With Memorial Day coming up, it got me thinking about holiday weekends and whether you should plan weddings around them or not.
A lot of bride's plan weddings over holiday weekends because of the extra time off work. It gives out-of-town guests more time to travel as well as allowing them to not have to take vacation time from work to attend a wedding.
The downside of holiday weekends is that airfares sky rocket. Flights average around $100 higher during the holidays than other times of the year. Also, people usually have plans far in advance for holidays weekends. A lot of people plan their vacations around the holidays weekends, which means they might miss your wedding.
If you are planning on having a holiday weekend wedding, make sure to send out save-the-dates. Etiquette says you should send these out 6-8 months in advance, but I believe that on a holidays weekend, you should actually send them out 8-10 months in advance. That way, your guests will have ample time to plan and are more likely going to be able to come.
How do you feel about holiday weekend weddings? Are they a do or a don't?
12 comments:
I think it really depends on your guest list, in terms of people’s work schedules, how far they have to travel, whether most of them will be making other vacation plans, etc. I personally love holiday weekend weddings, and we were originally shooting for Memorial Day weekend for ours. But since some venues will charge a higher price even on a Friday or Sunday of a long weekend, we decided it was more worth it to push things back a week.
We're getting married over Labor Day weekend. For my side of the family, really everyone will have Labor Day off and airfare won't matter because everyone's close enough to drive (we have relatives in other states but not far enough away to warrant flights, especially since the main airport is still 1.5 hours from us.
However, for FH's family some might not be able to come period, since many of them are farmers and when they have to harvest, they have to harvest. Thankfully about 98% of our family lives in Idaho, Washington, or here in Oregon. The far-away relatives (on the east coast) probably wouldn't come anyway, regardless of the time- it's just a lot to ask.
I have gone back and forth on this. It's really dependent on the type of guests you'll invite. How far away is the majority of your guest list - will they have to travel? It also depends on your decor. Planning a wedding at Christmas time might save you a ton of money on decorations if you pick a venue that already has things set up for the holidays. However, vendors could be more expensive as well.
I used to always say I wanted to get married on New Year's eve because it would be a fabulous way to throw a huge party and ring in the new year with family and friends...people always want something amazing to do for new years. And I wanted a cocktail reception with appetizers and desserts instead of a full meal. While I think that would have been an amazing event, I eventually realized I preferred getting married in a warmer month with all the flowers and trees in full bloom since our dream venue was all about the outdoor landscaping :)
I found a holidy weekend to be perfect. I even wrote a post on it here: http://averygatorwedding.blogspot.com/2010/03/holiday-weekend-wedding.html
We were able to keep costs VERY low as our town usually empties during the weekend and our guests have all commented on how great it is to not have to leave work early on Friday (and have Monday off to get home).
Our STDs were sent out months in advance and everyone had ample notice before flights got more expensive. I think you really have to do your homework. Do certain families have special traditions? You don't want to mess with that (like Thanksgiving, come on people!)... but some holidays can really work in your (and your guests!) favor :)
My mom not even noticing it planned her wedding and it ended up being Mother's Day weekend... the price of her flowers were REDICULOUS compared to other weekends because they are so high in demand! Doesn't have to necessarily be a big holiday but even the smaller ones you don't consider like Mother's Day could put an effect on something like that.
I say go for it!
We got married on easter weekend this year, which in the UK was the 3rd of April.
It worked out great for all the guests as everyone was off the Friday & Monday, making the journey much easier for the people who had to drive up to Scotland for the wedding.
I sent our save the dates with around 9 months to go but we told everyone with more than a year to go as everyone we know does go away at easter.
I do! If need be. I'm actually hoping for summer since I'm a teacher, but otherwise I'm going to want the extra day off; it would just be way too stressful trying to do it all in 2 days.
They are a don't imo.
The only bad time to do it would be RIGHT before Christmas or during Hanukkah. I could understand people getting cranky about that, but otherwise, I think it's a good way to go.
I would prefer having my wedding on the holiday or weekend.. I will make sure the special people in my life can come...I will tell them ahead of time so that they can prepare and will come...
Well, I guess I'm biased since we JUST got married on a holiday weekend...but I thought it was fabulous! We had time for our guests to arrive in town early (if they wanted...some arrived on Friday morning), and we had a lot of fun getting to relax with them...more so than if they would have only come in on Friday for a Saturday wedding! Our venue was still a cheaper price because we had a Sunday wedding, so it was a win-win on everything!
It's a don't. The reason is, the holiday weekend only comes around a few times a year for some people. They look forward to it as a renewal weekend to go camping or clean house. By having your wedding on these holidays, you are taking away someone's personal day off. I'm sure they will be happy to take a day off for your wedding if they have to travel, but for those who aren't traveling, you have stolen their holiday. I also think you probably won't want your anniversary on the holiday weekend.
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