Is a nye wedding ideal?

I think the most important factor to consider is that having a holiday wedding means that you should host your guests well. Good food, open bar, good music, etc. It also means that you may have more declines than usual.
People have winter weddings all the time and still get good photos, but you should choose a venue with decor and lighting that allows for inside photos.

Venue costs vary depending on where you live. If you are getting married during your venue's "in season", you will likely pay more. My FH and I are getting married during our venue's "off season" so our price was a little lower than they normally charge. I love the idea of a New Years Eve wedding! But one thing to keep in mind is what Caytlyn said; you may see more declines from your guests because of the holiday.

Personally, I see no issue with a winter wedding. My FH and I's wedding is still considered a winter wedding and we are providing blankets for our guests for the ceremony (which is outside) and then we are having our reception inside. My bridesmaids have shawls they can wear with their dresses if they choose to do so.

I do think you will still be able to get good photos. One thing you could ask your photographer is for suggestions of photos you can take at your venue once you pin down your venue. We actually had a walk-through with our photographer at our venue so she could walk around and get ideas of where the best photos will be taken at our wedding.

Sharon, I think a winter wedding is great, that's what I'm doing, and venue prices are generally cheaper, I'm even going from the church to the reception in an open air horse drawn carriage, so I'm taking a chance on weather, being in Boston and I'm wearing a strapless and sleeveless dress!!!

I am a NYE baby and I can tell you prices tend to go up on that day. Also, that is a big day for many people to be with their families. Recently a bride vented that many of her guests did not come to her wedding because it was on NYE. Not sure if you want to consider an earlier wedding but keep the after party going for a few people?

Here’s my thoughts on holiday weddings:
- everything is going to be more expensive. EVERYTHING. Hotels, venues, flights, etc. Not only will it cost you more, it will cost your guests more
- chances are you will have a lower RSVP rate because it’s so close to Christmas - some people are still celebrating Christmas’ so guests may have to cancel plans/traditions - it won’t ever be just your wedding or just your anniversary. It will always be your wedding and nye

Definitely a "know your crowd" issue, but for me, it would be the exact opposite of "ideal." You need to figure out if it's a good match for your most important guests. Also, I agree with others, that you will likely pay a premium for almost everything. Some vendors, like DJs, venues, photographers, etc., will likely have many other opportunities to book NYE, so their prices/minimums may be higher than for a different date, and some vendors, like a florist or small wedding cake baker, might prefer to spend the holiday with their family/friends and not work that day, so you may have fewer options to choose from and/or they may charge more.

I don't have a problem with a winter wedding (daughter was married in mid-January in So Cal and it was perfect in every way), but I know Seattle weather can be extremely unpredictable and my understanding is that it is not a city that does well with snow. (My best friend's extended family lives in Seattle, and they have had major weather-related problems with flights, driving, etc., during Christmas visits.) Are you and most of your guests located in Seattle & used to the weather, etc.? If a lot of people have to travel extensively, I think it's a lot to ask during the holidays when many people will already have plans. I have a good friend whose daughter was married Dec. 27; it was lovely, but she still feels really bad about the cost and hassle related to travel that so many of their guests had to bear. In hindsight, she really wishes they'd made other choices. Good luck!

EDT -- also, I agree that if you go ahead with the NYE wedding, as a guest, I would expect a very high level of hosting -- high-end venue, great food, free-flowing alcohol, great music, etc. If that's in keeping with your vision and budget, then cool.

My DJ mentioned it's a bad idea. I think it's a lose lose on NYE. Some of the guests will be ticked if the wedding goes till midnight, some of the guests will be ticked if it doesn't go till midnight.

A lot of people have plans for New Year’s Eve so you may get some backlash on that. An important thing (for any wedding but especially a NYE wedding) is to make sure you invite everyone’s SOs. I just put extra emphasis on that because my friend was invited to his cousin’s NYE wedding and wasn’t allowed to bring his girlfriend who he had been with for a year and a half, and he was super bummed not only to not get to bring her to the wedding but also to not be able to spend NYE with her... like he had to choose between the family wedding and spending the holiday with his girlfriend which is just not a fair situation for him to have to be in. Just putting extra emphasis on that! :p

I'm of the mindset that a NYE wedding only *really" works if it's either a huge, blow-out party (read: quite expensive, but if you have the money, go for it) or suuuuper small and intimate with only immediately family and maybe a couple of friends and their partners. People are likely going to be a bit put-out--that's the biggest problem with anyone hosting a wedding on or right around a holiday.

Winter weddings are generally less expensive, but that doesn't apply to New Year's Eve. That's gonna cost a pretty penny. Additionally, I love Seattle, but you really would't be able to host any portion of the wedding outside--it's probably going to be incredibly cold. If you're looking to do an outside ceremony/reception, I'd highly recommend looking at the warmer months.

Hi Sharon, I am Local to wa and I can tell you my personal planning experience for my wedding in sumner wa. Be prepared to book everything way early. Especially if you are going to book in Seattle. You will be competing with Christmas parties for vendors. If you choose New Year’s Eve that may be even harder vendor wise. From my experience looking around at prices in all areas around wa the venues varied. Some were way more expensive for the holidays and some were cheaper because it was the off season time for them. There are some beautiful venues in Seattle!! Have you considered Bellevue as well? There are also some pretty ones there.
Dj prices definitely were increased. We planned out our wedding for early December to ensure that it would fall before people’s Christmas plans (we hoped) it worked out well logistically because many people told me our second date (the week after the 7th) would not have worked for them. We told people of our date about a year early to ensure guests did not make early plans. I was told by many they make their December plans wayyy early. Here are some photos we took at our venue but bear in mind we did have to take all photos inside. It was super cold outside. I would recommend finding a venue that has good photo locations due to cold weather. I would Have felt bad personally requiring everyone to go outside to take photos in the cold. However it is my option for that lol

I think venue cost would depend on the venue, so I'd contact them to see. Some venues in Colorado aren't open in winter, and only do spring, summer, and fall weddings. All the ones we looked at charged more during wedding season (June-September) vs. other months. I think inevitably you'll have people who can't make it because people have to travel a lot during the holidays already & can't afford both. Plus NYE is on a Thursday next year so people who work retail jobs may not get it off. If you do decide to do it then, I'd send out save the dates ASAP to give people plenty of heads up.