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On one hand, it seems like the savings would greatly benefit you. On the other hand, I personally would not have a Friday wedding (mine is a Saturday) due to the inconvenience for guests.
A friend of mine had a Friday evening wedding (5pm, if I recall correctly). Because of it, most people had to take the afternoon (or day) off work. Some people felt that it was inconvenient - but that's where deciding to attend or not may come into play.
Personally - I didn't mind it one bit. But, that's because taking time off wasn't difficult for me.
EDIT: of the family you spoke with - do you think it would be inconvenient for them? and they are using the guests as a scapegoat for not wanting to inconvenienced? ...just a thought!
My wedding is on a Friday and we have people coming from out of town as well. We haven't had any ill words regarding the date from any side. The compromise I made was having it later in the evening (6:30p) to allow local people time to get off work and get there.
If you want to have the wedding of your choice then you have to do what you can afford. No one knows your pocket book but you and your FI and that consideration comes first. No matter what day you choose either people will choose to come or they won't. I wouldn't go into debt trying to please other people.
edit: We chose Friday because there was a $3000 difference in booking on a Friday as opposed to a Saturday. There was no way we could afford that so Friday it was.
You are going to get a wide variety of answers here. I know because I asked this question a few months ago! There are pros and cons to both. I am a Friday night bride and it was a hard decision to come to but the savings was so much that we couldn't turn it down. It is sometimes difficult for guests to get there depending on where they are coming from, what time it is starting and Friday evening traffic, etc. and you may have some people turn the invitation down because of it but those who mean the most to you who want to be there will be there happily! The difference in price for us was a little of $5,000 so it was a no brainer but I'm sure I will catch some slack for it from certain guests but whatev. It is becoming increasingly more popular and I say go for it! Good luck and congrats!
Here's the thing about your question: if you ask people which they'd prefer, they're going to say Saturday. But at the end of the day, you can't please everyone.
Before you go that route, how many of your guests are coming from out of town--because it will be an inconvenience for them. If you've got a mostly local crowd, then I think it's fine to have a Friday wedding.
For the record, I don't think that having a wedding on Friday evening is "inconsiderate" any more than inviting someone from another state is "inconsiderate." Some people might feel obligated to attend your wedding, but ultimately an invitation is not a requirement--you're not forcing anyone to skip work if they don't want to any more than inviting someone OOT is "forcing" them to buy a plane ticket. I mean, I've grumbled about the expense of going to an OOT wedding, but in the end, it's my decision as the guest, and if it bothered me that much, I'd just decline. I'd say the same is true of any guests who grumble at having to leave work early--those who want to will; those who don't, wont. And I sorta think that to call a Friday wedding "inconsiderate" is pretty balsy--I mean, you ARE feeding and entertaining them, after all.
I am having a Friday evening wedding and I'm also somewhat nervous about it, especially since traffic in Baltimore can be awful.. However, we're saving enough money by having it on Friday that we can have a big party at my mom's on Saturday (during the day) as well. That way, our OOT guests will have multiple things to do instead of just having to take off work and come to one event. It'll also allow our guests who can't make it on Friday to still celebrate with us, and people w/ kids and extended family who couldn't make it to the wedding can come. Maybe you could have a Saturday party too? I think we're just doing kegs and wine, as much homemade food as we can manage, and getting musician friends to perform--so it'll be cheap but still fun.
@JennyW1: thank you! I'm glad to see you pointing out that nobody is being forced, nobody HAS to come, and the only people who tell you you're being inconsiderate must be pretty inconsiderate themselves to dismiss the fact that you're throwing a fabulous party and inviting them to it.
Our wedding was on a Friday, ceremony starting at 5:30, and we heard a few complaints but not many, and those who were able to make it did, and those who couldn't, we understood. And actually we received many compliments on a Friday wedding as most were traveling and were able to stay the rest of the weekend and visit more. If I would do it again, I would choose a Friday again!
I am having a Friday wedding, with the ceremony probably starting around 3:30 or 4pm. Would we have preferred Saturday? Yes. But our venue was fully booked on Saturdays a year out. And we saved money for doing Friday. I spoke to some relatives and friends, and you know what they said? They said "We'll be there!" My cousin said to me "You know what, if they really want to be there, they will be there, whether they have to take a day off or not." And after she said that, I was fine with it, because the people who really care and want to take part in your wedding will do it because they want to be there, regardless of how "inconvenient" it is. I figure, if they don't want to come, then I'm cutting down on the guestlist without having to do any of the work! Plus our caterer said, people are usually down to party harder on Friday nights, cuz theyre getting out of work!
Our wedding is going to be on a Friday, for exactly the same reason you are considering. It's less expensive. The way both my FH and I feel about it is, those who really want to be there, will be. We aren't going to be upset or offended if someone can't make it because of work or whatever other reason. My sister's wedding was also on a Friday, and I don't remember anyone complaining about the day and those that attended had a good time. Plus this way our first anniversary is on a Saturday, so we have all weekend to play! :)
My sister had her wedding on a Friday. Most people came, but a good handful showed up late (due to traffic most likely). It does, however, save you a lot of money. Plus, things will be less likely booked as fast since it's a Friday rather than Saturday.
