Holiday weddings?

As a guest I wouldn’t travel for a wedding the day before Thanksgiving unless you were my sibling or best friend. In addition to not always being able to take time off surrounding holidays, travel and lodging is so expensive right before and right after a holiday that I would be cutting into yearly vacation money to make that happen.

I agree with above, traveling around thanksgiving is SO expensive. Unless it was my sister getting married, I probably wouldn’t go. I don’t mind missing thanksgiving with my family, but I can’t afford to travel during that time of year.

I agree, I wouldn’t travel the day before thanksgiving. I tend to try and avoid holiday travel anyway. As well as hotels being more expensive and having to break our usual family traditions.

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Completely agree with this.

Thank you! I was also thinking about that especially for my aunts and uncles who have kids.

In terms of time off work it seems like a good idea, but I think the cons outweigh the pros for this, especially with so many guests who have to travel... traveling is so expensive during thanksgiving week, and often airlines won’t even let you redeem miles during holiday weeks. Plus I believe thanksgiving is also the most unreliable week for travel... flights are delayed and cancelled like crazy all the time. My FH’s family lives across the country and it’s tempting to visit during thanksgiving/Christmas because of the time off work, but the flights are just soo expensive and unreliable, we generally end up just taking the time off and visiting them in January/February once flights are cheaper and better lol.

I wouldn't attend a wedding the day before Thanksgiving. I may not be the norm but for our family Thanksgiving is the most important day of the year. There's no way I could be ready for Thanksgiving being busy the entire day before.

What about Black Friday instead? Many people are off, Thanksgiving festivities are over but people are likely still in town. Cheaper than a Saturday

Send out a google poll to your guests! Then you’d know for sure! I had same conflict but with a lesser holiday... father’s day. Chose a different weekend because of it. Just because it’s an informal holiday for my fiancé and my family doesn’t mean it’s not a huge deal for others

View Quoted Comment This is a good idea!! But maybe a later wedding so those who do have travel don’t necessarily have to leave thanksgiving night! Like maybe a 5/5:30 ceremony and a late ending time

I agree with PPs, I wouldn’t travel to a wedding Wednesday before thanksgiving because of cost primarily. Also, my FH works at a grocery store so he can’t ever get vacation time around the holidays. Otherwise, I don’t see a problem with a weekday wedding, of course our schedules aren’t the typical M-F so weekends aren’t any more or less convenient for us, and travel mid-week is cheaper if we had to fly.

Flights are crazy expensive and many people use Wed to prep for the big meal. Friday would be better than Wed, but still expensive.

What about having it on black friday? The day after Thanksgiving. More people would be inclined to take a Friday off especially when most already have that Thursday off and then the weekend follows. But they won't want to take off Tuesday to travel and Wednesday for the wedding, especially if they have to work that Friday

I think it depends on your priority - saving money or having most of the people you invite actually be able to come to your wedding. There’s no wrong answer, but realistically you’ll get way more declines asking people to travel that close to a family holiday. But, like with a DW, sometimes that’s the strategy 😂 If you’re being honest with yourself and realize that having a huge decline rate is going to bum you out before your big day, I’d pick another wedding date.

When selecting a date, you might also want to consider that this is a day you will celebrate each year for the rest of your life. Next year your anniversary will likely fall on Thanksgiving. Do you want to celebrate your wedding anniversary every year with your whole family? Or do you want to be able to go out with your FS to celebrate and not feel guilt about not being with family?

I went through this too, but I was considering a Christmas wedding. Initially I wanted to have it the 23rd or 24th, but the more I thought about it, the less I wanted to have it too close to the holiday. It's not fair to my guests who have other family and other traditions even though I'm only inviting really close friends and immediate family, I don't want to disrupt their lives. Instead, I'm doing December 10th, because it's exactly 2 weeks after Thanksgiving and exactly 2 weeks before Christmas Eve. It will still have the feeling I wanted being in the middle of the season without forcing people to reschedule plans, etc. You'll find that sweet spot... Maybe have it the Thursday before Thanksgiving?

Nope. I’m too busy prepping for Thanksgiving. Travel is costly & roads/airports are a disaster. A Sunday brunch weekend that weekend would be fine! Just no turkey. 🤪

If I were invited to your wedding.
I'd go on Wednesday. But only if you're getting married less than 30 minutes away... also, I dont cook.
That being said... I WOULD NOT attend a Black Friday wedding. No matter where it was. Too many years of retail. Plus I just spent an entire day with MY family, I'm not looking to spend a day with yours immediately following.
It's a day of relaxation. And in my childhood, the day we started prepping for Christmas.

If ~90% of the people you are inviting would be in that city for thanksgiving anyway, it could work. I'd talk to a couple of key players if they'd be down, and then realize some of your friends might not come because they need to be with their own families. Will their be flights and hotels? Because that will be much more expensive for guests that day.

If its a mostly family, mostly in town or people who were coming anyway wedding, you may be able to swing it

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Did you and your FS decide on a wedding date, Amanda? Will you be going with the day before Thanksgiving, or a different date?