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Jessica
Devoted May 2018

Wedding Date on a Holiday?

Jessica, on April 18, 2017 at 12:17 AM Posted in Planning 0 38

Hi guys! I have a little conundrum. My venue has both the weekend before Memorial Day and the weekend of Memorial Day open to have our wedding. What are the pros and cons of having your wedding on a holiday weekend like that? I was going to steer away, but someone mentioned that it would be easier for out of town guests to travel to/from on the 3 day weekend. And most of my guests are out of town. What would you do?

38 Comments

Latest activity by Mindy Leigh, on April 20, 2017 at 1:02 PM
  • Tricia
    VIP October 2017
    Tricia ·
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    Hotels are more expensive Holiday weekends, so is airfare. That might make it more difficult for some to attend. Also, some hotels might require a longer stay, more traffic, harder to get vendors. Take that into consideration. A co worker got married last memorial day weekend, the whole office complained. And I read an article it is considered one of the rudeest dates. Personally, I don't get why. But this is what I've heard.

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  • Rachel DellaPorte
    Rachel DellaPorte ·
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    Higher vendor prices. We like our holidays as much as any working individual, and if we're going to be working on a holiday weekend, it may cost you a little bit more.

    In your case, I'd go with the weekend before Memorial Day. Everyone I know has a Memorial Day family event they annually attend. It's the unofficial start of summer, after all.

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  • A. L.
    Master July 2017
    A. L. ·
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    Talk to your VIP guests and ask. We have standing plans for Memorial Day weekend and wouldn't travel to a wedding.

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  • Julia
    Just Said Yes May 2018
    Julia ·
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    We are getting married on the Saturday before Memorial Day of next year. We chose that day because several members of my fiance's family live in Colorado and own property in the Ozarks. We are hoping it will be easier for them to combine a trip to Kansas City for our wedding with their annual Memorial Day weekend at the lake.

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  • Kelly
    Super September 2017
    Kelly ·
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    If I was an OOT guest I would prefer it to be on the Memorial day. My friends had theirs on Sunday of Labor day weekend. It was nice to have the long weekend and be able to travel home on Monday. Although, I agree with Rachel that everything will be more expensive that weekend.

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  • GymRat
    Master May 2017
    GymRat ·
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    My wedding is the Thursday before MDW, and so far I have 121 attending. We invited approximately 40 OOT guests, and so far 22 of them are attending. Overall we are still waiting for 51 responses - our due date is 5/1.

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  • FME
    Master March 2018
    FME ·
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    I think you may have some declines but don't think it's a terrible idea to have it the Saturday/sunday before memorial day. I would go if I knew far enough in advance. I would recommend sending STD in this case.

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  • Jackie
    Expert May 2017
    Jackie ·
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    My wedding is the Sunday of memorial day weekend this year. I had STDs out in November so my VIPs knew the date. So far I have only had 4 declined but they weren't because of the weekend. 50 yes's so far out of 120. Still have 2 more weeks until the RSVP due date

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  • RaeGin
    Master September 2017
    RaeGin ·
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    As a guest, I'm not a fan of holiday weekend weddings. I think it's mostly because I work so much, and then finally get a 3 day weekend and it's then filled up. I can completely understand the thought process behind them, but I'm just personally not a fan. FH's cousin got married 4th of July weekend last year and it was a 5 hour drive down there, so the whole weekend was spoken for.

    ETA: It wouldn't stop me from attending the wedding.

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  • Celia Milton
    Celia Milton ·
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    I don't think it really matters (and we don't personally charge more). We work every holiday weekend, and Memorial day isn't really a giant deal (even with our proximity to the NJ shore) because the kids are still in school, it's not really warm enough to go in the ocean, and there ARE usually minimums on hotels. That might be something to consider.

    We have 16 weddings this year, starting on Wednesday and ending on Monday morning. Last year's Labor Day weekend was about the same. The really hairy weekend is July 4th, partly because school is out, it's warm, and because it falls on, well, some random day, people decide on different stretches of time to celebrate.

