- Blog
- Bios
- Boards
- Classifieds
- DIY
- Gallery
- Vendor Reviews
- Shop Weddingbee
Weddingbee boards
if it were me, i wouldn't want my wedding anniversary to be on 9/11, when the whole nation is in mourning a world-changing tragedy.
other than that, i think friday receptions are quite common now. and much cheaper too!
5302.jpg (23 KB, 37 downloads) 2 years old 
I'm having a Friday night wedding. This is going to sound bad, but I'm hoping people we'll get more declined RSVP's because of it. We're inviting almost 500 people and this is just immediate family and friends! If you go with a Friday, just expect that some people might not be able to make it because of work reasons.
As far as Sept 11, I think it's up to you and your FI if you are ok with having this date. There will always be news coverage of the attacks on your anniversary and that is something you guys will need to decide if you can deal with. Although you weren't involved, it seems like most, if not all, Americans were effected. I personally don't see a problem getting married on 9/11.
If you decide against both of the dates you listed, can you do an early Oct wedding or is that too late?
I can do early october but its a mostly outside venue in CT on the water. I'm just worried that might be too cold.
I'm hoping people can't come too so that doesnt' sound too bad to me :o)
You all have a great point though with the coverage and all that still does go on.
I think the first thing I need to do is realize I"m not going to have the wedding I want and move on from there...oh well...
Thanks for all of your help!
I would go for the Friday in June. It's only two months earlier - I'm not sure that will make a huge difference as far as finances go, but if it does, maybe you and your FI can chip in, or maybe FILs will help out. And if people are going to have to travel during the week, I think that June is much easier on people with kids. The younger kids will be back in school by September, and college aged kids will be just starting back, both of which may make it harder for parents to travel during the week. It's hard to imagine if you don't have kids yet, but getting everybody off to college/back to school is a pretty big deal, and a lot happens in the first few weeks that you really have to be around for.
As far as Friday weddings, I don't think its an issue. The last three jobs I've had work either 4-10s or every other Friday off, and I think that is more and more common. Taking a single day off work is not such a big deal, if you really want to go to the wedding. Taking two days is more of an issue, but our wedding was on Saturday, and EVERYBODY who had to fly travelled on Thursday anyway - probably because the plane tickets were sufficiently less expensive that it made it worthwhile to take an extra day and treat it like a little vacation.
And honestly, I don't really think that we need to treat 9/11 like a day of mourning year after year. And I actually had friends involved, not all of whom made it out. While I'm still sad about that, I am actually more pissed off than anything by the annual "mourning" of people who didn't actually lose anyone. I prefer to have something going on that day that ensures that I don't spend it thinking about loss, and the other people I know who were personally affected seem to feel the same way. So as long as the date doesn't bother YOU, I would go ahead if you feel it's the best timing.
2009-12-19_170800.jpg (66.6 KB, 18 downloads) 2 years old 
Personally I wouldn't have it on Sep 11 (and I'm not even American). Even if you're fine with having it that day you may have guests attending who would find this disrespectful. I think maybe the best thing to do is to choose another day just to ensure that you are not interferring with other people's views on this dat. (This date is likely still available for that reason).
Personally I am not into the Friday wedding. I find it kind of odd to host an event during a time when the majority of people will be at work. For people who only have a set number of holidays per year with their jobs it will entail them taking a day off which they may rather use for something other than a wedding. I would personally only take the day off if it was a very close friend or family member.
I had a similar conversation with some friends recently (as a friend hosted her wedding on a Friday) and we were all in agreement.....
Hi! I too am a fellow friday bride. And- coincidently- *June 26th* is our wedding date!
Honestly, I am not a fan of friday weddings- at first. Not until I saw all the benefits... the way we figured it would be good for us was: a) a thousand dollars cheaper for us @the venue, & some caterers have minimum rates that have to be met for bookings on weekends that we avoided. b) most of my guests will be out of towners from the other side of the country- and would most likely be there the whole week anyway. c) Perhaps less guests would be able to attend- not making us feel bad that we are having a small gathering anyways! Plus those who want to be there, will be there anyway no matter if it rains or shines d) it's still summer, people aren't going to blink twice about taking a three or four day weekend. And the friday date will just be that ONE YEAR- subsequent yrs/anniversary's obviously will fall on different days. e) And we could still do a breakfast brunch the following morning. Not to mention I am in graduate school and naturally have saturday and sunday off to de-stress before going back to the grind seeing how I don't have that summer off.
