Reasons to Have a Weekday Wedding (+Advice for How to Do it Right)

When searching for information about a weekday wedding, there’s not ton out there. Traditionally, people shy away from anything other than Saturday evenings, but that’s becoming less and less the standard. As a wedding industry professional, I want to put your concerns aside from the start and say yes, it’s more than ok to hold your wedding on a weekday. Let’s dive into reasons why it’s a great idea.

It Can be Cheaper

A huge advantage of having your wedding on a weekdays is certainly the price. Many venues have significantly reduced pricing on Mondays-Thursdays, and sometimes even Sunday evenings. If you don’t see pricing listed online or in the initial information packet you receive, it’s always a good idea to ask the venue manager. The same goes for wedding vendors. Most vendors don’t book anything during the week, so you aren’t as likely to be taking away business from them, enabling them to offer slightly lower pricing. Keep in mind, this is not the case for all vendors so don’t be offended if pricing doesn’t change. For example, photographers often use weekdays for engagement shoots and editing.

Availability Increases

If you have your eyes set on a dream venue but are looking to get married in peak season, considering a weekday opens your chances of being able to book it.

You Might Get More Privacy

If you’re getting married in a public place (think a park or a high traffic hotel), a weekday wedding could actually make things more intimate. Go beyond day of the week with this one and explore different times of day as well. Could you do a morning ceremony (the lighting is amazing!) followed by a reception later in the day?

You Can Get More Creative

If you’re getting married in a city, you might be able to do things during the week that would feel too crazy on a weekend. Maybe in-between your ceremony and reception you wanted to tour around on a party bus? It will be a lot less crowded on the streets and certain hot spots in the middle of a work day.

Now that you understand all the reasons a weekday wedding can be a really good thing, let’s go over some important things to keep in mind.

Give Your Guests A Lot of Leeway

Typically, you should send your invitations two months in advance and give guests one month to RSVP. If you’re holding a weekday wedding, I’d recommend letting people know further out. That way, they can make arrangements at work and feel like they had plenty of time to adjust their schedules.

Be Thoughtful With Timing

If you’re going for a daytime affair, communicate with your guests so they can fly in a day early (for destination weddings or if some guests just live out of town). If all guests are in your location, take into account rush hour traffic. You can either have a super intimate ceremony with family and then an evening party with the rest of the crew, or start everything after work hours.

Make it Extra Special

If you’re asking guests to take work off to be with you on your day, or if you know your party will go late into the evening, think about some “thank you” items. This could be hosting welcome drinks the day before, putting gifts in hotel rooms for out of towners, or sending people home with a late night snack to ease their hangovers. Often, these things don’t make the cut for weekend weddings due to budget reasons, but might be more feasible on a weekday.

I am a big proponent of weekdays so if you’re ready to start planning your New York wedding and want some help, email me.