Pros/cons: Friday evening or Sunday evening wedding?

I chose a Sunday evening wedding, around 4:30-10pm! A huge part on our end was definitely the cost and guest minimum. However, we have a lot of local guests who would be commuting after work on Friday, so Sunday gives them the whole day to enjoy and get ready. We're also not big drinkers and aren't too concerned with people being able to get drunk and wild at the wedding, so that wasn't a deal breaker for us in terms of the party going late into the night. We like the idea of a fun dance party but not too crazy because people have work in the morning or travel plans, etc. The only thing is that we'll probably announce the time of our grand exit so people know what they're staying for.

As a guest, I would much rather go to a Friday evening wedding. Depending on the time and location, I could either take a half-day on Friday, all of Friday off, or even get ready after work. It's just easier for me to attend a Friday wedding and not have to worry about getting ready for work the next day. It's nice knowing that I would have Saturday and Sunday to recuperate and prepare for Monday! That allows me to relax more at the wedding and have more fun!

Sunday weddings are find if you're wanting a more laid back and brunch type of vibe, but from a guests point of view, I'd be more likely to decline a Sunday wedding invite than a Friday one.

Is the friday evening one any cheaper? if it is then i'd go with that haha. sunday is fine too though but i would prefer friday over sunday

I personally would choose Friday so people could really party without having to take off.

I think if I had the choice, I would go with Friday - especially if you have people coming from out of town. It allows them time to get home/get a hotel and have the next day to recuperate lol Price-wise, I think Sundays are less expensive though, so if the price is right, I would go with Sunday.

We ended up choosing a Sunday evening in October 2021.

*Sunday night was the best financial option for us*

We would like an entire wedding weekend - Friday being our Welcome Event; Saturday is my bridal shower and our bachelor/bachelorette parties and rehearsal dinner, and Sunday being the wedding, ending at 10:30pm.

It all depends on the couple, vibe you would like, and guests. Most of our guests are younger and local, they said they have no issues with taking that Monday off. Its also adults-only, non-traditional, and we're drinkers so we were going to party regardless of what day of the week it fell on. We're giving 6 months notice for the people with children and just hoping for the best. I don't mind if people don't want to come on a Sunday and I don't mind if they end up leaving early either. I know my bridal party and close family will be there the entire time so I'm not worried about it too much.

It just all depends.

We're having a Sunday evening wedding and so far, no one has objected to it especially since it's not in the morning. We figured no matter what, someone will have to call off work whether it's a Thursday or Saturday for a Friday wedding or a Monday for a Sunday evening wedding and went with what was a cheaper option for us (Sunday was over $2k cheaper than a Friday/Saturday). Do what works for you, don't always try to work around others' schedules because someone will always have something to do and you can't please everyone.

Neither is ideal if you have guests needing to travel, but I would probably prefer starting my weekend with a wedding and taking Friday off work rather than ending with one and feeling exhausted at the start of my work week.

I would think about your guests (where they are coming from, what their work schedules are like, kids or no kids) as well as the vibe you want (dancing and partying, or more relaxed).

For example, if a lot of your guests are teachers, I imagine a local, Friday evening event would fit much better with their schedules. But if many of your guests are in the restaurant industry, Sunday may be preferred if a lot of them don't work the next day. if there are a lot of young kids invited, a midday/earlier event on a Sunday might be preferable to an evening event on a Friday. Or perhaps if you have a lot of church-going friends but are having a non-religious ceremony you might want to avoid Sundays.

In general I feel like if you are into drinking, dancing, and partying Friday evening is a better fit. We went to a brunch wedding (I think it was a Saturday) and it had more of a relaxed feel to it. There wasn't much dancing, and guests maybe had a mimosa or two and mostly just chatted. It was still an enjoyable wedding, just people weren't in the mood to fill up on booze and get sweaty on the dance floor in the middle of the day.

A Friday wedding is a better option so that people have the next day off to rest but if you’re going to have a wedding on a Friday it needs to be later so that people can get off work at their normal time and still be able to attend

I think it depends on your crowd. If you have guests than Friday shouldn't be a problem just give everyone notice so they can take time off work. if you do it on a sunday most people will leave early because they have work the next day and it wont be a party atmosphere

We decided to go with a Friday wedding (ceremony time 4 p.m. ) for several reasons -- pricing being a big one, and after getting feedback from family/friends, most preferred to kick off the weekend that way and have time to "recover". We had many more vendors who were also available on our Friday date. It's also helpful since my father is a minister and will likely be preaching the Sunday following.


We're thrilled to be doing a Friday instead of Saturday because we can still have a full weekend and spend time with loved ones in a more relaxing way.
I would say consider all your options, make a pros and cons list and go with whatever works best for you!

I chose Sunday simply to save money. The venues around here are all cheaper on Sundays, Fridays and Saturdays can get pricey. If price were no object, I would have probably chosen Saturday.

If I had to choose I would do 7 or 8 on a Friday.