I had a welcome party. I served dinner and had drinks. You are right, it was a mini reception. I limited it to immediate family and out of town guests.

Anonymous wrote:Most welcome parties I've been to were post-dinner and just had an open bar. Some had snacks and/or dessert.

I’m no expert, but the ones I have been to were like this, and usually held after the rehearsal dinner (which was a restaurant dinner for a much smaller group) so maybe 8-10pm. My favorite ones were basically an open bar at the hotel where most guests were staying, they were very easygoing and a nice way to start the weekend.

I just went to one. It was at a wine bar and was 2-3 hours long. It wasn’t a huge wedding. I would guess 50-60 people came to it. It was at the beach in the south so they had a local place serve heavy apps:

Fried shrimp skewer
Little tiny thing of mac and cheese
Chicken and waffles (small amount on a skewer)
Some sort of goat cheese tart
Tiny little thing of shrimp and grits
Tiny little banana pudding
Some kind of cake

Bar was one white wine, one red wine and a few types of beer. There was tea and water over by the food.

It was lovely.

We went to a destination wedding at Four Seasons Scottsdale. They had restaurant suggestions for open nights, a welcome party the night before the wedding, and a brunch the morning after. The welcome had passed bites, places to sit or stand to eat, and bars.

There is no minimum or maximum, just what works for you and feels welcoming for your guests. You don't need to impress anyone with extravagance.