Weekday Wedding

Knottie1434986526

We are planning on getting married next year, I'm thinking May hopefully.  We haven't looked at any venues yet, but I just found out about a beautiful barn that hosts a lot of weddings.  The day I was hoping for was booked, and they're booked almost every Saturday all summer.  Has anyone done a wedding on a Sunday or a weekday?  What are your thoughts on that?  Thanks.

JoanE2012

I'd prefer Sunday over a weekday.....it'd be really hard for me to make a weekday wedding unless I took a half day off from work.

AddieCake

Sunday over a weekday for me. It is too hard to get to a wedding on a random Tuesday for me. Hard to get there after work and then can't stay very long because of work the next day. So if it's a Sunday, I would also prefer morning or early afternoon. 

One of my coworkers just got married the Tuesday after Memorial Day. Some of those who were invited were complaining about it (especially since we are teachers and why didn't she just wait a few weeks until summer if she wanted a week day wedding), including the person who performed her ceremony. 

Jen4948

I'd prefer a Sunday to a weekday. I have a better chance of being able to attend if I already have the day off from work.

lyndausvi

Preferences:

Saturday

Friday

Sunday

Monday thru Thursday would be really inconvenient for me.

CMGragain

Sunday weddings are best if they are held in the daytime so that your guests will have time to get home and be ready for work Monday morning.

Maggie0829

Sunday over a weekday definitely.

And it is best if the Sunday wedding is held in the daytime rather then in the evening since most of your guests have to work the next day.

OliveOilsMom

I like Friday weddings (if they start late enough) over Sunday weddings.  But I would prefer Sunday over any M-Th wedding.  If I attended a Sunday wedding, I would probably leave around 8 PM at the latest (depending on how long my drive home was), since I would have work the next day.  So make sure you plan something that will end earlier.

Heffalump

Maggie0829 said:

Sunday over a weekday definitely.

And it is best if the Sunday wedding is held in the daytime rather then in the evening since most of your guests have to work the next day.

This.  We had a late Sunday morning wedding, ceremony started at 11:00 with brunch immediately afterward.  Whole shebang was done by 3:00. 

lovegood90

I personally would not attend a weekday wedding unless it was local. And even then, I may have to miss the ceremony if I can't make it from work in time. Sunday weddings I would only attend if it was during the day and not too far away so that I wouldn't have to take Mondays off.

There's a reason Saturdays are the most popular and the most expensive - it's the most convenient for your guests. Not everyone is able to or willing to take vacation time for a wedding. So just be prepared for higher than normal declines.

[Deleted User]

We went with a Sunday and are starting around 11:30.  Even so, we're prepared for some people not to be able to come b/c they can't get off work the next day, and for people to leave earlier than usual so that they have time to get home and relax before they have to work the next day.

You have to be okay with those things for a Sunday wedding for it to work.  Also, I haven't personally run into this with my wedding but you may also want to plan on a little extra spend in some areas of your budget.  Many bakeries are closed on Sundays and will deliver for you that day but may charge a little extra since you're taking their time on a day they typically have off.

I would not be able to do a weekday wedding most likely; even Fridays are difficult.  I was asked to be someone's date to a wedding (he was in the WP and his sister was getting married) and I declined because I couldn't get off work in time for the ceremony.  He REALLY didn't want to be dateless to his sister's wedding and BEGGED me to come.  I told him I would but only if he was fine with me coming for the reception only.

Side note; that was a pretty bad experience.  I won't say awful, but he was the ONLY person I knew there (and not even super well), I had a broken foot so was on crutches and b/c of traffic I had to walk in and have everyone stare at me while I found my table- sitting with his parents, other sister and her boyfriend...  They of course were preoccupied as soon as the meal was over so I got stranded at the table because someone took my crutch and put it up against the wall 75 feet from our table (there was no room at / under the table for it).  So I sat there and sat there until some guy walked by and saw my predicament and got it for me so I could go into the room where everyone was dancing. 

I couldn't dance so I just sort of sat and watched everyone else- not that bad since I'm not a big dancer to begin with.  But my "date" only came over like twice to check on me.  Haven't talked to him since.

MyNameIsNot

I'd be ok with Sunday if it was held earlier in the day. I'd also be ok with a wedding on Friday night, so long as it starts on the later side. (Although I would still try to go to the reception even if I couldn't make it in time for the ceremony.)  

On any other night of the week, I probably wouldn't go unless you were very close to home, and even then I'd probably just go to the ceremony or leave right after dinner. 

climbingsingle

I'd be OK with a Sunday early afternoon wedding. Sunday evening I'd attend, but most likely leave early. Friday - also OK. Any other weekday I'd probably decline. 

southernbelle0915

If you do Sunday, a brunch wedding would be nice. That'd be my preference, as a guest.

If you're stuck on having an evening wedding, I would go with Friday. But if you do Friday, you'll obviously have a later than usual start to give people time to get there.

However, if most guests are OOT, I would avoid weekdays all together (including Friday).

MandyMost

Personally, I think if you want...

• a late afternoon/evening wedding do a Saturday
• an evening/night wedding do a Friday or Saturday
• a daytime wedding do a Sunday or Saturday

If you're planning a wedding less than a year out the vast majority of "major wedding venues" are going to be booked every Saturday. In Boston I was looking about 18 months out and everything was already at least 50% booked or more for Saturdays that far out. 

