Not E related, but...

KBSK12

... you ladies always have the best advice.

How much time did/will you take off of work for your wedding? We are having a 9 day honeymoon, leaving on Labor Day Monday after our Saturday wedding, so I definitely will be taking off that time. I'm not too sure what to do about before, though. It would be nice to have the week to relax and take care of last minute details, but realistically.. how much time should I give myself? I would like to have a better idea before I sit down with my boss. I get 10 days a year (I've taken 2), so I will definitely have to take time without pay. Any insight is appreciated!

HockeyFan4

I took Thursday and Friday off prior to our Saturday wedding.  I went back to work on Monday.

ginadog

We're taking an 11 day trip, 1 day is a holiday (Labor Day) and 5-6 will be vacation days.

I usually need more time before I leave than when I am back.  So if you need to budget an extra day with packing and all.

Maggie0829

I took off the day before my wedding (so I was off Friday, wedding was on Saturday).  Taking anymore was just not necessary or worth using up leave (and in your case just not getting paid).

Honestly, the week before my wedding I was just finalizing the seating chart and finishing up my alterations (bustle issues).  Other then that I didn't really have much to do so working was a good distraction from going completely crazy waiting for my wedding to roll around.  As for my H, he took a half day on Friday.

achiduck

I'm taking the Wednesday- Friday before the wedding off. I doubt I'll need the entire time but it'll be nice to just be able to relax and deal with any last minute things.

We leave on the Monday after the wedding for the honeymoon so all in all I'm taking 11 working days.

KBSK12

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_not-e-related-but?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:32f1e831-ecf1-4cda-9a23-5fe5ad70c5dePost:48c4d196-95c8-4c3b-968d-c8695bfdacd9">Re: Not E related, but...</a>:
[QUOTE]I took the Thursday and Friday off before the wedding, but my wedding was Sunday July 3rd. With relatives coming in Fri/Sat, Thursday was my day to do last minute things.  I went back to work Tuesday. When you say "have the week to relax", do you mean the *entire* week *before* the wedding?  I don't think anyone needs that much time, not even if they have to travel home for it.
Posted by edielaura[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I guess a week is just too long. I would probably drive myself crazy... I'm thinking 2-3 days would be ideal based on PPs experiences.

LDubHawksFan

I'm taking off 1 month, but I've been accumulating for a year to do so.  My family is all from OOT  so I'll take off the Wed or Thurs before the wedding.  We aren't leaving for a week for our honeymoon and I'm NOT going back to work (unfortunately FI does because he doesn't have the PTO).  Then we are gone for 2 wks.

I think you are probably fine to just take the Friday off before the wedding if you feel like you won't have a lot of last min things to do.

HockeyFan4

Another thing to consider: find out when your venue needs everything.  Ours wanted everything the Wednesday before.  So on the Thursday I went and got my mani/pedi and sat around and on Friday we had our rehersal and rehersal dinner.  The only reason I took the Thursday off was because my mom and I didn't want to rush on Friday.

midgetthemighty

I took two days off before the wedding, the whole next week for the HM, and one extra day.

crash2729

I ended up taking part of Thursday and all day Friday.
I probably should have taken all of Thursday since Friday I was running a bunch of errands I could have done on Thursday.

ski2play

I had off the 4 days off prior to the wedding and it was nice to get stuff together, visit with incoming friends/family, and then relax.  We took eleven day of honeymoon, and it was a perfect amount of time to be away.

Totally spoiled me for going back to work!

SKPM

Regarding the bit about relaxing before... H and I got married July 7, the Saturday following the Wednesday 4th of July. I don't start my new job until next week so I had loads of time, and H took the whole week off before the wedding, with Wednesday already being a federal holiday, and we went to my parents' lake house with some OOT friends who came in early. We made sure to have everything printed, finalized, shopped for, etc before we went, and it was so nice to be able to enjoy that time with friends that we don't see more than once a year. Granted that isn't the situation for everyone, with the holiday and my unemployment at the time, but I recommend taking a few days off if you can!

Meegles4

I took a half day the Wednesday prior, then the Th/Fr and the entire week following and the Monday after that (our HM was Monday-Monday). All in all it was 8.5 days.

I only have 13 vacation days, and had already taken some and wanted to leave some for holiday time off, so I was really limited. In my old job, I had five weeks vacation. If I'd still been there, I likely would've liked to take a full two weeks off (week prior and week after wedding), plus a day or two after we returned from the HM. We arrived home from the HM around 11 Monday night and were both at work on Tuesday. It was fine, but not ideal. I also didn't really entertain taking time without pay, but I suppose I could have.

