Where Does The Bride Stay The Night Before The Wedding?

The night before the wedding is unbelievably exciting. The jitters start creeping in, and it seems like time is both standing still and moving far too quickly. It’s important for a bride to get a good night’s rest, but where does she typically stay and who with? Here is what you need to know. 

So, where does the bride stay the night before the wedding? While the bride is free to stay anywhere she likes, traditionally speaking, the bride will not stay with her soon-to-be husband. Instead, she will either stay at her parent’s or somewhere at or near the venue with her bridesmaids or close friends. 

There is a lot of different ways that this can play out, so let’s go over all the exciting ways you can spend your last single night!

Where Can The Bride Stay The Night Before The Wedding?

A bride can stay in a number of places that night before the wedding. Sometimes brides prefer to stay in their home and kick their soon-to-be hubby out. Or sometimes they prefer to stay somewhere a little more spa-like and relaxing. 

Here is a multitude of ideas that brides have done in the past ranging from traditional to outside of the box. 

Home

Sometimes a bride just wants to sleep in her own bed the night before the wedding. 

If the wedding is at your house or nearby, then staying at home can be comforting for a number of reasons. Let’s talk about this. 

• Nothing guarantees a good night’s sleep like staying in your own bed. A bride wants to be rested, and having your own pillow, a guaranteed comfortable mattress, and being in control of bedtime are all ways to guarantee it. 
• If the wedding is at your own home, it makes packing things a lot easier. It allows you to do any last-minute things with easy access. It also cuts down on any time in the morning that needs to be spent transporting to the venue. 

Moms/Dads

There is an unspeakable comfort about staying at your mother’s and father’s one one of the two the night before the wedding. 

For some, family is everything, and if you have the option to stay at your parent’s house, it could be an option for you. 

It signals the last night of being single and a child again before you traditionally enter marriage adulthood. 

It is sort of like the last time they can take care of you before you have your own person to rely on. 

While it really isn’t the last time they will take care of you, it does signal an important night of passing the responsibilities to your new husband. 

Friends

Sometimes we would rather make the night about more fun and bachelorette-esque vibes. 

This takes off the whole pressure of getting married and suddenly being deported from your immediate family into a new one. Kidding! 

Anyways, spending the night at your friend’s house playing games, telling stories, and having a good time is just what any bride needs before having a big day. 

Hotel

One of the more common options is staying in a hotel near the venue. 

This might be the exact same hotel you use for the wedding night for your guests that are staying over. 

It just makes things easier from not having to constantly pick things up and move to a new destination. 

If it has a spa, then likely you can go with your friends to get things done like your nails and getting massages done the day before the wedding!

Venue

Some venues like country clubs have their own rooms and such on-site. 

Think like the Chatham Bars inn in Cape Cod. 

They have suites, hotel rooms, and cottages available for individuals and bigger groups. 

You may want to have a cottage for the girls and you for one night and move into the honeymoon suite for the wedding night. 

What Should A Bride Do The Night Before The Wedding?

The bride should do something she personally wants to do the night before her wedding. Whether informal and quiet, or lively and social – what she says goes.

However, if you are feeling a little stuck on what to do, here is a great list of activities and a lot of fun you can do regardless of what venue you are at. 

At Home

Part of the reason that a bride likes to stay home is that there may be some things left to do before the big day. 

Don’t take on all the to-dos by yourself. 

This is when you can enlist help from your bridesmaids and more. 

• There is no better time to watch Gossip Girl than the night before a wedding. Ok, if GG isn’t your thing, then pick your favorite movies and grab the wine and popcorn and engage in a full movie marathon. 
• While it’s not always the best idea to leave arts and crafts for the wedding till the night before, the fairly simple tasks can be done the night before. Putting together gift baskets or something that really can’t go wrong. 
• Take out food and more games! Who doesn’t love board games and a little competitive spirit? This can be sports to trivia, and more. Depending on how many people are there, you can divide into teams. Just be careful on the choice of takeaway, though!

At Moms/Dads

Here is a list of ideas depending on whether you have your friends staying with you or it’s just family time. 

• Family sitcoms and pizza is a great way to spend a relaxing evening with the fam. Reminiscing telling stories and have a bonding session is the way to go. 
• Your parents may be sweethearts and make home-cooked meals for you and all your buddies. If you have a fire pit, roast some marshmallows and enjoy sitting in a circle gabbing. 

With Friends

Part of the reason that a bride likes to stay home is that there may be some things left to do before the big day. 

Don’t take on all the to-dos by yourself. 

This is when you can enlist help from your bridesmaids and more. 

• Bachelorette party games on repeat! Pinatas, fancy drinks, candy, pin the veil on the bide, and more. Make it competitive and keep a point system for prizes at the end. 
• Have a night out on the town wherever your friends live. Any local bars/restaurants are fair game for a good night out. Just don’t party till the dawn because no bride wants to have bags under the eyes that makeup can’t fix the next day. 
• Karaoke anyone? Rent a machine or grab something that hooks up to the TV because even though you’ll never win America’s Got Talent as a group, it sure is a great time. 

At Hotel/Venue

One of the more common options is staying near the venue in a hotel or even in the venue; These two can be combined because a lot of the activities will overlap.  

• This is the time for spa massages and nails. Although, I highly recommend that brides don’t get their eyebrows done the night before in case of any mishaps. You want to give them time to grow back if a mishap happens.
• If the venue has pools, tennis, golf, or any other activity, it can be a great way to take advantage of the facilities. Warning your husband may beat you to the golf course. Have your maid of honor and the best man coordinate with each other, so if you are in the same vicinity, there are no run-ins. 

Do Bridesmaids Stay The Night Before The Wedding?

Some brides prefer to spend some time alone or just with their families the night before the wedding to collect their thoughts. Most of the time, brides will prefer to have fun with their friends and have a second bachelorette party with different activities. 

Either way, it’s ultimately up to the bride who she wants to spend the night before with.

This she be her decision and her decision only.

For everyone else, unfortunately, that just means being there if you are called upon. 

Enjoy The Night

The key is saying to yourself over and over again, this is your night, your big day and however, you want to do it is up to you. 

Something to keep in mind is to find things that bring you happiness and comfort the night before – sometimes, the night before can be overwhelming. 

It’s easy to feel like there is so much that can go wrong. 

But it shouldn’t be stressful. In fact, it should be the opposite!

Remember that’s why you have enlisted the help of a lot of wonderful people to make sure things go smoothly. 

That’s why surrounding yourself with loved ones is the best bet. 

You can engage in competitive games if you like to be competitive or relax at the spa. 

It’s even OK to do some of the easy things that can’t go wrong the night before the wedding. 

Keeping busy is key. 

This eliminates the possibility of having stress or nerves, which is very common for brides the night before. 

Repeat after me. Enjoy the night. Enjoy the night!

The same could be said for the groom too, and where he decides to stay.