Everyone has to make a LOT of decisions on priorities and trade-offs in order to plan a wedding. The date and venue is a big one for everyone! Just remember to consider the pros and cons of everything (i.e. a Saturday wedding more people can typically attend, but do you really want to wait until fall, for example, to get a Saturday that's open?). The biggest thing to keep in mind, which is hard, is that you are not special. Everyone faces the same dilemmas. Your choices and your trade-offs should never come at the guests comfort. Make sure you have room for everyone, a seat for everyone, a comfortable environment for everyone, no gap, no crazy transportation times, etc.. If you can't meet your guests basic needs, then it's not the right venue no matter how much you love it. 

[Deleted User]

Another vote for Sunday over weekday. But check with your VIPs, especially if they have to travel. It may make things more difficult for them. Also if I were a guest I would be more appreciative if it were more of a lunch/early dinner time even so that I can be home early to get ready for the week and get to bed at a decent time without having to ditch your wedding right after eating. Also before booking that venue start calling around to florist & hair stylist & other vendors to see if you can find someone who will work on a Sunday.

[Deleted User]

Don't have a wedding on a weekday.  Sundays are OK,I have a wedding on a Sunday in a few months and it's going to be inconvenient because I'm OOT.   I'm flying in Saturday and leaving Monday, which means I miss a day of work.   I'm OK with a day; however, I would never be able to attend a weekday wedding because it would require I miss several days of work. 

lovemesomemonster

We are doing a Friday evening wedding and it's a good amount of travel for all guests (and an 8hr drive for us). We checked with our VIPs and they all would like to make a long weekend out of our wedding since it's at a ski resort and we would like to do that as well. I assumed that we would have a higher decline rate but at 6 months out after sending the save the dates I'm shocked at how many people have already booked rooms and are asking me about travel. Depends on your crowd I think, I would be OK attending a Wednesday morning wedding if I was close enough to you and apparently my family and friends are jazzed about an excuse to do a ski weekend by having the wedding on a Friday.

downtondiva

We are having our wedding on a Sunday, with the reception ending around 8pm. I am guessing a few guests will leave a bit early, which is totally fine.

A weekday wedding would be very difficult for me to get to, and even Friday night would be pushing it depending on how far away I was from the venue. I'd have to be very close to the person getting married to be okay with taking time off from work, leaving early, etc. Personally, I suggest you have your wedding on a Sunday, but if you're set on a weekday, you have to check with your VIPs to make sure they'd be able to come. You also have to be okay with the fact that many people you invite won't be able to make it. It all comes down to this: is your heart more set on this venue or on having as many people there as possible?

erinlin25

agree with @lovemesomemonster.  We had a friday evening wedding.  Majority of guests were OOT 1.5 hours-3 hrs (us included).  We still had over a 90% acceptance rate and the people who declined were out of state people who would have declined no matter what.  People enjoyed making it a long weekend.  We checked with VIPs and everyone was on board so we went with the Friday.  But I also have a job that I can take a Friday off (or a 1/2 day) so it was not a problem.  

Check with VIPs and don't take it personal if you end up having a smaller acceptance rate.  Not everyone can or will want to take a day off.   

TheCheeseWench

I'm late to the party on this one, but since I'm an odd opinion I'm going to chime in anyway. I'm getting married on a Thursday evening, a few hours away from where most of my guests live. We decided to go with this after talking to the VIPs because:

FI had his heart set on this venue. It is one of his favorite breweries in the US. They are open to the public on weekends and therefore only offer private events during the week.

That day is or anniversary, and my super sentimental FI thought it was the perfect day to do it.

A HUGE chunk of our guests work in the foodservice/bar industry, and would not be able to attend on a Saturday, even if it was local. This way they can attend the wedding, and get back home the next day for the work weekend. Some are coming a day or 2 early so they can enjoy Austin while it's easier to take a couple of days off.

Many (about half) of our non-weekend-working guests are very excited for the opportunity to make a long weekend out of it, and after our morning-after brunchy gathering, the wedding stuff will be over and they have the whole weekend to enjoy on their own. Some of Fi's beer buddies who live farther away are super excited because this is "an excuse to get to go visit this brewery for the weekend".

I guess my point is it just depends on your circle. In my case I knew there would be declines, but we made sure that anyone that we would be really upset over was cool with our choice before booking. I'm REALLY surprised at the number of people saying yes though. The people that really matter are all coming (save for my 91-year old Grandmother who doesn't feel well enough to make it even if it was local).

pennydl

We are also having a Sunday wedding. Our ceremony will start at 4:00, cocktail hour at 5:00 or little earlier, depending on how long our ceremony is, dinner and dancing to follow. Since FI and I don't live in our home states, 75% of our guests will be traveling and they would have had to travel either way, so we felt a Sunday wedding was ok. Plus, we're saving money on our DJ and venue, so that was a bonus. And as pp have said, double check with your baker and florist or other vendors, to see if they will charge extra for a Sunday. So far none of our guests have complained about our wedding. Or if they have, they haven't said anything to us about it.