Friday Weddings?

Tiffybues · July 2013

Hi everyone!

I am terribly indecisive but we are thinking about securing 5/23/14 as our wedding date. We are having a late ceremony and reception, like 7pm. Has anyone had a Friday wedding? If so, were you happy with it or would you have spent a little more to have it on a Saturday? I know Friday can come with complications from work schedules, however we are trying to be practical about spending. I'd love to hear some of your experiences!!

daria24 · July 2013

I had a Friday wedding. We expected to have a higher % of declines, but in the end there wasn't anyone who declined BECAUSE it was a Friday. Had it been a Saturday night they could not have attended either. It really depends on your guest list-all of our VIPs are retired, or teachers who had summers off, so the day of the week didn't matter.

I don't regret having a Friday wedding at all, but we didn't do it for monetary reasons. We only saved on the site fee, everything else was the same price as a Saturday evening wedding. We chose the Friday date because all the Saturdays were booked up.

itzMS · July 2013

I used to work at a very popular hotel/wedding venue in my area. Friday weddings were just as popular as Saturday weddings. I don't think you'll see much in the form of cost savings, sorry.

Jessica41381 · July 2013

When we were deciding on a date and looked at venues, they are much like hotels in a sense that you pay pretty much the same for a Friday as you would for a Saturday (at least here in Md.). I think as far as your wedding you have a time that would probably work with most everyone's schedule, so I don't think it would be a problem. We contemplated a Friday but our venue was booked so we went with Saturday.

JMalettas · July 2013

I agree, that unless you've verified that the Friday is cheaper, that you may be surprised there's no difference. Our venue would have been the same price regardless of the day we chose, and the same with the other venues we looked in to.

As far as a Friday wedding goes, personally I'd go regardless. It's not like it's short notice. I'd just book it off work. Although, I have heard of them being less popular due to guest work schedule conflicts. Obviously though, as stated above, that's not an issue with 'every' wedding.

I'd just check to see if the Friday makes a difference either way. If it does, and you want to save $, then go with the Friday. If it doesn't matter, then pick whichever day you'd like!

Good luck!

*J

fuzzyslipper32 · July 2013

The venue I picked for my wedding was the most expensive on Saturday, Friday was a little cheaper, and Sunday was the cheapest. I am getting married on a Sunday because the venue is about an hour and a half away from most of my friends and family, and most wouldn't be able to make it on time after work on Friday. Sunday was the most logical for us (Saturday was too expensive).

I would definitely pick a venue and check into it first to see if it will be cheaper on a Friday.

doeydo · July 2013

Are you inviting anyone from out of town? If so, they may not be able to be there, what with the drive after finishing work and all. However, if you have it not on the typical Saturday, which is busy for wedding-type vendors, you may be able to get a good deal or two.

Angusaur · July 2013

All 2014 Saturdays are gone at the venue I love. Which leaves me no choice but to have a Friday or Sunday, because I don't want 2015 or another venue. I am leaning towards Sunday, and think I will still have a great turnout. Because the venue is about an hour from most of my guests, I just don't see a Friday working out well in my case.

Tiffybues · July 2013

Thanks for your input ladies! The venue we fell in love with increases the food and beverage minimum by 2k for a Saturday. Because we are night owls and really want a evening ceremony we thought that Friday would be better than Sunday. I do worry about people leaving early or coming late but I guess that's the price we would have to pay to save $$.

MayDay513 · July 2013

Tiffybues said:

Hi everyone!
I am terribly indecisive but we are thinking about securing 5/23/14 as our wedding date. We are having a late ceremony and reception, like 7pm. Has anyone had a Friday wedding? If so, were you happy with it or would you have spent a little more to have it on a Saturday? I know Friday can come with complications from work schedules, however we are trying to be practical about spending. I'd love to hear some of your experiences!!

I have been to one wedding on a friday. Ceremony was at 6:30 and most people made it on time. However, do serve a meal. People will be hungry. If they get off work at 5pm, have to commute home (30 min), change and get ready (30min to 1 hour) and then drive to your wedding site (30min) that puts it at 7pm already, so they wont have time to eat before.

kassandrav20 · July 2013

My wedding is coming up on September 13th. We chose it because we liked Friday the 13th and because it did save us a little money. I expected a high number of declines because our ceremony is at 3pm. But surprisingly over half of our guests have already taken the day off work and rsvp'd. I think what helped was sending out our invitations 3 months before the wedding, and prior to that I had sent out an e mail save the date and then a save the date magnet with the invitations to remind people. I set my date over a year in advance and gave our guests plenty of time to make arrangements. Hope this helps you make a decision. Congrats on your engagement and Happy planning!

