Pros and Cons of a Weekday Wedding
If you’ve just started the wedding planning process, chances are you are looking at getting married on a traditional day, like a Friday or Saturday. But, many couples in 2022 and beyond are choosing a weekday to get married, so today I want to explore this a bit and give you the pros and cons of getting married on a weekday.
It’s More Couples than You Think
So, before we dive into some pros and cons, I should tell you that roughly 1 in every 5 couples chooses a weekday wedding according to the Knot. With roughly 2 .2 million couples getting married in the US each year and 57,000 couples marrying in Virginia, that’s an impressive 400,000 couples nationally or 8,500 within our state.
Days Virginia Couples Marry
Now that you know how many couples choose to get married during the week, the question is why is that?
Well in part it’s the overall cost, but it’s also because more couples are choosing less traditional wedding styles, like getting married on a Saturday or it’s because the day is significant to the couple, like the first day they met for example.
Vicki Howard, who teaches history at the University of Essex in England and wrote the book Brides, Inc., all about the wedding industry, believes that the Saturday-wedding norm has historically been influenced by the work schedules of both the couple and the guests.
Throughout history, “agricultural seasons, factory hours, and other work constraints shaped the month and date people could take time out to marry,” she wrote to me in an email—hence the popularity of the weekend wedding, and likely also the summer wedding.
That would also be true as Sundays were traditionally meant for church services, although church weddings have fallen to a new low of just 27% and that was in 2017.
In more modern times, however, people have become less religious and they also have flexible schedules with the post-COVID world we live in, working from home or being remote has become more normal.
Lower Overall Costs
Yes, having your wedding during the week can generally be cheaper to have, upwards of 40% cheaper, depending on the day and time of year.
Wedding businesses oftentimes thrive on lots of bookings and to entice couples to get married on a non-traditional day, such as getting married on a Wednesday, they will discount their services a bit to offset those popular Saturday wedding dates.
Venues, much like Silver Hearth Lodge, oftentimes have full-time staff, with a load of overhead, so booking during the week can help offset some ongoing costs they incur. And it’s not just venues, it’s just about every other vendor type too, from wedding photographers to DJ’s to florists and the like as well.
Many times that’s because vendors’ rates are based on the hours your wedding is, having a shorter 5-hour wedding day during the week instead of an 8-12 hour wedding during the weekend saves couples a LOT of cash, thus the discounts too.
Less Traditional
As Millennials are getting married, they are choosing less traditional wedding styles, from getting married in churches, to having themed weddings, such as Harry Hotter weddings.
“We’re seeing fewer formal and black-tie weddings as couples choose to tie the knot in nontraditional locations that let their unique story shine, require fewer embellishments, and call for a smaller budget. Whether it’s a low-key barn venue or a historic library with tons of character, couples seem to favor sites that reflect their personalities”
Many years ago, the couple’s parents would often times fit the bill for weddings, well in 2022, not as much, in fact, roughly 56% of all couples pay for the entire wedding themselves.
Since more couples are doing this, they want things their way and that’s reflected in the overall style of wedding.
Significant Date
The other important thing to note is that couples sometimes choose a weekday because of the importance of the date, like 2/22/22 for example. I’ve had couples get married on Pie Day (3.14.15), couples get married on Friday the 13th and couples get married on January 1st.
Other times it’s the day and month they met and had a first date, other times the day was significant for personal reasons.
The Pros and Cons of Getting Married During the Week
So let’s talk about the pros first:
Cost Savings
As stated, you can save upwards of 40% on vendors if you choose to have the wedding during the week. A few exceptions may include your florist, cake baker, and catering as they have fixed costs for their food and flowers.
Shorter wedding day
If you don’t like to be the center of attention or in the spotlight, having a weekday wedding means a shorter overall day, which is less stressful for you.
Booking the Vendors You Want is Easier
One thing that is great about booking vendors for a weekday wedding is that you have better access to them as they are in high demand. So, if you want that dream wedding team, chances are you will be able to book them and also save money.
Hotels and Airfare are Cheaper
Your guests will be much happier paying a cheaper rate for a hotel or airline ticket during the week rather than a weekend, so if you are an out-of-town bride, consider your guest’s cost savings too.
And of course, there are cons to all this as well:
Harder for Guests to Attend
This is true as some guests will have a hard time getting off work or they’ll need to take PTO (paid time off) in order to attend the wedding day. If they are traveling, they may need to take 2 or 3 days.
Lower Guest Attendance
If you like being the center of attention, chances are your guest list will be lower for a weekday wedding, but the positive is you’d be saving money on food and booze.
Less Setup Time
Another disadvantage is that you will not have as much setup time for the wedding day, although most venues today only allow day-of wedding setups, so it just depends on your vendors.
