Summer 2016 | Sea Island Life Magazine Spring/Summer 2016 | Page 64

Most are still held at restaurants or event
venues, but Reinhard has also found some
are hosted by family members at their
homes. Killgallon frequently sees welcome
dinners at Sea Island as well, either in a
traditional restaurant atmosphere or a more
unique outdoor venue like Rainbow Island, a
scenic marshfront setting with a rustic feel.
While Thursday night dinners act as a
prequel to the rehearsal, Reinhard says that
many fun-loving couples are also adding an
event afterward: the rehearsal dinner afterparty. Some guests would have naturally
continued the revelry as a group, but a
planned bash pulls everyone together and
puts the bride and groom front and center in
the festivities.

Coed Celebrations

Many couples are embracing coed celebrations in place of events that are traditionally divided.

theme. “One couple loved brunch, that was
their thing, and they had a fancy brunch coed
shower,” she says.
“One couple’s shower was at a bowling alley,
but it was still a luxury experience where
people are having a great time,” Reinhard
adds. “They’re enjoying all spending time with
each other and celebrating, but the shower is
not the main focus.”

Experience-Driven Events

Bowling is just one example of an experiencedriven event. Reinhard has noticed a
pervasive trend toward this style of gettogether, rather than more general parties.

Wine tasting in Sea Island’s wine cellar is one option for an experience-driven event.

64 SEA ISL AND LIFE | SPRING/SUMMER 2016

“People want more tangible experiences,”
she says. “They want to be active and really
do things together, so they’re building these
new experiences.”
Foodie couples might opt for a winetasting event in Sea Island’s wine cellar, or
a cooking class with the resort’s chef in its
Forbes Five-Star Georgian Room. Killgallon
is waiting for just the right duo to try out a
fun idea she’s been crafting: gathering the
entire bridal party for a fast-paced cooking
competition, similar to those on popular TV
shows like Food Network’s “Chopped” and
Bravo’s “Top Chef.”
With many traditional events already
planned for the wedding weekend, Reinhard
finds that the bride and her closest family
and attendants are more likely to have
their experience-driven gatherings occur
beforehand. She recalls an adventure-loving
bride with outdoorsy friends who went to
Colorado and spent a celebratory weekend
white-water rafting with her girlfriends in
lieu of a typical bachelorette party.
The groom and groomsmen, on the other
hand, are often able to fit things in on the
morning of the wedding, both Reinhard
and Sims say. Golf, Reinhard says, used to
be the typical way the men would spend
their morning, but is now far from the
only option. While golf at the resort is
spectacular, Killgallon recommends a fishing
adventure for grooms looking for something
a little different. “Our captains love to take
groomsmen parties fishing—both inshore
and offshore,” she says.
Checking out exotic cars at a driving track
or gathering for a competition at a shooting

TOP PHOTO BY BROOKE ROBERTS PHOTOGRAPHY

Like the Thursday and rehearsal dinners,
couples are now embracing many other coed
events, particularly when they share a group
of close-knit friends. “I think a lot of couples
meet in college and have a lot of crossover
friends,” Sims explains.
In some cases, even traditionally separate
events are now being combined. “There’s
definitely been a trend in coed showers and
coed bachelor/bachelorette parties, where
the whole group goes to Vegas together to
celebrate,” Sims says.
Couples showers are another fun way for
the entire bridal party to spend time together,
and can certainly get more creative than
cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.