gagirl1124 · July 2013

We are getting married on Friday Sept 13th. We chose the date not to save money, but because we met on a Friday the 13th and we thought it would be fun to get married on one too. So far, we have saved about $2k by having it on a Friday. I also sent out save the dates about six months before and invites three months before and so far the ones that have declined have declined because of other reasons, not because it's a Friday. Our ceremony starts at 6:30pm and we are not having a cocktail hour because it's a buffet style reception. Hope this helps, I'll be happy to post after and let you know how things worked out! Good luck!

gagirl1124 · July 2013

mocha711 · July 2013

I've booked my wedding on a Friday next year and I got a very good deal on a full stocked bar, my food menu and reception decorations!!! So, I have to say Friday is a good day to have your wedding. Plus, with a Friday wedding I think timing is everything, a time starting maybe @ 5-5:30 is a good start and the reception from 6-12am. I compared Saturday to Friday and its a huge financial difference!!! So, go ahead and have that Friday wedding!!!!

kathrynrf · July 2013

Before you decide, make sure it is actually cheaper. Our venue is so popular that Friday, Saturday, and Sunday weddings are all the same price. You get a discount for week night weddings, which I would NEVER do.

If Friday is cheaper, consider your guest list. If you have a lot of out of town guests, keep in mind that Fridays might not be convenient because they will have to take time off from work. We couldn't go to a wedding once because it fell on a Friday and would have required me to take a day off, but it was the end of the school year and it just wasn't available to take off. We were sad that we couldn't go, but it just wasn't possible. If you have guests that are local and you think taking time off wouldn't be an issue, then go for it.

decembergrl2014 · July 2013

I'm having my wedding on a Friday of next year. The venue we chose offered $10 less per head for a Friday wedding and a lower guest guarantee. That worked out great for us, since we are expecting less than 100 people. If we wanted a Saturday we would have to guarantee 125 people. We are also having ours in the summer and since most of our friends and family work in education, work won't be an issue. If you want a Friday wedding, go for it, especially if it means saving $$. Are you having your ceremony and reception in the same place? If so, maybe you can have a later ceremony to accommodate people who are working. If you decide to do a Friday, I would say definitely send out save the dates.

glbelou · July 2013

The biggest issue here would be out-of-town guests. They would have a hard time with a Friday wedding because they would have to take off work, which not everyone can do. Our wedding is about 40% out-of-towners, so we knew this would be out of the question. If your guests are mostly in-town, then I say go for it!

wittykitty14 · July 2013

We just had a Friday wedding, with a 3pm ceremony time. We chose it because the day was special for us. The discount wasn't much. We saved $3 a person by having it on a Friday.

We had a fair amount of declines (about 27%), but most of them had nothing to do with it being a Friday, or an afternoon ceremony for that matter.

If the only reason you want to do a Friday wedding is because of the savings, just make sure it's worth it. Then check with your VIPs and make sure they're ok with it. If those two things check out, I say go for it!

kennede · July 2013

We just married on Friday, July 5th. Our first choice was a Saturday, but the venue we loved books a couple years in advance and we didn't want a drawn out engagement. We got engaged at Christmas and booked the venue in February for July. The only reason the date became available was because the original bride found out she was expecting and her due date and planned wedding date were just around the same time. We swooped in and pounced on the date. We worried about our friends and family and their work schedules, but figured many of them would most likely take PTO on Friday the 5th in order to take a long 4th of July weekend anyway. As soon as we booked we let everyone know the date so that they could plan ahead. We had very few declines, but that was also due to only inviting our close family and friends (about 90 people). These are the folks that would take the time off to celebrate with us no matter what. We only had one person miss the ceremony because they got caught at work too late. We started our ceremony at 5:30 p.m., cocktail hour from 6-7, followed by dinner and dancing. We considered starting things later, but the venue has a hard stop for the music at 11 p.m. due to noise ordinances (outdoor venue). I have no regrets. It worked out great for us. Just go for your gut and what you can afford and send out save the dates early to let people have the maximum amount of time to make arrangements.

Zealous01 · July 2013

We are having a Friday wedding, Oct. 11 of this year. It has actually been more cost effective for us to have it on that day. I would say 90% of our guest list is from out of town. We picked it because flights are cheaper during the week vs. coming in on a Friday and leaving on a Sunday. Monday is a holiday, so that helps make it a long weekend and people don't have to rush back to work after traveling. We sent out save the dates as soon as we booked our venue (March). We mailed out invitations beginning of July and the rsvp due in August, so people would still have about 6 weeks to book flights, make reservations, etc. I wanted to give people enough time to coordinate and schedule accordingly. We totally understand that people may not be able to make it, as it can add up. Just make sure you discuss it with your fiance and cover all of the details and you let people know as far in advance as possible.