We're getting married on a Friday for budget and guest count limitations. Of course I would have preferred a Saturday event but saving a boat load of cash that we can put towards other elements of the wedding is far more important to us than the day of the week. Also, if we hadn't gone with a Friday we wouldnt have been able to afford our dream venue.
We did, however, decide to have our ceremony later in the day (5:30) to make it a little easier for the majority of our guests (all but grandmothers are somewhat local - ranges from about 10-45 mins away).
Those who want to be there, will be there regardless of the day of the week. Friday weddings are becoming more and more common.
Besides, we also managed to score discounts from other vendors for choosing a Friday event so you may be able to save on other aspects too!
I am most likely having a Friday wedding (the friday of labor day no less, but at least people get a half day at work so they can hopefully come on time) and i am feeling fine about it, even though I was originally against a Friday wedding.
I feel that a Friday at least gives people the rest of their weekend. I recently went to a wedding, and had to spend all day Saturday getting ready and driving over an hour and a half to get there, and then on Sunday we had to wake up and then spend another hour and a half driving back so it basically took up our entire weekend and we had no full free weekend day.
Fridays are a pain becuase people dont like to rush home from work and go to an event right away, but then again, when they wake up on SAturday and sunday, they wont have the obligation of something to attend or can make other plans.
The important people will come no matter what.
I completely agree with Dashingbride! The important people will find a way to be there for you! We are having a Friday night wedding (4th of July weekend) so that our out of town guests can make a weekend getaway out of our wedding. We want to show off our city to our OOT guests and having a Friday night wedding will allow us to enjoy their company in our hometown without having to rush back home to get to work. We are also having a later (7 pm) wedding which will help with our in town guests.
We are also receiving a discount for having a Friday which was also a huge deciding factor for us. Do what best fits your needs!
We had a Friday wedding. It did not seem to be a big deal for our guests but we only had one out of town guest. We had our ceremony at 6pm so that way people did not have to take too much time off of work.
Also we had 3 friends get married this year and all of them got married on Friday (ceremony early like 3pm) and one had a ton of out of town guests but it was just cheaper for a Friday so that’s what they did.
I would do what ever works best for you and your FI but I feel that Friday weddings are not an inconvience and for the people who feel that it is… WHO CARES? Its your wedding and you are paying for it. Save money where you can!
I don't usually attend Friday weddings. I usually just can't make it. I get off work late on Fridays, have to dash home and get ready, then try to make it across town for a wedding. I would rather just send a card.
I'll also add that our Friday wedding happens to be the weekend of Columbus Day so the few OOT guests that we do have will be able to stay an extra day and the local guests can get an early start to a 3 day weekend.
This is totally up to you, its your day. I agree you cant please everyone. Just a couple of points. I have been to both a friday and sunday wedding and they are very tough. In my area sunday was better than the friday because of traffic. The friday one had 115 RSVP and only about 55 showed due to traffic and other things. the room was so empty and I'm sure that just eliminated the savings. The sunday wedding was great except we had to leave by 10pm because of work(trust me it was so awesome we all wished we could have stayed longer). So if traffic on a friday night is not aweful in your area there should be no problem, just start at 6:30 or 7pm since it will be a great weekend starter. Me, I am definitely having saturday. But it is all about what is important to you.
Ours was Friday but since most people have to travel for it anyway, we didn't hear any complaints.
Thank you all so much for your input. I agree with many of you. Ultimately the people who really want to share the day will be there. I would do the same for any of my close friends/relatives. Traffic is concerning but hopefully we will be able to find a time that is more functional. Hope to have a wonderful party to kick off the weekend!!! Thanks again =)!!
Sundays are usually also discounted, and people do have Sunday off work. You might need to end a little earlier than a Saturday night wedding, but you can just start earlier.
And, exactly what everyone said, the people that matter will make it.
Oh I forgot. You just have to keep in mind of traffic on a Friday. Some people didn't make it to the ceremony because our wedding was at 5:30 and they were stuck in traffic. Something to keep in mind.
I had a Friday wedding. It worked for us, since most people we know work non-standard work weeks, and many guests were coming from WAY out of town and were planning on coming early to do touristy stuff before hand anyway.
You just have to think about whether it works for you, and if you mind if some guests can't make it due to scheduling conflicts.
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Hello everyone,
I am in a predicament and would appreciate your feedback. We are paying for our wedding ourselves and have a VERY limited budget. We contacted our venue of choice and there is a discount for Friday weddings. We are very tempted as that money could be used for the cake and etc. However, I spoke to my immediate family about the date and many feel that we are being inconsiderate of our guests. We are trying to stretch out every dollar and at the same time we want our guests to feel appreciated.
Has anyone had any experience with Friday weddings or plan to hold a Friday wedding themselves. I am looking for positive/negative feedback to help us with this decision.
Thanks for your time and input. ^_^