Camping for Day 2?

Plankton1

My wedding will be in June bank holiday and our venue doesn't cater for 'day 2' celebrations. My OH's family regularly go to a campsite on a lake about 20 mins from our venue...as its really just us and our friends who will be attending the second day festivities, we are half thinking of camping for the day/night after the wedding. It would be about 40 of us all ages 28-30 and we could bring our own alcohol and arrange a food truck to come in the evening. There's a pub about a 5min walk from the campsite in the event of rain. I guess I'm wondering if anyone has done this before or if they were invited to a close friend's day 2 camping celebration would they be excited or disgusted??
We just want an easy, casual get together for our friends where we can totally relax and enjoy the last bit of wedding excitement. Neither of our parents are into the whole 'second day event' thing so it would be only younger people.
The wedding itself is in a rustic style venue with a festival element to it so it could tie in nicely! Or....it could be a total disaster!

rainbowtrout

It depends on whether or not your friends like camping or not. Some people like camping and don't mind roughing it, some people hate camping, like their creature comforts, don't like being eaten by midges and will think it's a major pain in the arse. Only you know your friends.

Are you going to provide tents for all these people or are they going to have to haul camping gear to your wedding? If they have to bring camping gear and don't have any, it's an unnecessary expense, and in that situation I would bail out of day two.

Faith

I almost certainly wouldn't attend. I'm not a camper and I wouldn't have any necessary gear. I'd hate to have to bring it to the wedding with me, and setting all of it up with a heavy hangover wouldn't be my idea of fun!

I can see the appeal of a weekend camping with friends, but not the day after a wedding . I'd far rather relax in a laid back pub and sleep in an actual bed.

GingerLily

I love the idea of camping but if I actually received an invitation to do it the day after a wedding I'd be a little stressed about the logistics. Is there a glamping area near? Or could you arange one?
Is there proper camping facilities?

You'd want to fairly prepared for your guests with all the necessary camping extras; extra tent pegs, baby wipes, first aid, battery chargers, dry shampoo, water cups, bin bags etc

YellowLead

I would definitely go if I got such an invitation - but I love camping and own multiple tents! Do your friends camp at festivals such as Electric Picnic? If so, then they probably have tents and would be up for it. Why not ask a few of your close ones would they be interested before arranging, if they would be then that's what's most important. For the person that asked about toilet facilities the op mentioned it was a campsite, so there will be toilets, showers, most likely basic kitchen facilities, and the option of hoomimg up to electriicty. It will also be a reasonably cheap option which is considerate to your guests, as most will be splashing out for the wedding.

Gatica

I enjoy camping and I think it's fun for a weekend with friends, even better outside of a standard campsite as it can be more private and fun.
However, I do like to glam up for a wedding and as GingerLily said, I think would find it stressful trying to work out overnight hotel wedding plus camping gear logistics into the same trip.

I'd go with the advice to poll your friends to find out who would actually enjoy this post-wedding. Depending on your group of friends you may well find they'd be up for it, as it entirely depends on the people involved. If it does work out, personally I don't think you need to provide camping extras like tents, tent-pegs, wipes, etc... These are adults we're talking about not a teen scouts camping trip. If they're up for camping then they're likely to be well enough prepped themselves. A food truck would be welcome though, I'm sure.

SarahMollie

Yeah its totally going to depend on your friends OP. Personally I think I'd be traumatized if someone made me camp after going to a wedding, but then thats me and I don't do camping.

I certainly don't think I could easily transition from being dolled up to the nines on one day and then putting up a tent to next. I'd need to have half my house with me in the boot of my car. Also, I don't have a tent so thats potential extra expense unless I could borrow one. How would

However if your friends and family are less high maintenance, then maybe it could work. You'll really only know if you ask.

dulpit

Sounds like a great idea. However I'm a scout, so am slightly biased.

If it was me arranging this, I'd organise for tents and (if possible) sleeping bags/etc. Have the tents pitched already so people don't need to worry about that.

Suggestion: liaise with a local scout group. Provide them with the tents and any sleeping gear you may have, ask them to pitch the tents and have things ready for when you are to arrive. I'm sure that a small donation would allow for this, if it was my group we'd totally be up for it...

I would say that if I was invited and had to supply own tent that'd be awkward (as I don't own one), but if one was there - happy days.

Plankton1

Thanks for the feedback! It may be a bit awkward alright and I would worry about the weather.....I think I'll park that idea for now anyway and see what our mates think!

rainbowtrout

Plankton1 wrote: »

Thanks for the feedback! It may be a bit awkward alright and I would worry about the weather.....I think I'll park that idea for now anyway and see what our mates think!

