Why You Should Plan a Multi-Day Wedding
A multi-day wedding experience is perfect for you and your partner if you know that you want to have extended quality time with your guests, plan a celebration that’s true to you and want to spend the entire weekend celebrating this special and significant moment in your lives.
When deciding where to have your wedding, a ranch might be perfect if you love the outdoors and ambiance and want a truly unique experience tailored to you and your guests!
I had the chance to capture Josh and Elena’s wedding outside Austin, Texas. It was not only stunning but an experience that I’ll never forget.
Learn more about why you should plan a multi-day wedding experience and get a behind-the-lens look at Josh and Elena’s incredible day.
Why You Should Plan a Multi-Day Wedding Experience
A wedding experience that’s more than one day is such a unique way to celebrate and start the next chapter of your love story. You can focus on whatever you and your partner want to do, and it allows you and your guests to fully experience, relax, and enjoy your wedding destination without having to adhere to a strict or rushed timeline.
Also, a wedding like this allows you to incorporate different customs and traditions that you couldn’t possibly all fit into one wedding day. You also don’t have to worry about making compromises on what you and your partner want!
Here are some other reasons to consider a wedding that’s more than one day:
1. Your wedding can feel like an epic adventure
You and your partner can really make the most out of your wedding. You could start your wedding celebration with a kickoff party, go hiking up a mountain for the sunrise or sunset, or plan your wedding experience at a place that you’ve both always wanted to visit.
2. You can spend more time with your guests
One of the top reasons to plan a multi-day wedding is to spend more time with those you love the most. At a traditional wedding, you may have the time to greet and chat briefly with everyone, but you’re not going to be able to spend as much quality time as you’d probably like with everyone and have the chance to create lasting memories.
You can have a welcome dinner, plan group events like a bonfire, all stay together in the same place, and do a farewell brunch before everyone heads their separate ways!
3. You can incorporate unique, one-of-kind activities into your wedding itinerary
There are so many activities that you can plan to do with your guests. For example, you could enjoy a spa day before your wedding, rent a boat for a party on the water, go ATV’ing, have a picnic—the list is endless!
The sky truly is the limit with what you can plan for your wedding, and anything that you can imagine becomes possible for your wedding.
Why Plan a Multi-Day Destination Wedding?
With ranches, you’ll often find that they offer you an all-in-one experience, so you don’t have to worry about finding additional accommodations for you and your guests, activities, or amenities.
Imagine you and your guests gathering around the campfire, dancing under the stars, going hiking, horseback riding, and so many more fun “ranch life” activities that will be a one-of-a-kind experience as part of your celebration.
A multi-day wedding will let you fully experience your natural surroundings, have breathtaking views and backdrops for your photos, and have a magical ambiance for your celebration.
Josh and Elena’s Ranch Wedding
Who knew that right in the center of the Texas hill country was the perfect family ranch that offered a dream destination for a wedding weekend? With a stunning river and unobstructed views, Josh and Elena’s wedding was everything they could have asked for and more.
For adventurous couples, nontraditional spaces like this are becoming increasingly popular, and it is clear to see why. The experiences that are created here are unmatched, and it is the perfect way to not only tie the knot but also celebrate in a low key way, with everyone you love.
The Vision
Josh and Elena’s wedding vision was really centered around their guest’s experience. They wanted a day that was casual and relaxed, allowing everyone to soak in the beauty of nature and good company, surrounding them.
That is exactly what they got with their wedding; starting with a picnic and swimming at the beginning of the day that led to a beautiful ceremony, dancing under the stars, and a campfire to end the night, this truly was a one-of-a-kind wedding for those who love the outdoors. They had glamping tents so that all of their guests could continue to enjoy the outdoors in style!
Pre-wedding festivities
To kick off the wedding festivities, everyone enjoyed a beautiful picnic on the Pedernales River. The massive trees all around made it the perfect place to relax and take in the views.
Creature Coffee was there with baristas to provide artisanal coffees and local beers! A few of the guests took advantage of the river and went for a dip! The picnic was a relaxing time for everyone and set the mood for the rest of the time.
The Ceremony
As the sun started to set, everyone made their way to the ceremony location overlooking the Pedernales River. Guests had cocktails to enjoy before settling down for the ceremony overlooking the hillside.
This was a stunning spot for the ceremony, and it felt so intimate. Elena went with a sophisticated look in a slim dress, and Josh embraced the nature vibes with a brown suit and boots. Not only did they tie in the natural feel of the ranch, but they also incorporated some cultural traditions into the ceremony.
To seal their commitment to each other, they did the symbolic stomping of the glass. The entire ceremony was very intentional and intimate.
The Reception
The nature-inspired elements didn’t stop there. The reception was held outdoors under a magical tent. The entrance was decorated with roses, dahlia, palms, protea, and greenery, very grounded in nature.
Natural wooden tables and chairs filled the inside. Sky-blue napkins on the table gave a subtle nod to “something blue”. The chandelier was covered in greenery, subtle bistro lighting and candles throughout to lean into the natural light of the moon and stars.
Did I mention the party?! They had a live band who kept all of the guests dancing the night away, with the “Hava Nagila” folk song and dance definitely being a moment no one is going to forget.
With a nod to local flavors, they had tacos and margaritas and everything about the reception was tied to the land and culture. There was a vintage phone where guests could leave messages for the newlyweds to create a more unique and personal guest book. How cool is that?!
As the dancing started to wind down, some of the guests chose to share stories around the fire while digging into s’mores. Some even decided to camp out right there under the stars.
The wedding was so much more than just an event. It was an immersive experience that celebrated not only the love these two people have for each other but also the beauty and culture all around them.
Ready to Plan Your Multi-Day Wedding?
A non-traditional wedding that’s more than one day promises to be full of extraordinary moments that allow you and your partner to chart your own course for your celebration. This type of celebration is the perfect way to make your wedding more fun and more memorable for you and your guests, and will be the experience of a lifetime! You can easily take this idea and translate it to a multi-day wedding in a city like Austin, Denver or New York City, depending on the location that speaks to you!
If you’re ready to have a wedding experience where you embrace the unexpected and where genuine, true moments are captured between you and your partner, then let’s get started dreaming and planning your true elopement or wedding day in Texas or beyond! You can get in touch with me here or learn more about my services here.