KDM323 · July 2013

If you are looking for savings....I would suggest off season (fall/winter). You may find better rates than a Friday in May, depending on your location.

smolli88 · July 2013

My wedding is going to be on 5/23/14!!

At first my fiancé was against the idea of a Friday wedding, but by the time I sat down to plan, most of the venues I wanted were already completely booked on Saturdays at least a year in advance! Interestingly, my church would not allow a Sunday wedding....so Friday it was!!

The coordinator at the venue I booked said that Fridays are usually very successful. If you have it late enough in the afternoon/evening, people will be off work and ready to party! That, and the venue was cheaper for us, which is a plus.

I think the fact that you are looking to have it on the Friday before Memorial day weekend is great, because it allows people to celebrate your wedding and still follow their Memorial day weekend plans (if they want to go out of town). Also, any out of town relatives that you invite have the opportunity to stay longer, which many of my family members have said they really appreciate!

KDM323 · July 2013

I didn't realize that was Memorial Day weekend....

Not sure where you are located, but you may wind up with higher hotel rates for any OOT guests that weekend, higher costs for flights, etc.

Plus, people may have plans to go away for Memorial Day weekend.

Definitely talk to your VIP guests before booking for a holiday weekend.

sjw6789 · July 2013

My wedding's this Friday, and having it on a Friday saved about $5 per person, but 150 people adds up. We invited about 190, so that many declines is almost normal I think. All but one of my relatives from Minnesota are coming to MO for it, and all of my fiance's family from California, so it wasn't a problem for them.

I'm not a fan of Sunday weddings, but it depends on what you want your wedding to be like. My sister loved her Sunday wedding because she's not a big party person, so she got married at 3 pm, hung out at the reception for a couple hours, mingled appropriately, and then they bailed. It was perfect for what she wanted. A friend of mine had a Sunday evening wedding and wanted it to be a good party with drinking and dancing, and it flopped. That reception was not fun. People don't want to drink and stay out late on Sundays.

LoveableBride · July 2013

I;m having a Friday wedding as well starting at 7 PM too. I thought about my guest work schedules but starting at 7 should give them enough time to make it. We opt to try to save money that's why the Friday wedding. I'm willing to give it a shot in order to save a bit.

NerdyLucy · July 2013

Our Friday wedding is at 6:30 pm. The longest travel for anyone invited is an hour, except two family members several states away who likely can't come. The time seems to be fine with our VIPs. We're actually not saving any money doing it this way, but we are serving a full meal.

heathertims · July 2013

Our Wedding is on a friday as well. Our Venue booked all its saturdays up really quickly, and the price per head was crazy. When we asked for a simpler meal on a friday, it ended up 1/3 of the price they mentioned. I'm sure the friday date played a part.
Our ceremony starts at 4:30. Some people will have to leave work a bit early, but no one has complained (not that they would to me). We have a decent amout of OOTers we invited. My FI is from a huge family, 95 invites on his side. Most declined, but i think most of them would have even if it were on a saturday. I'm sure it was the 12 hr drive over the friday vs saturday wedding.

annedegirl · July 2013

we are not only planning a Friday wedding but it's on a holiday weekend...
Mostly because it works better with schedules and people having it off... cost wasn't much difference between Saturday and Friday... so we went with Friday so we could spend the day with after with friends and family who traveled to see us and then Sunday seeing everyone head home and get some rest before leaving for the honeymoon on Monday...
Do what ever you feel is best for the two of you. Those that love you will be there no matter what day you choose.

Kyohteh · July 2013

Hey all! I'm just in the planning stages right now, but wanted to pipe in that as a wedding attendee, I had an AWESOME time at a Friday wedding. The venue was gorgeous: ceremony outside, mixed indoor-outdoor reception, very casual but also elegant. I was inspired!

lauracutter · August 2013

Just secured our Friday wedding date at the Langham in Pasadena. My Fi and I both want a fabulous wedding, but we can't afford a Saturday wedding at the Langham. After cutting the guest list from 150 to 100 people and moving the wedding to a Friday, we are saving $18,000 (almost half of the original proposal) on location and catering fees. Their Friday package also includes free rooms, a spa trip and discounts on pretty much everything. Needless to say, we are very excited.

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