Even decades ago, three-day weddings were commonplace. Although weddings lasting several days are still a common tradition in Latgale, at present such a wedding concept requires different conditions, budget investment and level of activities than in the past. LĪGAVĀM explains what to consider when deciding to hold a multi-day wedding.

Activities and adequate comfort must be provided

Wedding organizer Inga Bērziņa / bannté herself celebrated a three-day wedding with her husband 10 years ago. At that time, there were different conditions and a different mood, and Inga points out that weddings now demand different qualities.

If the wedding is celebrated for at least three days, then there are several things that Inga invites you to think about:

1. "First of all, such a wedding requires both a bigger budget and additional activities, because when you invite guests to spend three days in one place, it is not enough to just have delicious food - you also need to take care of an appropriate program," advises Inga.
2. When thinking about the activities, Inga points out that it is necessary to make sure that the program suits both women and men.
3. "On the night before the wedding, you can organize a dinner or a wine party, while on the day of the wedding, if the ceremony is scheduled for the afternoon, then in the morning you can offer brunch, and after that, the services of a hairdresser and make-up artist for the ladies, and some sports activities for the men," says Inga.
4. Also, no less important aspect when organizing a wedding lasting several days is the comfort of the guests - unless the celebration has a festival concept, then you should think about making the guests feel free and able to sleep well, providing good and private sleeping options.

This type of concept wedding is most often chosen by international couples

The wedding organizer Alise Kolosova / Boutique Event Planning by Alise Kolosova also agrees that the concept of multi-day weddings has changed over time, indicating that international couples choose this format most often. "In my experience, these are couples who either don't live in Latvia and haven't seen their friends and family members for a long time, or couples where everyone is from their own nationality, so guests come from different countries of the world.

A multi-day wedding is actually much more important than just a party with guests - it is the desire to unite the wedding guests with each other even before the wedding and gather your loved ones together.

That is why, when talking about a three-day wedding, the first day and the evening are intended for exactly this purpose - to gather the guests. How it is done is up to each couple, but most often it is a pre-wedding dinner or, for example, a barbecue picnic organized by the couple and their family, introducing guests to each other in an informal atmosphere.

Such a concept undoubtedly has many advantages, because on the wedding day the guests will already be familiar and a much more pleasant and relaxed atmosphere will be created," says Alice, who has observed that during a three-day wedding there is a completely different energy - people are much more relaxed. Speaking of the budget issue, Alice points out that although weddings lasting several days are undoubtedly financially more expensive, the location of the celebration in such a place tends to be given extra discount

"It is actually much more profitable for party venues if the whole weekend is occupied by one rather than several customers - thus they are also much more accommodating and very open to such offers," Alice has confirmed in practice.

Do not overdo it with a wide program of activities on the wedding day

When it comes to activities for guests, Alice advises not to overdo it. On the wedding day, guests like to enjoy slow preparation, so you can take care of hiring beauticians, who will help the ladies get messy, and barbers, who will be an interesting activity for the gentlemen.

You can also think about various mini-activities, for example, trips to nearby attractions (this part will certainly be interesting for foreign guests), however, on the wedding day, you should not get carried away with an extensive day's program, taking into account that the wedding celebration is likely to last all night.

PHOTO: OLIVIER DE RYCKE , KLYDE LIAPKIS , MIKS SCHEL , SAIVA LIEPIņA