I was actually pleasantly surprised by how many of the guests expressed they were looking forward to that weekend because they are all incorporating some aspect of it into their vacation plans; One friend is going to drive up the coast with her other buddies on her way up to our wedding, another is looking forward to leaving her children for a 'weekend getaway' with her husband, and a third friend is taking her MIL who has never been to Northern Cali! (We are getting married in Napa) Many of our guests actually did not cringe at the thought of a friday wedding. But maybe it's because of the location that our friends/family like the idea of going, they can take advantage of their weekend off sight-seeing, wine tasting, relaxing. We didn't get any grief from our friends- and honestly- we have been to two other friday weddings in the past year alone (one was in October and the other in February). I wouldn't shy away from the whole 'friday wedding' idea.
Many of our guests are flying out Wednesday to Wednesday- thus it is cheaper for them as far as flights because they aren't booking weekend flights. Also it's cheaper for guests because they would only need to book one weekend accomodation instead of two thus the overall rate is more affordable.
But that is how we justified it. We had the same problem you did- but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. 
fuschia.JPG (37.5 KB, 86 downloads) 2 years old fusbow.JPG (37.3 KB, 86 downloads) 2 years old 
What about a Sunday afternoon/early evening? Let people figure out their own plans for staying overnight or not on Sunday night, that's not your problem. Bonus: Sundays (and Fridays) are usually cheaper. I don't see a problem with a Friday evening affair, though I personally wouldn't want to be fretting ALL DAY before a later schedule.
That's not very helpful, is it. Sorry.....
JULIETTEAAIMEE1.jpg (28.6 KB, 66 downloads) 2 years old JULIETTEAAFRONT1.jpg (21.8 KB, 68 downloads) 2 years old
As someone who was severely impacted by 9/11, I can tell you that having your wedding that day would not be an insult, insensitive, or crass -- it would be exactly what we would want you to do. There is a reason why Giuliani officiated a wedding the weekend after it happened: because love is greater than violence. If you choose that date, do so knowing that the love of thousands of families will be with you.
As far as a Friday night wedding goes, I am of the opinion that anyone who bitches about your choice of a wedding date can stuff it. If it is important to them and they truly care about sharing your joy it won't matter if your wedding is on a Friday, a Saturday or a Tuesday -- they will be there gladly.
ADRIANADETAIL.jpg (26.6 KB, 39 downloads) 2 years old ADRIANAFRONT.jpg (35 KB, 35 downloads) 2 years old 
Wow... I was in almost the exact same situation as you! When I found my venue (around May of this year), it had no Saturdays and only Sunday, July 5th and Friday, Sept. 11th of 2009 available. We were looking so far in advance because my sister is actually getting married this weekend, so I wanted to space the weddings out at least 9 months to ease the financial burden on my parents (since they insist on paying for both our weddings).
Honestly, we were not in love with either of those dates... so we took a risk and asked to be placed on the "waitlist" for any Saturday from the end of June to the end of September. We figured that far out, someone was going to let the date go. We got lucky and actually 2 saturdays opened up within like 2 weeks of our request. Don't know if you are willing to risk it at this stage of the game... but it is always an option.
As far as friday weddings go... I actually kinda like them for a few reasons:
1. it gives me a good reason to take time off work whether it is OOT or not (I know it isn't as easy for everyone to take time of work...but, I jump at the chance).
2. Once the wedding it over you still have 2 whole days of weekend left. If you are OOT that means more time to sight see or travel. If you are in town you can go about your weekend as you normally would.
3. A friday wedding is always better than a sunday wedding, because you don't have to go back to work the next day.
Yup, I think that is about it from me!
If you DO go with the September 11th wedding date you may want to incorporate a message into a wedding website, invites or save the dates explaining something similar to CarolineG's message above, about love being greater (greater, greater, GREATER) than violence. And if you don't want to leave it at that, you could do your favors as a donation to a related organization, or make a private donation yourselves.