    And my personal feeling about people who would skip your wedding because they have a bbq they go to every year?

    Don't invite them.

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  • SarahE.
    Expert October 2017
    SarahE. ·
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    I would talk to vendors first because I know here in Virginia Beach they tend to increase the prices to hire because it is a holiday. However, if they do not where you are or you can afford it then pick the day you both want. It might be easier for people to travel but it is still your day!

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  • Janae
    Expert May 2018
    Janae ·
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    My wedding will be the Sunday before Memorial Day. A lot of people take trips during that time So It works for us. We're sending out STDs the beginning of June so our families can be prepared

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  • RZ_ToBe
    Master July 2018
    RZ_ToBe ·
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    Expenses go up during that time, so guests may be paying more to come see you. I knew a bride that married on a holiday weekend and not too many guests showed up due to previous plans. So, I'd suggest you tell people by word of mouth this is what you're planning so people can plan accordingly. But don't expect too many people even if you give heads up, that way you may get pleasantly surprised!

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  • FutureMrs2017
    Super May 2017
    FutureMrs2017 ·
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    I'm getting married on memorial day weekend, and most of my guests are from OOT. It really made a world of difference in whether or not they could attend.

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  • Elizabeth
    Master December 2016
    Elizabeth ·
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    Here's the thing: people have plans with their own family that they look forward to all year. My best friend has her annual family reunion on Memorial Day weekend on Martha's Vineyard. She wouldn't skip seeing her grandparents and her nieces to come to a wedding because her grandmother might not be around for the next reunion. My other friend takes an annual family trip to Ocean City, MD that he saves up for most of the year. He'd likely come to a wedding on Memorial Day for someone he was super close to, but knowing how much he looks forward to the Ocean City trip, I'd feel bad even asking.

    I'm telling you this because you need to evaluate your circle. Is Memorial Day a big deal? In my immediate family, it wasn't. I grew up in Florida and we had three beaches 15 minutes away year-round, so MDW was the last weekend we'd go there since all the tourists were out and about. I would gladly attend a Memorial Day wedding.

    But in your family and in the families of your close friends, it might mean all the things I mentioned above -- get-togethers, reunions, beach weekends. Only you know. Like we tell all brides, talk to your VIPs. Ask them what they think. Get a sense of whether or not they'd be excited about a wedding on that weekend and then weigh the pros and cons.

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  • annakay511
    Master July 2015
    annakay511 ·
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    I have no issues with a MDW wedding!

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  • Emily
    Master May 2014
    Emily ·
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    My friend just had her wedding this past Sunday - Easter Sunday. It really didn't detract many people. They had an 85% acceptance rate. Yes, people have standing family plans on holidays, but in her case, most guests didn't mind changing them for ONE year to celebrate with the couple.

    Also, her vendor prices were not higher. In fact, she decided on Easter Sunday because her venue was providing a huge discount on that date. Significant enough that it made a holiday wedding worth it to her. The venue was clearly trying desperately to sell the date.

    I personally would not mind a holiday weekend for a wedding. I would attend. I would first check with all your VIPs though.

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  • A.Magill.Since.May
    Master May 2018
    A.Magill.Since.May ·
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    I live in Florida, so I decided to go with the week before Memorial Day. I don't want my guests dealing with the hiked up airfare, maybe hotels, and traffic. It's also too close to my Father's birthday, which factored in.

    If you want to do a Sunday wedding, I think you should go for the holiday weekend, so they don't have to take any extra time off work. If you're doing Friday or Saturday I don't think it matters much.

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  • Nishika
    Devoted May 2017
    Nishika ·
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    We are getting married the Sunday before Memorial Day. OOT guests like that they can arrive in Saturday vs Friday and avoid the holiday travel.

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  • Diana
    Dedicated May 2017
    Diana ·
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    As an oot, I'd prefer non-holiday. Travel is more expensive, if it's a popular location hotels and traffic can be bad, families may already have plans.

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