All About Weekday Weddings

Today we are going to be talking about weekday weddings. I know with the current events going on and several couples having to postpone their wedding, venues and likely some of your vendors as well are starting to suggest that you have a weekday wedding. I want to help clear the air and give you some unbiased information about what that can look like for you to help you decide if that is something you may be interested in.

I’m going to kind of jump back and forth and talk about one con followed by one pro for a weekday wedding just to keep things interesting and to avoid totally bogging you down at once with all cons or all pros. Let’s start with a con.

Con: Inconvenience to Guests

The biggest con I can think of is that it is an inconvenience to guests. Regardless of when you decide to host your wedding, there will be guests that have scheduling conflicts, but the chance of that increases when you decide to host your event on a weekday. Guests will likely have to take off work which can be difficult for guests that maybe don’t have paid time off or for those that are coming in from out of town that may have to take more than one day off.

Pro: Budget Friendly

Hosting a weekday wedding is super budget friendly! If you are on a budget crunch I highly recommend considering a weekday wedding. You can likely expect some pretty sizable savings here because vendors and venues will probably give you generously discounted rates since they would likely not be hosting an event on that day otherwise. Not only could this savings just be nice to have, but it can really be the make or break point between having the wedding of your dreams in the venue of your dreams.

Con: Weeknight Conflicts

Weeknights are typically filled with steadfast routines like cooking dinner, taking care of children and maybe doing some homework. While it may be nice to break up the routine, you may have a problem getting guests on board for your weeknight event especially if they have kids. Kids usually have games or practices on weeknights that parents may not want to miss, or they may have to hire a babysitter to avoid keeping their kids out on a school night. Whatever the case may be, you may end up with a shorter guest count simply because guests don’t want to or can’t come out of their routines. One way to combat this however, is to send out your save-the-dates sooner than usual to give everyone a heads up to make arrangements for your big day.

Pro: Low-Key Event

On the flip side of that con, for those of you who WANT a low-key event, a weekday may be exactly what you need. Having your wedding on a weekday means that more guests won’t be able to make it, so you will end up with a smaller guest count which may be exactly what you want. Having a smaller guest count means working with less humans to actually coordinate your event. This means it could just be easier overall to plan your event simply due to not needing hundreds of everything. If you want to have an intimate event without all the late night festivities, this may be exactly what you are looking for.

Con: Less Trips to the Bar

You may find that the guests that do attend your event may not be visiting the bar as often as you had hoped, or they may not be tearing up the dance floor as you envisioned if your wedding falls on a Monday-Thursday. This could simply be because most of your guests have work or school the following morning, and that hangover that was bound to happen doesn’t seem as appealing anymore. This means that a huge party that lasts for hours will likely be mellowed out for a more quiet event. If your heart was set on an epic event of huge proportions, you may be disappointed to see guests hugging the wall and sipping on lemonade rather than the expensive cocktails you had made.

Pro: Vendor Availability

It is no secret that the best vendors are totally booked up to a year or even 18 months in advance. This can be challenging for some couples with a tighter timeline for planning their perfect wedding. I can almost guarantee you though, that those same vendors do not have a wedding during the week that you would like to get married. For example, the best venues are likely available Monday-Thursday or even on Friday’s for the majority of the year. These venues usually will just be sitting empty waiting for the weekend. This gives you a chance to swoop in and give that space some life while also saving you some cash.

Con: Guests May Leave Early

Last con! Relating back to having weeknight routines and work the following day, guests may not want to party with you all night and have to wake up early the next morning and they may decide to go home before the party is over. This can be heartbreaking for some couples who really wanted to be with all of their guests the whole night and wanted to decide for themselves when the party was over. You may not be ready to go home yet, but most of your guests have left already and the party’s over whether you like it or not.

Pro: Friday Nights are Fun!

Last pro! Friday’s are actually really popular for weddings because they allow your guests to kick off the weekend in style, and they are usually ready to party after a long week of work. This can be really fun for couples and guests who still want the weekend feel to their event, but maybe want to save a few dollars on the price of everything. Also, it gives you and your guests 2 whole days to recover from your wedding instead of just one, and let’s you get to your honeymoon sooner! Guests may still have to take off work, but it will likely just be your closest family members and bridal party instead of everyone.

Overall, hosting a weekday wedding can be a really great choice for you if you want to have a lower-key event, are on a tight schedule, or really just want to save some money. Regardless of if you choose to host a weekday wedding or not, be sure to take in consideration your budget, your overall timeline, and your guest preferences to make a decision that is right for you. Just remember that there is no right or wrong way to plan your wedding and as long as you stay true to who you and your fiance is, your wedding will be perfect and exactly what you wanted.