New Year's Eve wedding '18 thoughts?

Completely agree with Elizabeth. All the NYE weddings I've ever heard about have been black tie. You won't be able to get away with just beer and wine and everyone gets a plus one. If you're worrying about how to keep costs down then I'd pick another day.

We’d probably go to a NYE wedding, but it better be a damn good one. If guests are OOT, they’re likely spending a fortune on a hotel. If they’re local and need to get an uber home- good luck.

We passed on this option since it was very expensive. Most venues in our area also make you end by 10 or 11, even on New Years. If all of that was different we would have done New Years.

I love it!

Thanks for all your responses! They have been helpful and we know not everyone can make it bc some choose to spend it with family etc. Honestly, that can happen with any date that's not a holiday.

So to clarify so of what was replied:

Yes, it would be full open bar( we drink so

yes it would be formal, late night snack/ food truck actually , and most hotels I have looked into already gave me a great rate for hotel blocks! The majority of our friends don't have kids and live locally. The only folks that would need babysitters, we would include in our wedding so they'd be here.

We either plan to end after midnight 12:30ish 1 or do an afternoon/daytime wedding to end 9or 10 so folks can still get home or stay put and go out to party with us!

The weather won't be an issue since at worst the low at night would be in the 50s.. with a year out I'm hoping friends will have plenty time to budget for travel!

I would have it at least go until 1. People can leave early if they want.

If done correctly, I would definitely attend a NYE wedding.

OP, I read your update, and honestly, I would decline an afternoon/early evening NYE wedding. That would mean I spent the morning/day getting ready, attend yoyr wedding, then return home and get ready to go out again. If you want to do a NYE wedding, you need to go full black tie. Think complementary valet parking for your guests, white glove service (so passed hors d'oeuvres, passed champagne, multi-course meal, etc.), premium open bar, and a party that lasts until 2 am. I would love attending that, but I doubt you'd be able to do that for $175/person.

I am currently planning my NYE wedding, and I agree with most things other people have said.

We have only seen one price increase for our date, and it was from $800 to $900 to rent our ceremony space. It is a 1920's theatre and it was everything we've wanted so we did not mind that. Otherwise, we did not have any price increases.

We have been planning for 19 months, so as soon as we picked our venues, I blocked hotel rooms knowing they can get outrageous and all of our families are OOT. We ended up getting a room block for $154 city view, $174 lake view. Now, I did spend A LOT of time negotiating and going and meeting with many hotels. This one is the best in the area, closest to our venue (less than one mile), and gave us the best prices.

As for OOT and standing plans, that was something we knew we'd be okay with if our invitation got declined. And that was okay with us. We choose our date and weighed all the pros and cons and checked with our VIP's before booking.

Our ceremony is later, 6:30 and our reception is going until 1am and it will be a full open bar, food stations: pasta station, smoked salmon, mashed potato bar, taco station, carving station with two meats, anti pasta board with different salads and pickled items, passed apps including: mini tartlets, crab and lobster stuffed mushrooms, shrimp shooters, and some cold/hot dips, cheese and fruit display. There is some other items I know I am forgetting but you get the point.

For our NYE wedding, we decided on the most important items were a full open bar, lots of food and every guest being a guest, not having to do any work and the music. We went small with our wedding party, only a BM & MOH and no FG or RB.

I took a lot of advice from a good friend of mine who had been to a NYE wedding last year and what she liked/didn't about it and how we could make sure that all guests enjoyed themselves.

I think the hardest part for my FH & I was drawing the line between wedding and NYE party. Obviously we NEEDED the countdown, and some NYE party favors like glow sticks, hats, noise makers but there were other items that we just aren't focusing on.

If done well, I truly believe a NYE wedding can be amazing. Of course, mine hasn't happened yet so we shall see but I am excited for the event and my 19 months of planning/saving to have the big banger we wanted to finally be here!

"The weather won't be an issue since at worst the low at night would be in the 50s.."

Wait, are you planning to have an outdoor wedding? Because if so, my advice just changed from how to do it to don't do it.

We aren't getting married on NYE but it is our dating anniversary. FH is a New Years baby.

I’d totally go if I were invited and wanted one myself. I live in a snow state and didn’t want to risk it so I went a different route. If you can afford to host properly on NYE (top shelf, black tie ) type of situation I would say yes!!!

My parents got married on NYE 10 years ago so they'd never have to babysit any future grandchildren (6 and counting now) hahahaha it was a great day

We are planning a NYE wedding for 2018!! My biggest piece of advice for that date is to book and plan early. Going in, we thought it wouldn't be a super popular date for many of our desired wedding venues....we were wrong. NYE weddings are becoming increasingly popular. Also, many places (hotels, catering halls ect..) already have their own events taking place and may have space booked for other private events.

We live in NYC so making plans for NYE is always a nightmare. The majority of our friends and family love the idea and are looking for to it!

My daughter was actually going to get married on 12-31-17 however she changed the date. IF this is what you want you need to realize that you may not get your first, second or third choice for your vendor. Prices will be higher as it is a holiday even if it is not listed on a website as such. You need to start getting things ready now if you want to get married next year. Most venues tend to book up quickly for that date and hotel room blocks are horrible to find. Good luck!

I am having a NYE wedding party in like one month (yikes!)! I definitely think it's a know-your-crowd situation. I checked in with VIPs - both family and friends - before date selection and read the room. We got very few declines even with most people traveling. The minute we set our date we booked three great hotel blocks. Our area is not a NYE destination necessarily so we got minimal upcharges, and of course were careful to book everything early. For me personally, I love the idea of NYE weddings. I think if you are dealing with a lot of families with kids it is a challenge (we had very very few children on our list either invited or left out). If your crowd is up for it - go for it!

I want to go!!

We are doing NYE 2018 wedding! I feel it will be the best decision ... just trying to plan timeline

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Congrats! what was your timeline like?

View Quoted Comment Hi!
I was wondering, did you book a band or a dj? We are still trying to determine whether we will plan a NYE wedding (2019) and I’m getting mixed reviews on whether people prefer a band or dj for NYE. I’m torn, also. Appreciate your input; thanks!