New Years Wedding?

NGatorsT

My fiance and I are trying to pick a date.  Long story short, it must be in later in December and likely either December 18th or Jan 1 (or New Years Eve)?  We would like to have it in Florida (my home town) because it will be warm.  However, his parents and his parents friends will have to travel from the Northeast and our friends will have to travel as well (mostly from all over the south).

Is it really tacky/rude to have a wedding so close to Christmas when a majority of his family and our friends will have to travel?

danieliza1127

I wouldn't say it's tacky but I would say it's pretty inconvenient to your guests.  I would imagine you might have a lot of people decline the invitation because they might already have to travel that time of year for the holidays and they might not be able to also travel for your wedding.  I think January 1st would be better than December 18th, but I would definitely recommend you talk to his parents and your parents to get opinions. 

lyndausvi

It's not tacky.  But it's pretty inconsiderate

Dec 18th might be better than NY.  Everyone from the NorthEast flies down to the warmth of FL for xmas-ny week.   Prices are SKY high that time of year.  So not only would you be making them  travel in Dec, you are making them pay the most expensive rates of the entire year.  I'm not kidding.  xmas-ny can get top dollar.

That said, our rates in the VI go up around Dec 20 or so.  I  would imagine FL would be about the same.  So at least your family and friends would get to pay less for their inconvenience.

mbcdefg

I would poll your close family members who'd have to travel, and ask them to be 100% honest with you.

Quite frankly, I would not take a plane around Christmastime unless the person getting married was my sibling or a very dear friend. Tickets are expensive and airports are a crowded, busy nightmare.

I don't think it's necessarily tacky or rude, but it DOES make it mighty inconvenient. Are you sure there's no other timeframe, or location, that would make it a bit easier on your guests?

Karen's MOH

I agree with the PP. I attended a NY wedding in Miami and while it was beautiful, if it had been one week later my flight would have been hundreds cheaper. I would go with the 18th over Jan. 1 for sure, since most of the guests have to travel far-- then just cross your fingers that the northeast doesn't get another huge snow storm! Asking the most important guests for their honest opinion is a good idea.

Good luck.

aerinpegadrak

I refuse to fly from Thanksgiving until after New Year's.  The airports are far too crowded, and it's insanely expensive.  I think the only thing that would get me on a plane in that time period is a death in the family; even if it were the wedding of someone I were really close to, I'd send my regrets and a nice gift.

Rates, however, usually drop like a stone immediately after New Year's.  What about doing it the first weekend after the holiday?  You still might get a high rate of declines if people are traveled-out from the holidays, but it will definitely be cheaper all around.

As with any date, run it by the people who you absolutely have to have there (parents, other family, very close friends) and see if any of them have significant objections.

skippylouwho

If you want a church wedding, a lot of churches don't hold weddings from the weekend before Christmas until the weekend after New Years.  It isn't impossible to find a church but may be more difficult.

lyndausvi

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_new-years-wedding?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:5Discussion:d1f5bd77-cc4c-43e7-ab2b-9959da3ca496Post:d99ba827-b350-4f34-9da6-0e82b0fef54a">Re: New Years Wedding?</a>:
[QUOTE] Rates, however, usually drop like a stone immediately after New Year's.  What about doing it the first weekend after the holiday?  You still might get a high rate of declines if people are traveled-out from the holidays, but it will definitely be cheaper all around.
Posted by aerinpegadrak[/QUOTE]

The OP really needs to call around to different hotels to see their policies. 

I know here in the VI, rates go sky high from around Dec 20 until around Jan 3 (depending on how xmas/ny falls in the week).  They do drop a little after Jan 3, but not to the low rates you will find between Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

Airlines are the same way.  You normally can find lower rates between Thanksgiving and Christmas than you can the first week of Jan. 

trix1223

Being completely honest, I think it's a huge inconvenience to your family.  They are, most likely, already spending a lot of money for the holidays~Christmas presents, etc.  And to think of spending more on air fare, hotels, meals, and wedding gifts might just be out of reach for many.

Add in family traditions and parties around the holidays, and you're really presuming on your families.  Because it's not just the afternoon/evening of your wedding we're talking about here.  It's at least 3 days taken.

It's one thing if it's local and taking just one day.  But an OOT wedding the week before or after Christmas?  I'd decline the invitation.

If you're okay with having a much smaller turnout of f&f, then okay.  But if you really want people at your wedding, you might want to rethink those dates.

archie08

We are having a New Years Eve wedding. My thought is... I think its a really great idea. That's why we chose it. #1 very romantic, #2 Everyone wants something fun to do over New Years #3 What a way to ring in the new year, with your friends and family. While having a wedding close to a holiday may be somewhat inconvenient, the people who want to come will. If your wedding means a lot to them they will rearrange their plans to attend your wedding. Its your choice and if you give plenty of notice I think it is totally fine!

chosen175

There is a 0% chance that I would be willing to be anywhere near an airport from mid-December until well after New Year's.  Just isn't going to happen - too crowded, too high of a chance of bad weather grounding/cancelling flights, and too expensive to do when I'm also trying to buy Christmas gifts for 65 people.  If you're ok with a very low turnout, though, then go for it.

NGatorsT

I guess I should have been more clear....My apologies on that.

We really can only get married in the last few weeks of December.  My fiances work schedule is unbelievably inflexible and travels most of the year.  He is "off" from the middle of December until the beginning of January.  We would be able to take our honeymoon, etc.  We could do it another time of the year, but we run into the issue of his work stuff coming up.  (I understand that some people must be thinking work is not more important than getting married....but this really is not an option with his profession).  We decided that if we are going to get married, we would prefer the warmer climate of FLA.

My family all lives in South Florida or abroad.  My family from abroad will come regardless of the time of year and for them it is more convenient if it is in South Florida (where they have other relatives homes to stay in).  Most of my parents friends would be from FLA as well.  His family is spread out, mostly in the Northeast, but some in the south.  His parents friends would be mostly from the Northeast.  Our friends are spread out throughout the south. 

Our goal is to have a "small" wedding of last than 100 people of close family and friends.  I agree cost may be bad.