Friday weddings & start time!!?

Having a Friday evening ceremony. Start time 5:30, invites will say 5. There will be refreshments.

ETA: I expect those who work regular 9-5 jobs to take off work or maybe only work a half day.

@Stephanie that was exactly my thinking so we are having candles and lighting. so excited!

I see. Thank you!

Gotta be honest, it would be really hard for me to attend a wedding at 5pm in a Friday- that's when most people get off work. I would be unlikly to attend if it was an intown wedding in a Friday earlier than 6pm at the latest. I would personally have it later and put up some candles or twinkle lights!!

We are doing a Friday wedding and starting the ceremony at 5:30. Roughly half of our guests work in the restaurant industry (as we both used to) so those guests will be requesting an evening off regardless of Friday or Saturday and the start time. Additionally, our venue is about an hour away for half of our guests so they will be leaving work early as it is. This is really a know your guests situation! Like I said for mine it really isn't a big deal because many guests will be off for the evening anyways.

We wanted to do a later ceremony but we are also having it outdoors and the lighting is not good at our venue so it is not conducive to a nighttime ceremony. We are counting on a few not being able to make it due to the time of course, but that is ok.

I have a number of venues that seriously sell Fridays. And Thursdays too.

My experience?

Most of the actual guest counts are about the same as the estimates people tell me when we first talk.

There is not an issue with lateness because the venues in question don't wait; we invite for a half hour ahead, do light cocktails and start at the time we expect; for you? invite at 4:30 and start at 5:00.

Here's the thing. Invites at 5:00, 6:00, even 7:00; no one is going to want to come right from work IF they work 9-5, M-F, which not everyone does. They'll want to change, relax a bit, OR come to their hotel, check in a chill.

It doesn't really make any difference in my experience.

We're having a Friday wedding as well!

We are planning our ceremony to start at 6 and we plan on starting then. The wedding will be about 30 minutes out of downtown Austin and there's always traffic, so 6 seemed to be the best time for us.

@Cass great idea! Im just wondering if moving it from 5 to 6 is any different. 5-6 is rush hour and the traffic is horrible. 4-5 isn't too bad. plus, it still only gives guests like an hour to get ready & get there if they get off at 5.. hm.

I would put the actual start time. Most people will show up a little earlier and you don't want people finding out it's actually later and getting mad.

Most of the weddings I've been to have been Friday weddings. I will be having one as well. FH and I always took off of work. But I do know a lot of people would just miss the ceremony and only go to the reception. So there's a chance people won't go. I would say this crowd tends to be more friends. Family will normally be there for a ceremony.

Wait. OUTSIDE?

I really enjoy Friday weddings! I usually take a half day if it's local so I have time to get ready. If I am important enough to be invited to your wedding, I'll do my best to make it there, looking good and with a gift, lol. I think the start time depends on your audience. I know my family and friends so I went with Celia's 30 minute guide.

If your ceremony begins at 5 PM, put 5 PM.

And having gone to a bunch of December weddings in central Texas where I've lived for my entire life, inside really is the best option. It always has the potential to be miserable.

Our big day is on a Friday (3 weeks away!!)...we decided to have an evening reception and it will start at 8 pm. I'm in Atlanta and traffic can be horrendous and I didn't want people to have to take off of work so that's how we came to that conclusion. We will have a small ceremony with our close family and friends at 7 pm but really just wanted people to have time to breath before they come celebrate with us.

If you're looking at 5 pm, there might be a few who are late but it's your day so just list the time you want.

We are having a Friday wedding. Our ceremony starts at 6:30.

Put the time that your ceremony starts as the start time.

@Celia yeah, scroll up. Thank you for your advice!!

I love Friday weddings. It gives me an excuse to leave work early, but it doesn't feel like it's taking up my whole weekend. There could be a chance you have a slightly higher number of declines, or maybe a few people that skip the ceremony, but I don't think it will be significant.

I would just put 5pm on the invites. If you put 4:30, I would be that person that gets there between 4 and 415, and then I'd have to wait around for an hour - which is super annoying especially if I'm taking time off from work. If you do put 4:30, at least provide refreshments or something for the people that get there early.

Mine is a Friday this year! 4pm start time, 10-15 minute delay for stragglers (the venue is not very easy to find) we are calling it a night at 10pm

We had a Friday wedding, our invite time was 3 p.m. and we got started late, so about 3:10 was the time our ceremony started. We had about 95% of our guests RSVP and attend; we had a few people who at the last minute had something come up and weren't able to come. We had a few people who didn't make the ceremony because of emergencies and made it in time for the reception, but everyone who made it for the ceremony was on time.

I would put 5 p.m. as your start time on the invitations.

@mrsmack thank you for your response!! that's great that 95% came!!

I went to a Friday wedding that started at 6 PM, I was late to the ceremony due to traffic. I wished she had her wedding start at 7pm instead.