We think your wedding deserves an ‘Italian goodbye’ – that is, a relaxed yet curated post-wedding event to say farewell in style. After helping couples host many a farewell party, we’ve got 5 rules we always follow to make sure the atmosphere is right, the energy is good, and your guests leave feeling happy – not just hungover. Find out our rules, and steal some of our best ideas for post-wedding events.
Elegante by Michelle J has been planning luxury destination weddings in Italy for over 10 years, designing heartfelt celebrations for discerning couples seeking a show-stopping look and feel.
Why you should host a post-wedding event in Italy
The day after your Italian wedding, you’re still reveling in all the joy of the day before. What better way to stretch out the enjoyment than by bringing all your loved ones together again, to relax in that glow together?
We always say that your destination wedding is an event your loved ones will always have in common, an incredible set of shared memories that they’ll remember for a lifetime. Rounding the celebrations off with a long goodbye is the perfect way to send people home with smiles on their faces, having had an immersive experience from start to finish.
There is something of an art to crafting the perfect farewell brunch, and after over a decade of planning weddings in Italy, we’ve got it just about down to a ‘t’.
The 5 rules we swear by, for planning a post-wedding event in Italy:
1. Don’t make it too formal an occasion
A relaxed setting and a drop-in, sneak-out setup is the winning formula for a post-wedding event your guests will really enjoy. Plan for lots of loungey seating, an open timeline where food and drinks are served between times rather than on the dot, and a vibe that doesn’t require too much of people.
Keeping the energy high and the mood good at a farewell brunch means not setting too many expectations beyond ‘turn up and share stories about yesterday’, and your crowd will do the rest in terms of creating the atmosphere.
2. But don’t forgo all structure – keep it experiential
Relaxed and easygoing are not the same as unplanned, so while you want to keep things low-key in terms of required energy expenditure, your post-wedding party is not the time to drop the ball on the details.
Give time and thought to how your farewell brunch will look and feel – consider adding personal details such as bar menus in the same style as your wedding day stationery, a tactical basket of monogrammed towels for drying off after the pool or sea, or some light-touch decor in your wedding colours. You still want this to feel like part of the same wedding, and keep your guests in the story you’ve built over several days.
It’s also important to let guests know what the plan is. What time does the event start and end? What time is the food served? What are their options for getting there? Add this information to your wedding website, or have special details cards made to leave in their rooms on arrival day.
Find out everything you need to know about wedding websites for destination weddings.
3. If it’s far away from where you’re staying, make transport arrangements
If your welcome party and wedding took place in one area and your farewell brunch is some distance away, consider making transport arrangements for your guests.
Taking decision making and logistical planning out of the equation is key to getting as many of your loved ones as possible to your post-wedding event, so whether you organise a coach or shuttle from a central point, or simply give out local taxi numbers, don’t overlook this detail.
4. Serve easy food that people can help themselves to
Your post-wedding event is not the time for formal sit-down meals with gourmet dishes – it’s the time for easy, familiar comfort food that your guests can help themselves to when they’re ready. We understand that every couple is different, and if you actually love the idea of another dining experience, here are our tips:
- Lay tables and even assign seats if you like, but serve food that guests can choose, plate and graze on themselves – even if that means bringing it back to a beautifully laid table to do so
- If you’re keen on table service, consider platters or sharing options so your guests can pick and choose what they feel like
5. And finally, don’t expect hard and fast RSVPs – plan for dropouts
Collecting RSVPs for your farewell party is a good idea, to help you plan for how much food to order and how large of a space you’ll need to accommodate everyone. However, we always tell our couples not to expect that these will be set in stone – people may drop out at the last minute, just pop in to say hello, or be later than planned.
All of our post-wedding event rules make this much easier, culminating in a low-pressure, high-vibe day to bask in the afterglow of your celebrations with everyone you love.
Ideas for post-wedding events in Italy:
Some of our favourite farewell brunch options in Italy are…
- A beach club buyout (partial or total) with music, finger food and fresh air. Works beautifully in coastal areas of Italy such as Sicily, the Amalfi Coast or the Tuscan coastline. Expect ‘beach club’ to mean something different in Italy – your wedding planner will help you understand what you’re booking
- A pool party, which works well at your wedding venue if staying there for the entire weekend and one is available. Low lift for your guests, easy for people to pop in and out. We love this in rural regions like Tuscany, to save on extra travel logistics
- Pizza and pasta party – you are in Italy, after all! You could even provide fun personalised pizza takeaway boxes for guests who want to say hi and then depart
- Book a low key cafe, bar or brunch spot in town, or hire part or all of it for your guests to exclusively relax in. Works well in places like Sicily, Rome or Florence.
Some of these ideas also make great wedding welcome party ideas in Italy – explore some of our favourites here.
If you’re planning a destination wedding itinerary in Italy, find out how to plan your perfect timeline here – and get in touch for expert, experienced wedding planning support that speaks your language.