Friday Weddings- Opinions?

I actually just went to a Friday wedding a couple of weeks ago. It was only about 30 minutes away, but it was also the Friday before Veteran's Day weekend, which I knew was going to cause traffic. The ceremony was also at 3:30 in the afternoon, which meant that I had to take a half day from work (I'm a teacher and we're technically not supposed to take a day off before/after a break or long weekend) in order to get ready and drive down there to arrive on time. As a guest, I didn't really mind the Friday part, but I would have preferred if the ceremony was later in the evening so I wouldn't have had to leave work so early.

We did! It was great and we don't regret it at all.

The pros: the costs were significantly less, we were able to get our #1 choice with all of our vendors, we had an extra day to spend with friends and family, we were able to party late into the night, and did I mention the COST difference?! ]

The cons: our ceremony was at 3:30 pm. So yes, our ceremony was significantly smaller than our reception - it was much more intimate. a larger number of our out-of-state guests couldn't make it (even though we suspect no matter what day it was, they wouldn't have come anyway), and our bridal party, officiant, parents, etc. had to take off a Thursday afternoon for the rehearsal.

But all together it was a great decision for us!

If it's in budget, I think Saturday is easiest for your guest and more traditional. Then Sunday. Then Friday. But that's just my personal opinion!

I say that b/c a Friday wedding means your guests have to take off Friday from work or rush around to get there. And if they're traveling, they'll likely have to fly in Thursday, which means two days off of work. Whereas a Sunday wedding means people are already off of work (in general), and if they travel from out of town they can come Saturday, and take off one day of work, instead of two.

I'm sure your guests will attend no matter what day you chose if they prioritize it!

We're having a Friday wedding. Just make sure you send out save the dates in advance if your guests are out of town and make sure the start time is appropriate. Our ceremony & reception are at the same location so guests don't have to worry about leaving. 97% of our guests are local and those out of town are already aware on okay with the date. We're having a 6:30pm start time so people have time if they do need to leave work. We thought about doing our rehearsal dinner the weekend before if people aren't free the Thursday before the wedding. We're excited about our Friday wedding and though some people have had bad experiences I think it's what you make it!

I am always bummed when we are invited to weekday weddings. But out of all the weekdays to have one, Friday is the best. It's really only inconvenient because we have to take off work, but 90% of the time we go. If it's out of town and we have to take off 2 days because of travel, we usually don't go. I agree, Fridays are better than Sundays.

If you are having a smaller wedding with 28 guests and they are all local I don’t see it as a big deal. I’d consider your ceremony and reception times, later start would better. You’ll know your guests best - if you think most people will be able to make it from work (assuming they work office type hours) I don’t think it’s an issue. If you think almost everyone will have to take time a day off I’d move it to Saturday and save everyone the trouble.

Hey, we’re getting married on a Sunday!! lol. Buuuut it’s at 10:30am. Friday evening trumps Sunday evening.

I had a Friday wedding last month. It was a cheaper option: the venue we chose lowers food prices for Friday weddings. We started our ceremony at 5p, to give people time to get there after work so they wouldn’t need to take a full day off. Obviously everyone is different, some people took off work, some left work early, some people weren’t affected at all because their schedules were open. We got no complaints about having a Friday wedding.
I’ve been to many Friday weddings in the past few years. Usually they’re ok if they start later in the day, because I can take a half day off work or a full day if I really want. The only Friday wedding I’ve ever had an issue with was my cousins, who got married at her church at 1p on a Friday so I had to take the whole day off work (it was also 4 hrs away from me, so we had to leave the night before and stay in a hotel 2 nights to make sure we weren’t rushed the morning of the wedding). But other than that, nothing wrong with a Friday wedding in my opinion!

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We decided to have it on a Friday so guests could have longer at the destination before they went back to work. Most of our guests came in on Thursday with about a quarter coming in Friday morning. I would say 90% of our guests stayed until Sunday.

Friday is definitely better than a Sunday. I personally hate non Saturday weddings since I work in a school and am unable to take vacation time easily. I think you should be considerate of your guests and try to book a later start time to limit having to take a full day off of work.

I'm having a Friday wedding. I see no issue with weddings being on a Friday, Saturday, or any other day of the week. I'll be frank, sure it might be a bit of an inconvenience to guests for them to take off work. But if a guest truly cares about you or are really close, theyll show up no matter what. Friday weddings are good since they're cheaper than Saturdays and most folks have Saturday off already to rest off their hangover.

Thank you all very much for your much needed feedback! Greatly appreciated!!!

Friday’s are DEFINITELY better than sundays. I don’t mind taking a day off for a good friend (if I had to travel). Friday night would also be a super fun night out with FH if it was a fun wedding and reception.

Friday weddings can definitely be great, but know that you will get more declines on days other than Saturday! Since you’re having a small wedding, that’s something to consider. Good luck!

View Quoted Comment Ditto! Same time..630pm to give ppl time to get there. I have been ti Friday weddings and its a blast. I actually hate doing too much of anything on Sundays anymore because the next day is Monday and I have to go to work and it pretty much into my weekend. Plus I need to leave early in order to get up and go to work. So I would choose Friday over Saturday or Sunday any day! You end up getting your Saturday and Sunday to yourself still and it's nice.

I was invited to a Friday wedding and it was hard to take off work. I was unable to attend.

We are having a Friday wedding, mainly because of what others have mentioned: cost. Saturday weddings at our venue are so expensive, Friday and Sunday were about the same. We picked Friday over Sunday because we wanted our guests to REALLY enjoy themselves. I feel like on a Sunday people would be thinking about work the next day, and wouldn’t really let loose and enjoy the bar. If Saturday is an option for you, I’d choose that. It’s probably the most convenient. But if not, Fridays are just fine. Our Save The Dates went out already (on the early side), and everyone has been totally cool with it being on a Friday.

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Hey Brittany!
I hear what you're saying. So true, I recognize that Saturdays usually are the most expensive day to get married on. That's so cool that you're getting married on a Friday. Budget is a HUGE thing for FH and I. We're really considering the Friday thing. Perhaps we'll have to give our invitations out earlier than expected, so that everyone who works can see if they can get the day off far in advance. Thank you!!!

We are having a Friday wedding as well. 70% of our guest will be traveling about 45 minutes to an hour and the others flying in. This is mainly family so I think they will do what they need to come. So far no one has an issue with it.

We’re having a Friday wedding as well, so I’m taking notes. The date I wanted just happened to fall on a Friday (one year after the day he proposed), so we just decided to keep it on that day. As everyone already said, cost is a big factor. My cousin had her wedding on a Friday and loved it! We’re working on choosing a venue, so I’m not sure about the start time. However, as someone mentioned, even if the guests can’t make the ceremony, they can come to the reception and have fun without worrying about work in the morning (typically). Happy planning!!