Dos And Dont’s Of Having A Weekday Wedding

If you have a specific preferred vendor list and your venue isn’t available for a Saturday wedding, your mind might automatically default to a Friday or Sunday backup option. If you’re able to secure either, then great. However, there may be a scenario where your chosen venue only allows for weekend buyouts or it’s booked through the whole year on all weekend dates. Couples, then, should be open to other days of the week. Here are some tips and ideas considering such a wedding.

Dos Of Planning A Weekday Wedding

Do discuss the possibility of a weekday wedding with the guests that are most important to you first. Some people may raise concerns about their ability to get time off work (teachers spring to mind) and so it’s worth making sure they can make it work before booking. It may be that the solution is as simple as moving your date to a half term week, but you won’t know unless you make the call.

Do sell the idea to guests. We get it, our annual leave is precious and with guests coming from further afield it could mean taking a day either side of the wedding to travel. Tell them about the reduced accommodation rates, encourage them to treat it as a mini-break, bribe them with your delicious wedding cake and explain how much it means to you to have them there but still expect low RSVP rates, lower than for a weekend wedding.

Do consider booking a ceremony later in the day. If some people are finding it really difficult to get time off, a later ceremony could allow them to travel on the day and cut down their time out of the office.

Do give guests plenty of notice. Just like suppliers, guests will need notice too, so try to let them know your date at the earliest possible opportunity. They’ll be way more likely to be able to settle work arrangements and get accommodation booked if they’ve had a heads up.

Do plan an evening ceremony. Almost as important as the date of the wedding is the start time of your ceremony. A good idea is having an evening ceremony that begins after 6:30 p.m. so that guests who live nearby won’t have to take the full day off of work. Another solution is hosting the cocktail hour before the ceremony, which gives some wiggle room for guests coming straight from work who may encounter traffic.

Do try a brunch wedding if it fits everyone – that’s a great idea for early birds and you will get a large variety of menus available. Besides, venues and vendors will charge you even less than for a usual weekday wedding. If this point suits your main guests, go for it and you will enjoy it a lot.

Do incorporate the weekend if you can. Monday wedding celebrations can start with pre-wedding dinner and drinks on Sunday and Thursday nuptials can spill into Friday brunch – an excellent start to the weekend! Pre and post-wedding arrangements could be the perfect opportunity for guests who are unable to attend the wedding to celebrate with you, meaning no one has to miss out.

Do save money having a weekday wedding – this is a great advantage of such a celebration! Some vendors will have flexible pricing for weekdays weddings, and couples may be able to negotiate lower rates. Many vendors will jump at the chance to make money on their usual off days. Keep in mind that you might also be able to save on airfare and lodging (important for those hosting a destination wedding!), catering, and floral services and much more!

Don’ts Of Planning A Weekday Wedding

Don’t expect the reception to go late. Are you hoping for an epic dance party at your wedding? Then getting married on a weekday may not be the best idea. Most guests won’t stay until the wee hours of the morning, since they likely have work the next day and won’t want to nurse a hangover. Weekday weddings work well for couples hosting dry weddings, or if many of the guests won’t be drinking alcohol.

Don’t allow negativity to get you down. Ok, this is easier said than done, but we promise that any friend worth having will do whatever it takes to attend your nuptials so don’t listen to that annoying colleague who thinks weekday weddings are a bad idea – the people who matter will be there.

Don’t leave it too late to book. Just because weekday weddings generally mean more suppliers and venues are available, it doesn’t mean that the ones you want will definitely be free at the drop of a hat. Once you’ve confirmed the availability of your nearest and dearest, get on the phone to your suppliers and get your wedding in their diaries.

Don’t ditch a meaningful date if it’s extra important to you. Weekday weddings can be amazing for so many reasons but if your wedding was booked on a special date or anniversary then it is of course worth holding out to get it, even if it falls on a weekend.