Welcome party invitations
Welcome party invitations that start the weekend.
Most weddings are now weekends: in The Knot's 2026 study, 71% spanned two to three days. The welcome party is where that weekend begins, usually the night before the wedding, with every guest invited, travelers still in their airport clothes, and both families meeting properly for the first time. Below are twelve welcome party wording examples, from formal welcome receptions to cocktails, a crawfish boil, a taco truck, a hotel hospitality suite, and a limoncello evening in Positano, each on a real Bloomvite template. Pick one, add your guests, and see who is coming at a glance. Free for up to 50 people, with no watermark.
Reviewed September 2026. Etiquette and timing are sourced below.
Audrey & Benjamin
Welcome to Charleston!
Audrey Lane and Benjamin Moss
invite you to kick off the wedding weekend
Friday, April 23, 2027, 8 to 10 p.m.
The Cooper River Room
Drinks and light bites
Templates we would start with
How it works
- 1
Pick a template
Choose a design, then change the font pair, accent color, and cover photo on a live preview that is the real invitation.
- 2
Add details and guests
Create the event as "Party", fill in the date and venue, and add guests by hand, or import a list on Pro or Large.
- 3
Send and relax
Send each guest a personal link from your email or messages. Review replies in the guest list. Pro and Large add reminder emails for eligible pending guests with email addresses.
What to include
- A welcome
- Name the place guests have traveled to. It is the one invitation where Welcome to Charleston is the perfect first line.
- Whose wedding
- The couple's names, so guests from both sides know which party they are at in a busy hotel.
- Date, time, and end time
- Usually the evening before the wedding. An end time is kind: nobody wants to be tired at the ceremony.
- Where, with directions
- Travelers do not know the town. Bloomvite adds a map link from the address.
- What to expect
- Drinks and light bites, or a full meal. Guests plan dinner around the answer.
- What to wear or bring
- A sweater for a bonfire, flat shoes for a lawn. One practical line saves many questions.
Wording examples you can use
Each example is shown on a real template. "Use this wording" starts your invitation with it, and you change the names and details to yours.
Classic welcome parties
Drinks, light bites, and a warm hello from the couple, or a formal welcome reception hosted by parents.
Audrey & Benjamin
Welcome to Charleston!
Audrey Lane and Benjamin Moss
invite you to kick off the wedding weekend
Friday, April 23, 2027, 8 to 10 p.m.
The Cooper River Room
Drinks and light bites
Serena & Max
Cheers to the weekend
Welcome cocktails for
Serena Blackwell and Max Hartley
Friday, October 1, 2027, 8 p.m.
The Lobby Bar, Hotel Jerome, Aspen
Victoria & Edward
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Whitmore
request the pleasure of your company
at a welcome reception
on the eve of the wedding of
Victoria Whitmore
and
Edward Lang
Friday, the seventeenth of September
two thousand twenty-seven
at eight o'clock
The Breakers, Palm Beach
Local flavor
The welcome party is the best chance to show guests where they are: a crawfish boil in Louisiana, a brewery in Asheville, tacos in San Diego.
Callie & Beau
Y'all come on down
A crawfish boil to welcome you
to the wedding of Callie Thibodeaux and Beau Landry
Friday, April 9, 2027, 6 p.m.
The Landry farm, Breaux Bridge, Louisiana
Nina & Jake
Welcome to Asheville
Beers on us for
Nina Park and Jake Hollis
wedding guests
Friday, September 17, 2027, 7 p.m.
Wicked Weed Funkatorium
Pilar & Josh
Tacos and margaritas
Welcome to San Diego!
Pilar Vega and Josh Monroe
can't wait to see you
Friday, May 7, 2027, 7 p.m.
The courtyard at The Lafayette Hotel
Molly & Grant
A picnic welcome
for everyone celebrating
Molly Reed and Grant Ellis
Friday, June 18, 2027, 3 p.m.
The Great Lawn at Shelburne Farms, Vermont
Blankets provided
Destination and beach
When everyone has flown in, the welcome party does double duty as orientation.
Chiara & Tom
Benvenuti a Positano
Chiara Conti and Tom Walker
welcome you to Italy
with an evening of limoncello and pasta
Thursday, June 1, 2028, 8 p.m.
La Sponda, Le Sirenuse
Skye & Rowan
Bonfire on the beach
Welcome to Cape Cod!
Kick off the weekend with Skye Wallace and Rowan Hart
Friday, August 13, 2027, 7 p.m.
Nauset Beach, parking lot B
Bring a sweater
Families, travelers, and late nights
A party built around two families meeting, a hotel suite for arrivals throughout the day, and drinks after the rehearsal dinner.
Divya & Sam
Two families, one big weekend
Come meet the Iyers and the Hollands
as we welcome you to the wedding of
Divya Iyer and Sam Holland
Thursday, December 2, 2027, 7 p.m.
The Driskill, Austin
Leah & Aaron
Welcome, travelers!
