How to Plan a Perfect Puzzle Weekend
Welcome to Puzzle Weekend! We are here to help you and your crew do less, together!
Before we were Puzzle Weekend, we had many puzzle weekends. What started as two sisters-in-law regularly getting together to work on puzzles has blossomed into an anticipated event that has brought joy to our family and friends, many times over. We are excited to share this with you! (If you would like to read the full Puzzle Weekend story, please click here.)
So, are you ready to plan your first puzzle weekend but aren’t sure where to start? Look no further! We have perfected the art of a planning the perfect puzzle weekend to fit any budget, group size, and location.
Find your people
The most important step is planning who will be coming. This seems obvious, but until you know how many and who, the rest is hard to plan. Is this a cozy getaway with your besties? A weekend in with your sister? Eleven family members ages 8-65 sharing a single house in the desert? (Yes, we have done this.) The beauty of Puzzle Weekend is that it can truly be enjoyed by all. Whether you know a family event is coming up and you want to incorporate a puzzle weekend in, you and your close-knit circle want a weekend away, or you just want to put an all call out to a broader friends (and friends of friends) group, you must decide who is coming first.
Choose your dates
This part is often the trickiest, especially when coordinating with a close friend group. When opening the invitation up to a larger group, you can simply say when you’ll be going and ask who can make it. With a smaller group of selected invitees, picking the date can be more challenging. Our core Puzzle Weekend friend group has a group text where we all throw out our available dates. Once we find a mutual weekend, let the planning begin. Your form of communication is up to you, as long as it makes sense for your group and everyone is included.
Where are we going?!
OK, you have your people, you have your weekend, now the fun part- Location! We have puzzled all over the place. We have spent weekends at our houses, rented Airbnbs in town just to have a new space, booked getaways we could drive to, and even jumped on planes to puzzle somewhere warmer! We have found that each puzzle weekend is fun and special, as long as we are doing less, together.
Things to consider when choosing a location:
Time
How long do you have? If we can only do a Friday after work - Sunday, we tend to stay closer to home. If you all have extra PTO and want to make it a three day weekend, or even a puzzle week, that could be the perfect chance to visit somewhere new.
Budget
This can be tricky, as we want to make sure we are being sensitive to everyone’s situation. Make sure you are considering travel and food costs when determining where to go. If anyone in the group is wanting to keep costs down, consider seeing if anyone in your group is willing to host at their home.
Special Circumstances
We all have random things come up. Sometimes there is no dog sitter available so Fido will need to join in on the fun. Bestie can’t get off work early and will need to drive up separately. Make sure when you’re choosing your location to pay attention to the special needs such as pet policies, number of cars allowed at a rental property, etc.
Wherever you end up, you will definitely need two things: enough places for everyone to sleep, and a big table for puzzling!
Final Touches
When booking a rental, make sure you are looking at the extra touches that are important to your group! If you would rather pick up groceries after arrival, make sure you aren’t going somewhere too remote. If no weekend is complete without a hot tub, make sure you have that filter checked on your search! If a night out or a boozy brunch is an essential part of your trip, do an area search to ensure that all of the amenities you need will be close by.
Start the countdown!
The excitement builds as your trip gets closer. Use this time to coordinate the details with your crew! Talk about how many puzzles are you hoping to complete. Plan your menu and determine who is making each meal. Build a perfect playlist that will have everyone singing along all weekend. Watch YouTube videos to learn how to build a beautiful charcuterie board! As you’re working out these details, this is the time to start shopping for the Puzzle Weekend boxes that will be the perfect addition to the amazing weekend you have planned. Our group loves to give each other small gifts to commemorate each Puzzle Weekend, which is why we offer add-ons with each gift box.
Our Whole Bean Dream box contains a perfect 500 piece warm-up puzzle for the weekend, and delectable Roseline coffees to perk everyone up all weekend. Add on additional bags of coffee and beautiful gold scoop/bag clips to send home as a memento.
Rosé Colored Glasses will not only give you a stunningly beautiful and challenging puzzle to keep you entertained, but you can also add on extra 'Happy Weekend' insulated champagne flutes so that everyone can customize their mimosa with the Teaspressa Instant Mimosa Kit included in the box!
Every Puzzle Weekend box has optional add-ons to ensure everyone can join in the fun all weekend, and take home a memory.
We are so excited for you and your friends to start planning your Puzzle Weekends! Make sure that once you’re on your trip, you use #puzzleweekend on Insta for a chance to be featured in our story.
Happy Puzzling!!!
