Weekday Wedding? Is that really an option?

In the industry, a lot of talk goes into when and where the best times and places to get married are.  Here in Texas, where I live and where our wedding chapel is located for instance, June and October Saturday’s fill up rather quickly.  On the other hand, February and November Friday’s don’t see much demand.  So, what can be said about these “off peak” times?  This is the topic of today’s discussion.

Namely, I would like to discuss the option of weekday weddings.  Let’s call it weekday wedding “ceremonies” because as I will state later, there is a superb option of splitting the ceremony and reception up to maximize ALL of the benefits of a wedding “occasion.” To start with, let me show you the summary of the two best articles that I read on the topic last week:

Article #1

Pros:

BUDGET – weekday times up to 30% discounted

CHOICE – prime weekends may be taken, but if you’re planning late, prime seasons are still an option

EXTENDED CELEBRATIONS – build pre-wedding events over the weekend for a Monday wedding or extend celebrations for a Friday wedding

Cons:

WORK COMMITMENTS – obviously, if people have to travel, they “could” have to miss a day of work to attend

TRAFFIC – If they can make it, they may have to navigate through traffic to get there on time

Article #2

Pros:

PRICE – as above, 1/3^rd cheaper

AVAILABILITY – as above, seasons aren’t ruled out because of more day options

BANG FOR BUCK – ceremony, reception and vendor discounts allow you to go all out on things that you may would have had to trim, i.e. flowers, photography, etc.

TRAVEL CHEAPER – weekday travel for your guests is cheaper if flying

Cons:

NO SHOWS: some may not be able to miss work or travel during week

So what it narrows down to is that you could have a more extravagant wedding and celebration, but some people may be inconvenienced or even not come.  What’s the problem?  Isn’t this always the case anyhow?  Aren’t vital friends or family always excluded by their own choice for some reason or another?  I’m not trying to favor the weekday wedding more than the traditional and splendidly expressed and celebrated, Saturday wedding, but I am wanting some of the barriers to be seen as they are, only mildly valid.

So, just for fun, I want to pose what I see as an INCREDIBLE ALTERNATIVE to the traditional Saturday “all in one day to the mental, physical and emotional anguish of the bride and groom” Wedding:

How about, just for kicks, you imagine yourself getting married on a Thursday evening.  You can start late though, because tonight is just the ceremony and special hotel stay for you and your spouse to be.  So, let’s say start time is 7:30pm, hypothetically.

Leaving from an hour away and still arriving 15 minutes before the ceremony, your longest driving traveler (who didn’t have to miss work btw) leaves the house at 6:15pm, missing most of the traffic.  Everyone arrives, tired from the day, but able to see you and your spouse married, as tradition stands, in about 30 minutes.  Everyone congregates outside or in the back of the venue to do what they would normally do during the reception when you’ve already been exhausted from photos; talk to you.  But, this time, you meet and greet with a full physical, emotional and mental cup and see everyone off within an hour. 

NEXT, you take all of your photos from 9pm until 10pm and send your family and wedding party home while you and your now, spouse, head off to the elegant hotel of your choice within 15 or 30 minutes from your venue.  AH, IT’S OVER!

But it’s NOT over, because tomorrow, after sleeping in, getting massages and taking an afternoon nap, you wake up and get “Saturday night out” dressed for your reception extravaganza wherever you’d like (because Friday’s are usually open at reception sites)! Now, you are free of anxiety (AND that gorgeous, but bulky dress), already married and looking to have a great time with all of your friends and family that are now ready for the weekend and still reminiscent of the beautiful ceremony that they attended last night! They notice a bit of a glow on your face that they didn’t notice the day before, and rightly so, you are now married to the love of your life and about to celebrate with dancing, singing and all else that you’d like because you’ve got all of the energy and time in the world!!

I hope that you’ve enjoyed my thoughts and options J

Here are a few of the tangible benefits to getting married during the week at Bella Donna Chapel:

Price – up to 53% cheaper than Saturday

Availability – Monday through Thursday are available ANY season

Flexibility – we can tailor make a time, because you won’t be stacked in with other weddings.

Vendors – we’ll work with our vendors to try to get weekday DISCOUNTS for you

ARTICLES QUOTED: Weekday Weddings Pros & Cons, www.calmyourbeans.com, 2011, Weekday Wedding, www.somethingbluebrides.com, 2009