I would be as torn on this descision as you are... I know we have to move forward and remember this day with expressions of love, not just for those who were lost, and those who lost loved ones, but love and expressions of love for everyone. Just taking that step, and knowing when it's right to do it is difficult.
I like the June 26th date! Am I biased because it's one day before my actual wedding day? 
Maybe...
We actually considered a Friday evening wedding. It didn't work out, but both my FI and I weren't against the idea at all especially because our venue was greatly discounted! Also, I thought it would be pretty neat to have guests coming after work to party with us! (Maybe it's still my old college days talkin', but I like to feel social and go out on Friday nights!) But if you are thinking a day and/or afternoon ceremony and reception, obviously some people won't/can't take time off work. If that doesn't bother you, I say go for it!
In terms of 9/11, I trust others' advice.
necklace_and_earrings.JPG (25.8 KB, 63 downloads) 2 years old tiara.jpg (67.9 KB, 82 downloads) 2 years old
Friday weddings are fine. Those who really care about you will make it.
But personally I wouldn't do Sep 11th. Sure some people will think it's fine (even people who were effected) but a lot of people won't (including people who were/weren't effected). It could put a downer on the whole event (people not wanting to dance, drink, etc.). But more then that, I just wouldn't want that day associated with my wedding. Think about it...your invitations will say "September 11" in flowery script. And people will get it and go "oh wow" and discuss the pros and cons of your choice. And I don't think anyone will buy that you are doing it b/c "love conquers all." On your wedding day flags will be lowered. The headline in the newspaper on your wedding day will have something to do with the attacks. All of the news will be about it. And it will be for the rest of your life on every anniversary until Sept. 11th turns into something like Pearl Harbor for most of us. And for the rest of your life when people ask, you will have to say you got married on Sept. 11th and that will no doubt prompt a conversation/explanation. Or every time you want off of work for your anniversary you have to tell people the day...another conversation no doubt. I just wouldn't want to be bothered.
People who were already married on Sept. 11th before the attacks can't help that, but I wouldn't purposely put myself through that.
I don't see anything wrong with 9/11 for a wedding if you don't see anything wrong with it. No matter what wedding decisions you make, people are always going to have their opinions and you can't please everyone. On the day people are going to spend their day enjoying your wedding and having a good time, not hunkered down reading newspapers or watching TV. The same will go for you on your future anniversaries (which no one will probably ever know about or remember except for you two and maybe your parents): you can choose whether to get caught up in the news coverage or to broadcast your anniversary to people who you think wouldn't react well. Heck, no matter when your anniversary is, there are always going to be people who just don't approve of marriage! What can you do about that? Not get married? Of course not!
For example, I'm having my wedding the day after Halloween, a holiday I really don't like, but I'm focusing on the positives---easy to remember anniversaries, tons of candy goes on sale every year, it's all saints' day....so it's all in the attitude. But if you are feeling not to keen on 9/11, have you asked your dad if June 26th is too early? Those 2.5 months might not make too much difference.
I live in Boston as well, and we're getting married in Newport, RI. Our wedding is on a Friday night, mainly because it was significantly cheaper. As many people have said, I think people who really want to be there will be there.
Since we're getting married in a somewhat destination town as well, it gives people an opportunity to play tourist as well. Many OOT weddings that I've been to on Saturdays haven't allowed me time to tour the city or see the sights. Plus, you're not rushing around the day after -- you can have a nice relaxing time with your guests without people rushing off to the airport.
I personally am a HUGE fan of the Friday night weddings When we went looking for a date, we purposefully booked a Friday night because we wanted to give poeple the whole weekend to party it up with us (which is why we didn't book out flights for the honeymoon until Monday). Those that are aggervated they have to take off of work? Those are probably the very same people we "had to invite" because they're family members we only see at Christmas and Easter - and odds are we didn't want them to come anyway.
As for the 9/11 issue, if you had to ask about it on a board, you're probably not that comfortable with it. Go with your gut - are you ok with it? If so, it's your wedding. Personally, my mom's birthday is on 9/11, and it's always really awkward for me (having gone to school near NYC) to watch the ceremonies all day and remember where I was when it all happened, and then call my mom to wish her a happy birthday. Either way (June or September) you're getting married, though, so keep that in mind!! :-) good luck!
