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Ajj
Savvy May 2021

Day wedding on a weekday?

Ajj, on October 30, 2020 at 7:11 AM Posted in Wedding Ceremony 2 19
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Hi y’all!
I’m considering changing our date to a weekday and a morning event to cut the price. This would be a third of the price of a Saturday evening affair! We wouldn’t really have to buy as much alcohol... maybe just Mimosas at one per guest. We could do a brunch menu instead of appetizers and dinner... we could also chop the reception to major dances and toasts. Which works for me because most of our guest wouldn’t be dancing anyway if we dragged the event all night long.

Question is : I wonder if I would regret not having the stereotypical night reception anyway down the road. Is the cost savings worth skipping out on the stereotypical grand party at the end?
I know getting married is all that matters. I just appreciate your outside perspective. Would you not come or feel offended as an invited guess to a weekday morning wedding? Does that make us sound cheap?
Thanks

19 Comments

Latest activity by Florida Marlins, on November 19, 2020 at 9:37 AM
  • Lisa
    Legend July 2022
    Lisa ·
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    It is crazy about how much cheaper non-Saturday weddings are! Most guests that want to be there will find a way to make it happen, though also be prepared for some people to decline the invite if it's on a weekday. Getting time off work may be an issue for some people. As far as whether you'll regret not doing an evening reception, only you can answer that. When you think of your wedding (and if cost weren't a factor), what do you envision? Do you see the evening event with a DJ and dancing? Or do you see a daytime event with brunch and mimosas?
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  • Caytlyn
    Legend November 2019
    Caytlyn ·
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    I wouldn’t be offended, but the level of effort that I would make would depend on whose wedding it was. I really hate the “if they want to come, they’ll make it work” thought process. People have jobs, kids in school, other commitments, etc. Of course people will try to make it work if possible, but a lot of people can’t afford to take time off work right now.
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  • V
    Champion July 2019
    Veronica ·
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    If you want to have a weekday wedding, I don't think having it in the morning is the best idea. You would be requiring all of your guests to take off work to be able to attend. A lot of people are just going back to work because of Covid and probably can't afford to take off or wouldn't be able to. I think it would be better to have a morning wedding on a Sunday, but that might also conflict with schedules for anyone that attends church.
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  • Kieu
    Dedicated October 2021
    Kieu ·
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    To be honest, if I saw an invitation that indicated a weekday morning date, I would perceive it as weirdly inconvenient and unless I was really close with the couple, I would probably decline. Maybe you could try a Sunday brunch instead? I think a lot more guests would be receptive to that while you can still save money by not doing a Saturday date.
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  • Yasmine
    Master October 2020
    Yasmine ·
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    Do you think your guest would be okay taking off of work to come to your wedding? That's what needs to be considered, not our opinions. I know that most of my guests would probably decline especially in this era of COVID. Can you Try a Friday/Sunday wedding instead? Even a Sunday brunch wedding would be cheaper

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  • Lorraine
    Beginner April 2022
    Lorraine ·
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    I personally would regret not having a traditional wedding, but to each their own. My cousins does not like big parties so her wedding was earlier in the day at our church fellowship hall. No alcohol. And then the older folks went home and the young people (and some of the wilder older couples) went bar hopping in town. It ended up being an awesome night and I'm sure she saved A LOT of money and it was very her style. The goal is to get married and to have a good time. As far as it being a weekday, if guests want to come they will take off from work. I don't think it looks cheap. It looks like you're doing what you can with what you can afford.


    Honestly, no matter what you do on your wedding day SOMEONE will have something to say about it. So do what you want.
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  • H
    Master July 2019
    Hannah ·
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    I agree with this. Taking time off work/other responsibilities may be difficult for many people, even if they want to be there. It isn't impossible, but it definitely adds some barriers.
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  • Katie
    Expert January 2021
    Katie ·
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    I guess you have to know your crowd. For most people, this would require taking a full day off work which is a major inconvenience and essentially has the guests paying several hundred more dollars towards your day in money they won't be paid at work. Unless it was someone I was very close with, I probably wouldn't go. It sounds stressful.

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  • T
    Super April 2021
    Tiger Bride ·
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    One of my best friends had a weekday morning wedding. I would have taken the day off for him, but I had just moved and started a new job and I couldn't fly back for the day. They did it in part because it was cheaper and in part so people wouldn't come (they both have huge families).

