Thinking of a New Year's Eve wedding...?

Here is a past post I made on this question:

My best friend had her wedding this past NYE.

Pros: your closest friends and family will all be together for the new year, if you use Christmas decor you can get clearance stuff, you kill 2 party birds with one stone

Cons: if it's OOT there will be a lot of people who can't make it (flight expense goes up, hotels charge more, etc); people who aren't as close to you may leave for their own plans to ring in the new year (after dinner, half of the guests cleared out to get to other parties), taxis were damn near impossible once the wedding was over

We had a blast and the bride & groom had a blast, but it ultimately depends on your situation.

Depending on where you live, it's probably early enough that you would find vendors. You might have to pay extra fees for staying after midnight. You know your crowd best, so if you think it would work then go for it!

My Villa would be a great place to host 1200 sq ft

My best friend had a NYE wedding 2 years ago. We had an absolute blast!!! What made it work is that the bride and groom ran in the same circle of friends since high school (they were 28 when they wed) so we were with the people we would want to be with on NYE anyway. And because it was at a hotel, everyone just stayed overnight. It was honestly the best wedding I ever went to.

I think it depends on the crowd, honestly, as KH pointed out. It's a tough call. People have their own plans, and it puts them in the position of having to make an awkward choice no matter how much they love you. I also would not want to be in the position of supplying alcohol to a crowd if they were going to be driving on that night.

I always have a lot of weddings in January, and we still talk about the New Year.

I would find it very rude for someone to have a NYE wedding, because as Celia mentioned lots of people like to do their own things for NYE. I personally always like to leave it open in case my college is playing a bowl game around that time as it's a nice little trip with my remaining vacation days.

As far as vendors charging you more, I can promise you if I were a vendor there would definitely be a surcharge for giving up that possible trip or any other plans I would have had.

The NYE weddings I have officiated have typically been small casual affairs earlier in the evening.

My wedding is next New Years! I'm having it at a hotel and they are NOT charging me extra even though it is a holiday! So that is a plus. As soon as i started telling people my date, they got soooo excited and said they can't wait. Even the ones that are out of town.

I think if you are gonna go for it, make sure it is at a hotel so no one has to try and find a place to stay! Everyone can drink and be happy in the hotel !

** I was also told by people who had gone to other new years weddings to try and send the save the dates 1 year in advance so then they know that the next year they have plans!

& i don't think its rude to have a new years wedding at all! You're inviting them, not forcing them to come so it is their choice.

My FMIL is having a NYE wedding and I think it’s a wonderful idea. The people you truly want to be there will show up because they Love you and want to celebrate not only your wedding but also the coming of a new year with you. My personal opinion: Anyone who has a problem with attending your wedding on NYE is most likely someone who you would not want at your wedding anyway… Weed out the negative. And since you are planning for the coming of 2013, I think you have more than enough time to get the word out so your guests can plan accordingly!

I agree...have it at a hotel so people aren't driving. (my friend had hers outside of Seattle and we all had to get back to town)

Also, since you're more than 2 years away, you have enough time to send STDs and let people know of your date. Some people plan their NYE far in advance!

I don't find it rude at all. It's a once in a life time affair (hopefully at least) and if people can't rearrange their NYE plans for one year then they really shouldn't be invited to your wedding anyway. But I do agree with having it at a hotel or make sure you provide some sort of transportation for the guests to get back to their hotels.

We were originally planning on NYE this year, however the prices were a lot higher because the staff all needed to be paid for working on a holiday. Also many photographers and DJs I spoke with charge extra for the holiday (maybe especially this year because it is also a Saturday). Anyway, for those reasons and because our church wasn't available on NYE, we ended up with 12/30... and we're REALLY excited about it! Most of our close friends and family members are planning on staying in town for NYE as well so we're basically having a two night party!

Fun fun

Crystal makes a very good point (I used to be a caterer too....) Staffing will be at least three times what it will be on another night. Not that this should be the sole deciding factor.

I had to go to a NYE wedding and I hated it. It was a family friend whose wedding I had to go to. I really resented the fact that I had to go back to CT from NYC just for the wedding. I didn't have any friends at the wedding and ended up spending most of the night with my younger sister. I know the bride and groom had a wonderful time and I'm sure their close friends and family did as well, but my feeling is that unless you're just going to invite the people you would normally spend NYE with, you're going to have a bunch of folks there who are there because they have to be.

I had to go to a NYE wedding and I hated it. It was a family friend whose wedding I had to go to. I really resented the fact that I had to go back to CT from NYC just for the wedding. I didn't have any friends at the wedding and ended up spending most of the night with my younger sister. I know the bride and groom had a wonderful time and I'm sure their close friends and family did as well, but my feeling is that unless you're just going to invite the people you would normally spend NYE with, you're going to have a bunch of folks there who are there because they have to be.

Couple things -- I was encouraged not to have a "Holiday" wedding early on. My sister was supposed to get married on New Years Eve and her engagement broke up. What a way to ruin the next couple of NYEs for her!

It was also brought to my attention that if something tragic ever happens to one of the spouses, it's hard to celebrate said Holiday when the other is not there. Worst case scenario, of course.

I never thought of being a forced relative at it, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed that as a young cousin. Do you have a lot of young cousin's that will be "forced" to come?

I agree with the travel thing too. If a lot of people have to drive or fly, and you can't predict the crazy winter snow storm season, you might lose a lot of your guest list, at the last minute too.

One thing to remember, if you choose to have your NYE wedding at a hotel. Many hotels throw big NYE parties in their ballrooms. So, do you really want to compete with that? And the potential party crashers who will come in to your reception room?

I would avoid NYE, or any other holiday. That is my personal opinion. As an invited guest, I would decline, as I already have plans.

Considering you will want to go past midnight, you will likely end up paying extra for time for a lot of vendors (i find most plan on 4ish hrs for a reception), unless you started later.

Another additional cost would be an increase in alcohol. I can guarantee that people will drink more at a wedding on NYE than they would ordinarily

My experience has been some vendors will charge more for NYE. Florists, caterers and venues will expect extra funds to work on a holiday weekend. The upside is most holiday decor is still available in churches, hotels, restaurants, etc. So, that may cut your floral budget considerably. However, some vendors (such as my photography friends) will charge a regular weekend rate for their services IF they book an event or are actively working during the season. I worked part time in catering and know some vendors/venues won't accept or employ anyone to accept holiday engagements (weddings, Christmas parties, birthdays, etc). Other event facilities DO charge more for weekends especially if a major holiday falls on them. My suggestion is to send out your Save-the-Dates early as in 9-12 months BEFORE the wedding. Early booking is also a MUST for your vendors and venues. I personally love the idea of a NYE wedding, but also realize guests need advance notice.