How to Plan a Three-Day Wine Country Wedding Weekend
July 2026 — 8 min read
When guests fly in, a single evening is a strange return on their effort. The weddings people talk about years later are almost always weekends.
Friday: the welcome party
Keep it loose and local — a winery courtyard, family-style platters, one long table or none at all. Two and a half hours is enough. Invite everyone; a party that excludes half the guest list creates the tension you were avoiding.
Saturday: the wedding day
Protect white space. A weekend lets you move getting-ready later, shorten the photo list and give the couple an hour alone before dinner without losing anything.
Sunday: the farewell
A drop-in brunch from 10am to noon at the hotel. No speeches, no seating chart, no start time anybody has to honour.
What it adds to the budget
Budget roughly 15 to 25 percent above your wedding-day total for a full weekend. Welcome parties run $90 to $180 per guest; brunch runs $45 to $75.
Oasis Weddings & Events plans and designs weddings across Sonoma and Napa Valley. If you are dreaming of a wine country celebration, we would love to hear your story.
Frequently asked
- Do we have to invite all guests to the welcome party?
- If they travelled, yes. It is the single clearest signal of hospitality in the whole weekend.