I also agree with Hockey. Our stuff had to be at the hall on Wednesday, so that was partly why I took that off. It wasn't really necessary and I could've gotten away with just taking Thursday/Friday.

I think in an ideal world, you plan for a couple days pre-wedding and post-HM, plus the time in between.

monkeysip

I won't be working since it's summer, but FI is taking 15 business days off (3 full weeks).  He'll be off the friday before our wedding, we leave for our 2-week honeymoon that next monday, then he'll have a couple days to relax after we get home and before he goes back to work.  Fortunately, his job gives him 13 vacay days a year, and he's saved up a couple from the previous year.

I don't think taking off more than 1 day before the wedding is really necessary.  Two days might be nice, but a week is really not necessary, especially if you're unpaid for it.

sarabellam

I took off the Friday prior to the wedding, since I had to finish making our wedding cake. I timed it so that we got married the starting weekend of my September break, so I had the week after the wedding off. H had to go back to work on Wednesday (with his "weekend" being Monday and Tuesday). Honestly, anything more than a day or 2 off prior would be a waste of time to me, especially considering you have to take time off unpaid.

Tami87

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_not-e-related-but?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:32f1e831-ecf1-4cda-9a23-5fe5ad70c5dePost:c447103b-5afd-4283-b835-db4077fb3a8b">Re:Not E related, but...</a>:
[QUOTE]Regarding the bit about relaxing before... H and I got married July 7, the Saturday following the Wednesday 4th of July. I don't start my new job until next week so I had loads of time, and H took the whole week off before the wedding, with Wednesday already being a federal holiday, and we went to my parents' lake house with some OOT friends who came in early. We made sure to have everything printed, finalized, shopped for, etc before we went, and it was so nice to be able to enjoy that time with friends that we don't see more than once a year. Granted that isn't the situation for everyone, with the holiday and my unemployment at the time, but I recommend taking a few days off if you can!
Posted by SKPM[/QUOTE]

I also got married July 7th and we both took the whole week off before the wedding but were back to work on the Tuesday after the wedding.

We were planning long distance so we used that week for final meetings with all our vendors, we got our marriage license and met with our priest one last time. As well as assembling favors and getting programs printed. Our goal was to be done with everything by the 4th and that pretty much worked out. We then spent the 4th relaxing with our parents. Thursday my out of town family arrived so I was able to spend time catching up with them as well.

I loved being able to take off the whole week before, but of course that came with the compromise of delaying a big trip (We only did Sat and Sun night in a bed and breakfast), because we couldn't take off two weeks of work in a row. I definitely recommend taking off more time for brides traveling for their wedding, but if you don't have to deal with a bunch of final vendor meetings like I did, I don't see any reason to take off more than like a half day Thursday and Friday at the most depending on when OOT guests (if any) are arriving.

Calypso1977

i took off wednesday, thursday, friday before but that was only because my sister was in town who i rarely get to see.

had that not  been a factor, i would have probably taken just friday or even left a noon friday.

i took 3 days the following week for the honeymoon and was back thursday.

theponz512

I am not 100% sure yet, seeing as how its still a year and two months away, but FI and I are considering taking off the 3-4 days before the wedding, the 7 days for the honeymoon and then two days after before we get back into the swing of things. We accumulate paid time off on top of our vacation hours, so it might be feasible for us. Do whatever makes you comfortable, and whatever you think is feasible for you!

tiffanydibona

We are taking the wed before through the wed after off around the wedding, and then our honeymoon is 14 days long that we are leaving for a week after we get back.
I have 6 weeks of vacation (30days), so maybe I'm an unique case.  I just really wanted some downtime before and after.

tpender13

I took Thur & Fri off before my Saturday wedding as well as the Monday after -- we didn't take a honeymoon. BUT by Monday afternoon I was completely distracted and was kind of worthless at work. I ended up leaving early on Tuesday and taking an extra, unplanned day and a half. I didn't really need to do a lot of things, but I couldn't concentrate on customers problems (I was working in a call center at the time) when my mind was a million miles away.

lyradimer

I'm traveling halfway across the country for my wedding, so I'm taking off the weds before, weeklong HM, then the Monday after off, just shy of 2 weeks