friends here at TransAction Corporate Shuttles.

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