Just as an aside OP. Thinking over my own friends say between the ages of 25-40, I can't think of a single person who has voluntarily gone camping in the last 10 years. Some of them have gone camping at Electric Picnic, Oxygen etc, but realistically people camp at festivals because there's no other option. Also in my experience once many of them hit 30ish they went 'fcuk it, I'm sick of sleeping in a crappy leaking tent and went for a day ticket instead or stayed in a B&B near the festival'. Even the fact that glamping does a roaring trade at festivals now is an indication of the standard of accommodation that people expect. None of my friends have gone on a weekend away where they chose camping for their accommodation. Actually I just looked up glamping at Electric Picnic and I'm slightly horrified to see that deluxe yurts for two, complete with double bed and furniture are €2000 for the weekend and completely sold out. Plenty of cheaper options and slightly less glamorous options available at €500 a go but the vast majority are sold out. People are willing to spend money on accommodation, and not as willing to rough it if they don't have to.

pooch90

It's a lovely idea but I just don't think it's practical. It will add extra stress to both you and the guests. Now, if you could organise glamping or rent out a few houses (like lodges) then I think it would be great craic and have a larger uptake

Mrs OBumble

I'd love the idea - especially if it means that the whole tone of the wedding is more casual, and so I didn't have to get sooo ridiculously tarted up for Day 1 as is expected at a normal wedding.

Elliott S

OP, do you mean the night of the wedding, as in ceremony, reception, camping?

Or the night after? I presume you mean the night after.

Honestly, my gut would be don't do it, as it's stretching the whole out a bit and for hungover heads, it might be a bit much. And it's adding more expense to day and might require people to take more annual leave.

But you know your audience better than we do!

I wouldn't attend personally but then I've never attended the second day festivites of any wedding, not even my sister's, so I'm not the best judge.

Malari

I'm not a day 2 kind of person either, but if camping was included I'd definitely be out! It just wouldn't appeal to me at all, although I can see most of my friends liking the idea so you really need to know your crowd and prepare for several people to decline.

jon1981

Expect a 50% drop off for the second day thing. We polled ppl for the second day thing, drinks, BBQ etc, 80 said yes, 40 turned up. The same for a recent wedding I was at, 140 said yes and 60 turned up. To be honest on both occasions the second day thing was a gesture by the mother of the bride.

I'm not into the second day thing but I had no issue with it being arranged if that in laws wanted to do a nice gesture . After the expense of my wedding day I wasn't going to fund a second day thing !

The second day thing is hard to get excited about when you're hung over to bits, camping and another night staying over, sorry , no thanks

miezekatze

I don't really think it's a good idea to do this right after the wedding. It's too different to the actual wedding and too much different stuff for guests to bring. I wouldn't be keen on camping in general though, or second day wedding events.

Birdsong

Not a second day wedding person at all. Especially if a Sunday. At that stage I just want to get home and get ready for the week ahead. Definitely not into camping.

mcgiggles

To me that sounds like brilliant craic!!
I've been to a lot of day #2s the last 2 years (I'm at that age ALL my friends are getting married!) and that sounds pure chilled and a bit of craic! No you won't get the same number of people that came to the wedding but you wouldn't expect to, people have kids, live away, or just plain can't do 2 nights in a row.. etc.. All I'm expecting for my day #2 is my family, his family and our close friends! (everyone will be invited but whoever wants to be there will be there!) And if some of them couldn't make it it wouldn't be the end of the world, they made it out for the important day so no pressure from us:)

Milly33

sounds like a great idea but then I would be a camper too so would have things.. Id say just do want ye like. If ye fancy going camping the next day then do it.. Others can either stay around and join ye or head away. Might be a blessing for those who do not really want to stay around for the 2nd day.. If you were doing it perhaps it might be an idea to contact like a camping site or something and say if you send people their way would they give a discount or something

Plankton1

We may have found an alternative - a 'holiday village' that has a campsite, dorms, cottages and private rooms so we are hoping we can take it over and have a relaxed day on the grounds but sleep in a bed!

GingerLily

That sounds perfect! Let us know how it turns out

Milly33

Whoop all sorted then, sounds like the perfect set up for ye best of luck

pooch90

Plankton1 wrote: »

We may have found an alternative - a 'holiday village' that has a campsite, dorms, cottages and private rooms so we are hoping we can take it over and have a relaxed day on the grounds but sleep in a bed!

That's bang on the sort of thing I was suggesting in my first reply. That sounds like way more fun to me. Hope you get a good uptake for it and have a ball.