4662_524512540828_32704320_31401948_70.jpg (35.6 KB, 33 downloads) 2 years old 4662_524512321268_32704320_31401917_49.jpg (39 KB, 35 downloads) 2 years old
Thanks everyone for all of your input!
carolineg you made me laugh so hard!!!! I remembered that with Guliani and thats why I thought it would be ok to do that but my mom almost choked when I told her so...
Lilbird you have more guts than I do waiting to see if something would open up but I"m so happy it worked out for you!
So...
Sparkles I am joining you with the wedding date of June 26th! And now I'm freakin out a bit. This whole wedding thing just got real really quick. September seemed so far away but June is only 9 months from now!!!! Oh geez!!!!
Thanks again for all of your advice! Good luck with everything!
Emily- Congrats on the decision.. I know how you feel! I have spent the last 9 months planning my sisters wedding and all I have done for my own is boke a venue. Now that I am less than 10 months out, I am semi-panicked!
I do have a friend that planned her wedding in less than 5 months. She reminds me that, "planning a wedding only takes as long as you have to plan it." GENIOUS!
I know the next 10 months (9 for you) will just fly by. So try to enjoy it... you will only be engaged for a short time and you will be married for a very long time :)
@ suzanno You say, "While I'm still sad about that, I am actually more pissed off than anything by the annual "mourning" of people who didn't actually lose anyone."
Why would other people's GENUINE sadness evoke anger rather than empathy? Do you think only those directly involved should have the priviledge of grieving for a tragedy? So would it make you angry that I mourn the deaths of people who were killed in Holocaust decades ago or in a hurricane halfway around the world?
As a more direct response, I wouldn't think it was disrespectful of you to have a wedding on 9/11 but I am often sad / pensive on this date so would feel that this would taint for me any celebration I at which I was a guest.
I work in Manhattan and although I didn't know anyone personally who was killed... I still find myself terribly sad on the day.. imagining people like me in an office just like mine on a sunny days with blue skies... not expecting what was about to happen.
I agree that it's a sad day, whether you've lost someone or not. It's a sad day for the world BUT like someone said earlier - love wins over violence. Your wedding will resemble love, togetherness and celebration for something beautiful ..... and I think many of your guests, if you choose that day .... will only be able to think of your happiness and gratefulness.
Personally, I think 9/11 shouldn't be a cloud over our heads. We mourn for our great loss but we also remind ourselves of the strength and heroism of the people around us.
Black_on_Black_Damask.jpg (171.7 KB, 63 downloads) 2 years old 
I think people are more likely to take a Friday off in June. I personally wouldn't want 9/11 as my anniversary...
You must log in to post.
| Visit our sister sites | eHarmony Online Dating |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
| MissBoPeep | 90 |
| beargoose | 55 |
| hisgoosiegirl | 51 |
| ndreighton | 51 |
| Mrs.KMM | 46 |
| BetterSherm | 42 |
| akp0702 | 41 |
| stardustintheeyes | 36 |
| Beckster329 | 36 |
| MrsPom | 35 |
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
| stardustintheeyes | 20 |
| Beckster329 | 10 |
| BetterSherm | 10 |
| beargoose | 9 |
| Mrsgurzakovic | 8 |
| PookyShoes | 8 |
| Mrs.KMM | 7 |
| MissBoPeep | 7 |
| hisgoosiegirl | 7 |
| GroovyHippieChick | 7 |
I finally found a venue that I absolutely love and of course they are booked solid for Saturdays (tear) and only have 2 Fridays available. One: June 26th (but we wanted a day later in the summer cuz my dad is paying for my sisters wedding next month and then mine whenever I decide to do it and I dont' want to kill him) And the other: September 11th. No one we know on either side was involved in anyway with the horrors that happened on that day in 2001 but is that mean or rude or just a bad omen?
Also what do you think about Fridays to begin with? Is it rude to expect people to come to our wedding if it means they have to take that either full day or half day off of work? I'm from CT (where the venue is) but live in Boston and so do most of our friends and some of his family.
Attachments