We all know what it’s like when you have guests travelling to your wedding. You want to make a big celebration of it. Vicky
our Graceful Bride tells us how her big day has turned into the weekend wedding. 
So I grew up in South Wales and am Welsh through and through, even though I’ve not lived there full time since I was 18. To me there was no question that when I got married I was getting married at home. Luckily my other half was completely on the same page and also didn’t want to get married anywhere else. Trouble being that we, and the majority of our guests, live a couple of hundred miles away! I suppose in my head I’d always envisioned a full on weekend wedding with everyone all in one place but the logistics of that looked like a nightmare!! Just after we got engaged we went to a friends wedding and they had done a full weekend affair, rented a stunning mansion house and from Friday to Sunday had the run of the place. It was a truly fantastic wedding but looking at the management of it all, separate caterers, bar, getting friends and family heavily involved etc I just thought I cannot cope with doing this myself from 200 miles away (generally I like a nice,easy, stress free life!). At the same time I was very aware that most people would be over a 3 hour drive away from where we’d get married so I couldn’t just expect people to come for the day. 
I thought we’d got it completely right whilst looking online for venues. A gorgeous hotel with the right number of guest rooms that you could have exclusively for the weekend, all the food and drink being done by them in house. It wasn’t a wedding venue as such as they did very few of these weekend weddings but that made it feel a bit more special. Once I found out that Rob had also stayed there as a kid I was certain it was fate and ‘the one’. Trouble is when I went to discuss details I had a real personality clash with the owner and came out vowing to never give him any of my money!! The problem that came from this was everywhere else was either a large hotel that would have other guests (which I really didn’t want) or was too small for everyone to stay so I figured I was gonna have to kiss goodbye to my weekend wedding. 
Photo credit: Peterstone Court
In the end we went with the smaller venue, the lovely Peterstone Court and figured we’d just have some of our family stay with us on the Saturday night. Until we decided I’d probably need to be there doing stuff on the Friday so we thought that myself, Mum and Dad and my bridal party could stay there Friday night as well. Plus there was a cottage so some of my friends could come down Friday too. But Rob wanted to play golf down at Celtic Manor on the Friday so figured he’d stay there with his close family that night. 
Although we wanted to do a big meal in our favourite restaurant in Newport on the Thursday night so maybe all of us should stay in the Celtic Manor that night as well. And if we were there Thursday then we could do a family only golf and spa day before the friends started to arrive. So at the moment I’ve lost my weekend wedding and seem to have ended up with a 4 day extravaganza staying in different places with people popping in and out for various bits. Logistical nightmare here I come!
Although we wanted to do a big meal in our favourite restaurant in Newport on the Thursday night so maybe all of us should stay in the Celtic Manor that night as well. And if we were there Thursday then we could do a family only golf and spa day before the friends started to arrive. So at the moment I’ve lost my weekend wedding and seem to have ended up with a 4 day extravaganza staying in different places with people popping in and out for various bits. Logistical nightmare here I come!
I think you would agree that it does sometimes get out of hand but if your are anything like me you wouldn’t have it any other way. I hope it doesn’t get too much for you Vicky. ~ Kate