Wedding Events – Welcome Cookout

I spent most of the day before the wedding with my family, making sure everything was prepped and ready for the different festivities. food to the venue to get a rough idea of where things would need to be set up the next day. Since we didn’t have a wedding party, we didn’t really have an actual rehearsal. After mapping things out, it was time for the cookout!

Ken’s family hosted the welcome cookout for us, similar to a rehearsal dinner. We rented out a pavilion at a beach front park for everyone to get to meet each other before the actual wedding. The decorations were a lot of fun and Ken’s mom found an awesome Mickey plate for us. I also conspired with Ken’s mom to have a UK-themed jello cake (his favorite) for a groom’s cake. 

After everyone ate, we spent time on the beach catching up and enjoying the wildlife. The kids found a crab on the beach they were excited to watch. There was also a bird, falcon maybe?, that caught a fish and was eating it up in a tree. Around sunset, we decided to pack up and everyone went off to do their own things for the evening. I went with my parents back to their room to get last minute things ready and prep my hair for the big day!

The scenery was gorgeous and the food was wonderful. It was a perfect day for a relaxed, beach-side meal with our closest friends and family… and a nice break from months of planning and stress over wedding details.