Weekday Wedding or Mid Fall Wedding..

CAGirl

Originally my fiance and I wanted to have a nice Summer wedding, living in the Pacific North West, it's about the only time we can (almost) guarantee decent weather. But upon researching venues, we quickly found out that having the wedding we want is not going to be with in our budget. So for the venue we want, we're essentially forced to decide between having a weekday wedding (probably a Monday), or changing to off-peak season date, like some time in October or November. I know both come with pros and cons i.e. more people decline weekday weddings, but then only the "die-hard" invitees will come so they say, but having a wedding in the fall could mean putting a damper on use of outdoor facilities or photo ops. Not to mention, we already picked colors (light pink and gray), which I'm not sure are "Fall" or "October" colors. I suppose I could change my perspective of my wedding and embrace the PNW weather, I've only lived here for 20+ years

Thoughts/Suggestions???

Maggie0829

eaware88 said:

Originally my fiance and I wanted to have a nice Summer wedding, living in the Pacific North West, it's about the only time we can (almost) guarantee decent weather. But upon researching venues, we quickly found out that having the wedding we want is not going to be with in our budget. So for the venue we want, we're essentially forced to decide between having a weekday wedding (probably a Monday), or changing to off-peak season date, like some time in October or November. I know both come with pros and cons i.e. more people decline weekday weddings, but then only the "die-hard" invitees will come so they say, but having a wedding in the fall could mean putting a damper on use of outdoor facilities or photo ops. Not to mention, we already picked colors (light pink and gray), which I'm not sure are "Fall" or "October" colors. I suppose I could change my perspective of my wedding and embrace the PNW weather, I've only lived here for 20+ years

Thoughts/Suggestions???

Are you saying that there are absolutely zero venues in your area that are within your budget so that you can have a summer weekend wedding? I find that hard to believe. 

I for one would not go to a weekday wedding unless you are like my sister and even then I would be less then happy about it.  Add that on those that need to travel, then you are asking them to take quite a bit of time off work and that may just not be possible for them.

Would you really be happy to have a Monday night wedding when you know that your decline rate is going to be pretty high?

And your color scheme does not have to match the season in which your wedding takes place.

CAGirl

There aren't zero places. The places that we love are just out of our budget for a summer weekend. So we could go with a place we don't like as much and stay with summer, or change the season and go with a venue we love.

climbingsingle

I'd go with a fall wedding. You can still use those colors. The only way I'd attend a weekday wedding would be if you were an immediately family member. 

manateehugger

As someone who just had a summer wedding - they're overrated. I really wish we had gone with winter or fall, instead of prime wedding season. 

Pink and gray work just fine in October and November. 

thisismynickname2

My advice is that guests are more important than anything else.  (Unless you want to truly elope, of course.)  Getting a dream venue and having 8 guests show up on a Monday sounds pretty pointless.  Go with off-season or a venue you can afford in the summer, for sure.  

ETA: a friend of mine was just in a similar predicament. She desperately wanted an outdoor wedding at a state park in summer, but because her parents are paying for everything and the budget is small, she's now getting married at a standard banquet hall in the dead of winter.  (Yup, the banquet hall was cheaper than tents and catering and all that jazz in the state park.)  She and FI have fairly large families and accommodating the guests with that budget is what led to the decision.  Thems the breaks. 

manateehugger

Still thinking about this, and I'm loving pink and gray in fall. 

mrssursely

I'm in the same boat here in Washington state. Several venues I've been to consider off peak to be October to May. I'm shooting for off peak, but it'll either be the last week in May or the first week in October - best chance for good weather that way. Perhaps you can look up how the weather has been historically on whatever day you're considering, that's what I did. I'm going for a venue with indoor and outdoor ceremony potential, so no matter what the weather does I'm covered.

AddieCake

Pink and grey are fine for fall. I would not enjoy a weekday wedding.

holyguacamole79

Another vote here for going in the fall.  I got married in February (I live in TX) and having our wedding off-season was the best idea ever!  Our venue gave us import beer at domestic prices and a few other "treats" because their calendar was so open.  I even had a videographer (whom I had previously contacted) contact me and offer to work for half-price since he didn't have any other weddings coming up and he needed the work.

Having a wedding not during peak season might be a better bet for you.  It was for us!

CAGirl

Thanks everyone! I talked to the FI and we decided that October was the way to go! I think his words were "I'd rather risk getting a little drizzled on than spend an extra few thousand dollars for a specific date." The more I think about a Fall wedding, the more I'm actually loving the idea. I had originally planned for a light gray and light pink, but I'm thinking more darker gray and maybe more of a fuchsia, like those dresses above. Oh how plans change!

BMoreBride6

eaware88 said:

Thanks everyone! I talked to the FI and we decided that October was the way to go! I think his words were "I'd rather risk getting a little drizzled on than spend an extra few thousand dollars for a specific date." The more I think about a Fall wedding, the more I'm actually loving the idea. I had originally planned for a light gray and light pink, but I'm thinking more darker gray and maybe more of a fuchsia, like those dresses above. Oh how plans change!

this sounds like a great plan.  October would be lovely!  And just think...asking people to come to a Monday night wedding is pretty much asking them to take at least half a day on both Monday and Tuesday if there is any travel involved. 

LittlePeachBlossom

 Weekday weddings are very inconvenient for guests. That's great you decided on Fall. I'll be an October bride too. Although here in the tri-state area it's still considered peak season unfortunately. 

beachyone15

I agree, go for October! I had originally wanted a spring wedding but FI and I went with fall because we didn't want more than a 1-year engagement. I had thought about colors too and was leaning toward blush and gold. Since we are now getting married in the fall (it just happens to be October as well!) I decided on a darker "berry" color and gold. But as PP have said, you can have any colors you like!

What I have realized about this wedding planning process is that you should make decisions you are confident in and don't look back! Just enjoy the process and look forward to celebrating with your loved ones!

kaos16

You also mentioned outdoor photo-ops in your original post.  While I'm glad that doesn't seem to be a deciding factor for your wedding date, I would like to add that you could incorporate it.  Get dressed up in something cute with your fiance and have a friend take some photos of you during the outdoor season.  You could frame one as a guestbook. . . . . you could incorporate them into table numbers, or you could simply have a great photo of you and your fiance to display somewhere in your house.  I often think that I would like more photos displayed of my and DH. (not in a totally vain way, we have two 4x6 pictures framed in our bedroom, that's it right now)