Drop your bags and come say hello
Leah Gold and Aaron Stone
Friday, March 19, 2027, 4 to 8 p.m.
Suite 1204, The Westin Copley Place, Boston
Snacks, drinks, and weekend maps
Jade & Oliver
The party starts early
After the rehearsal dinner, join
Jade Lin and Oliver Grant
for welcome drinks and dessert
Friday, November 12, 2027, 9 p.m.
The Roof at The Joule, Dallas
Etiquette notes
Who is invited
Unlike the rehearsal dinner, a welcome party is for all of your guests. The Knot's advice for a tight budget is to prioritize guests who are traveling. Emily Post's general guidance for parties during the wedding week is simply that the couple may invite anyone in town they choose.
Sources: [2] The Knot, [3] Emily Post Institute
When to hold it
Generally the welcome party takes place the day before the wedding, and occasionally two days before. If your rehearsal dinner is that evening too, hold the welcome party afterward so the wedding party can join, as in the after-the-rehearsal example above.
Source: [2] The Knot
Is it expected?
No. In The Knot's 2026 study, 26% of couples held a welcome party for all guests, compared with 75% who held a rehearsal dinner. It is most useful when many guests are traveling: it gives them somewhere to go on their first night and lets everyone meet before the big day.
Source: [4] The Knot
The details travelers need
A welcome party invitation is read by people who have just arrived somewhere unfamiliar, often on a phone in a hotel lobby. The card itself stays short, but the sections below it should answer what a tired traveler asks:
- How to get there. Bloomvite adds a map link from the address. Add a line on parking, rideshare pickup, or a shuttle from the hotel block.
- How long it runs. An end time lets guests plan dinner and an early night before the wedding.
- Whether there is food. Drinks and light bites, or a full meal, changes whether guests eat first.
- What to wear. A lawn, a beach, or a rooftop in the evening each suggest something different. One practical line helps.
- Who else is coming. Guests often like to know it is for everyone, so they can bring the plus-one who is staying at the hotel with them.
Put these in a details section once and they stay current: if the venue changes because of weather, update the page and every guest sees the new plan.
One invitation for the whole weekend
If you are already sending your wedding invitation on Bloomvite, you do not need a separate welcome party invitation. Add the welcome party as its own part of the wedding, alongside the ceremony, reception, and brunch. Guests answer for each part separately, and you see a headcount for every event. A separate welcome party invitation makes sense when it has different hosts, such as parents, or when you want it to have its own look. See events within an event and planning a wedding weekend.
When to send it
- With the wedding invitation Add the welcome party to the weekend so guests can book the right nights. Wedding invitations go out 6 to 8 weeks before. [1]
- 1 week before the deadline Nudge anyone who has not replied. On Pro, Bloomvite emails the reminder.
- The day before the wedding The welcome party itself, occasionally two days before for a longer weekend. [2]
Pricing
Free
1 event, up to 50 people, every template and RSVP. You share it yourself. No watermark.
$39 per event
Up to 300 people, plus emailed invitations and reminders, seating, CSV import, and QR check-in.
$79 per event
Up to 1,000 people. Everything in Pro.
One-time, no subscription. Full pricing.
Questions
- Who should be invited to a wedding welcome party?
- All of your wedding guests, according to The Knot, with traveling guests first if the budget is tight. Emily Post's guidance for wedding-week parties is that the couple may invite anyone in town they choose.
- When is the welcome party held?
- Usually the day before the wedding, and occasionally two days before.
- What is the difference between a welcome party and a rehearsal dinner?
- The rehearsal dinner is for the wedding party, close family, and the officiant. The welcome party is for every guest. Some couples hold both on the same evening: dinner first, then drinks for everyone.
- Do I need a separate invitation for the welcome party?
- Not on Bloomvite. Add it as a part of your wedding and guests answer for it on the same invitation. Use a separate invitation when someone else is hosting it.
- Is a welcome party expected?
- No. The Knot's 2026 study found 26% of couples held one for all guests. It is most helpful when many guests are traveling.
- Can I invite guests by text?
- Yes. Send each guest their personal link by text, WhatsApp, or email from your own phone. On Pro, Bloomvite can email everyone for you.
- Who pays for the welcome party?
- Whoever hosts it, the same as any party. It is often the couple or one set of parents, and the invitation names the host.
- Is it free?
- Free for one event and up to 50 people, with every template and no watermark. Above that, $39 per event for up to 300 people, one-time.
Sources
- Emily Post Institute, Wedding Planning: 1-3 Months In Advance. Read September 25, 2026, from an archived copy.
- The Knot, How to Plan a Wedding Welcome Party With Ideas, Etiquette & FAQ. Read September 25, 2026.
- Emily Post Institute, Who to Invite to Your Wedding, Engagement Party, & More. Read September 25, 2026, from an archived copy.
- The Knot, The Factors Shaping Weddings Today, According to Data. Read September 25, 2026.
Free for 50 people. No watermark, ever.