    For most people, I wouldn't even consider going. I wouldn't be "offended" but like...standard time off is 2 weeks. If I had to use 10% of my time off because the couple wanted a cheaper wedding, I would not be inclined to go (thankfully I get more now, but still)

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  • MOB So Cal
    January 2019
    MOB So Cal ·
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    I agree that this is very much a "know your crowd" issue. As others said, unless you were a VERY close relative or friend AND the wedding was local, we likely wouldn't even consider attending. I wouldn't take a day off work to attend a friend's wedding and we definitely wouldn't travel which would require multiple days off and additional expenses. Also, I completely agree with Caytlyn (like I usually do), that some of the worst advice I see on this forum is the "if they love/care about you, they'll come...." I think that sets people up to potentially be seriously disappointed, especially in our current Covid-climate. Unfortunately, in the best of circumstances people who care about you may have to decline; schedule a wedding at a very inconvenient time and I think that risk increases significantly.

    If you have your heart sent on being surrounded by a larger group of friends & family on your wedding day, I'd look at other ways to economize -- like a Sunday brunch. Good luck!

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  • Mrs. Spring
    Master April 2021
    Mrs. Spring ·
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    Depends on who you really want there. I'm having a weekday morning wedding but it's only 3 guests. Two are retired and the third is blessed to have plenty of paid vacation time.
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  • Mrs. Spring
    Master April 2021
    Mrs. Spring ·
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    Have you considered having a weekday evening wedding? Wouldn't that still cut the price significantly?
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  • Meghan
    Master October 2019
    Meghan ·
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    A weekday, daytime wedding sounds like a bad idea. As I guest, I would not attend a wedding in the middle of a workday. I don’t care how much cheaper it is, as a bride, I would never sell myself short like that.

    If you do decide to go this route, please don’t limit your guests to 1 mimosas. You are already requiring them to take time off work if they want to attend. Allow them to have multiple drinks.

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  • Hanna
    VIP June 2019
    Hanna ·
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    I agree with PPs. A daytime wedding on a weekday doesn't seem like a good idea. I wouldn't necessarily be offended as a guest, but I probably wouldn't attend your wedding. Even if all of your guests were local, I wouldn't expect people to take off work for a morning wedding on a weekday. What about an evening wedding on a weekday? That seems like a win-win: you wouldn't have to pay Saturday pricing but your guests (if they're local) wouldn't have to take off work. I don't think that having a weekday morning wedding in itself is cheap (moreso inconvenient) but doing so while limiting guests to one mimosa per person definitely comes across as cheap. If you go ahead with your plan, I agree with PP not to limit guests to only one drink each!

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  • Amber
    Devoted January 2022
    Amber ·
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    I think it depends on your crowd. Our wedding will be a Thursday night, but a decent amount of our VIPs don’t normally have weekends off. I would prefer evening over morning though. Keep in mind how early you would have to get up to start getting ready. My HMUA artist said we might have to start at 9am to get everyone ready for 4:30. We’re sending save the dates pretty early and understand if people can’t make it.
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  • M
    Super October 2022
    Michele ·
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    You can get married whenever you want. A Friday afternoon/evening is generally preferable to midweek. Everyone loves the idea of taking off work..whether a full or half day..to kick off the weekend. You don't have to worry about people not being able to attend, regardless of how far they have to travel. Midweek is very inconvenient for most unless they are local.


    No matter which you choose, they need a save the date 10 months out to be able to request vacation time, book travel, etc.
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  • Ajj
    Savvy May 2021
    Ajj ·
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    Well after reading all of your responses I am no longer thinking of a midweek wedding. I like the suggestions regarding Sunday. Thank you for all of your helpful input!
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  • T
    Devoted July 2021
    Ty ·
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    We are having our wedding on a Monday, it’s a holiday.


    I have been to brunch weddings, but on the weekend, during the week people may have to take days off of work, that may be your only pushback. Other than that I that I think it’s a great idea!
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  • Florida Marlins
    Expert October 2017
    Florida Marlins ·
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    I would only take the day off if someone was super close to me or a family member. I am a teacher and we, at this school, get three PTO days and I HATE taking time off work, lol. Perhaps you could do this with just family?

    As for not missing the nighttime reception scene, we had an 11am wedding with a lunch reception and it was perfect. People could get a drink (that we paid for) but few people did, as it was noon! The wedding was over with by 2:30 or so.

    But a brunch/lunch wedding is a great idea!

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