Wednesday Wedding??? or Wedding guest cancellations due to bad weather?

Tough question... If I had this type of dilemma I would weigh out what is MORE important to me:
The venue- no matter how perfect it may be
Verses
My guest list- who will be able to make it

I definitely wouldn't expect for 225+ people to attend a Wednesday wedding. It's correct that if it's truly important to them, your guests will find a way to make it, but for how many people is your wedding a "must?" Unless it was an immediate family member or one of my very best friends, I wouldn't attend a Wednesday wedding. I would go with the Saturday wedding in March. While it's possible that the weather COULD prevent some guests from attending, a Wednesday wedding WILL prevent many guests from attending.

I know you’re saying it’s your dream venue, but I think when things aren’t adding up- knowing it’s a good possibility you won’t make a minimum because of winter or because it’s a weekday etc- perhaps it’s time to look at other venue options. For us, we chose a Saturday morning because the minimum was lower (100, we invited 162) at a venue that wasn’t my *dream* but that enabled us to host all of our family and friends without sinking us financially and without having to worry about weather/day of the week/minimums.

Ask yourself this question....do I want to see more of the four beautiful walls of a venue watching me get married, or do I want the eyes of my friends and family watching me? Because for a Wednesday wedding, that's really what it boils down to.

In the end, your venue is just a place. It becomes 'perfect' because you make it perfect, adding your own personal touches.

I'd go with neither option. We passed on having a winter wedding due to weather concerns. (We're in new England) I think weekday weddings are fine as long as the couple lets go of the expectation that if people have enough notice they can attend. Sometimes people just can't make it work. I would checks with your true VIPs on the date but personally I'd look for another venue. That might be easy for me to say because I didn't have a dream venue. Any venue was going to be perfect as long as my friends and family were there and I was marrying my best friend.

I wouldn’t in a million years consider a Wednesday wedding. It’s really the most inconvenient day you could possibly choose. People would need to leave work early Wednesday to get there and then would have to worry about going to work early the next morning as well. Even if people have advanced notice, I just think it’s too much to ask of people, and you’ll get a lot of declines.

I would not count on meeting your minimum that day (are you sure the minimum even applies on weekdays? Seems strange.)

If you’re absolutely set on this venue, I’d do the Saturday and hope for the best with weather. Although your best option is really looking for another venue that has a date you love.

Prepare yourself for a lot of declines and even last-minute cancellations for several reasons… not only is the weather unpredictable in the winter, but weddings that take place during the week (esp. the middle of the week) typically tend to have less in attendance than a weekend wedding.

Personally, I would continue to save up for your dream venue and have your wedding on a weekend during a warmer season. Good luck!

The fact that I couldn’t afford this venue for 300 people on a weekend would lead me to believe that it is not the perfect venue or I need to cut my list down. The sentiment that people will find a way to make it if they really love you is rubbish. If you cared about them, you wouldn’t make it on a Wednesday.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a Saturday in March. If that makes you too nervous, then see if you can negotiate the minimum down or find another venue in a generally warmer month. Sundays and Friday nights are generally less exoensive than a Saturday.

I personally wouldn't attend a Wednesday wedding unless it was a close relative or literally best friend. A winter wedding wouldn't faze me, unless of course it physically kept me from being there.

I would be shocked if you hit that minimum with a Wednesday. I would consider another venue.

My FH and I are getting married on a Thursday. I firmly believe that those people closest to you will go no matter the day. I'm expecting the guests to decline our invitation to be more of obligation guests.
I'm also somebody who finds it completely ridiculous that venues and vendors charge so much more for a weekend wedding. You don't usually get anything extra for the additional cost they just charge you more because they can. And I don't think that's right. I made eventually it's not going to matter what day you get married on it slowly going to because of the cost.
at the end of the day it's your wedding. If you feel more comfortable doing it on a Wednesday when it's warmer, do it on a Wednesday when it's warmer.

I h ave to agree with all opinions here. Hitting 225 for a Wednesday wedding is very iffy. As far as the weather: my brother was married during an active nor ' easter in New Brunswick 20 years ago. Everyone made it. We New Jerseyeans are made of tough stuff.

I would consider continuing your venue search. If the venue you love is out of your price range for more desirable dates then there are plenty of other venues that you could try that would probably just as nice and would be better for you both date and weather-wise.

A Wednesday wedding would definitely cut your guest list pretty far down as it would be inconvenient for a lot of people to take the middle of the week off for work. I would also imagine that people would leave from this wedding earlier than a wedding that were on a Friday or Saturday when they wouldn't have work in the morning.

As for weather concerns, that can be a problem no matter what time of year you get married so that at least should worry you a little less than the Wednesday wedding idea.

Where in NJ are you looking?

I have a wednesday wedding but I only have 11 guests, all but one is immediate family. Having a middle of the week wedding is big on savings but the flip side is losing guests you may want there.

The minimum guest count is 225? That would scare me for a Wednesday wedding. Unless they were good friends or close family, I wouldn't go to a Wednesday wedding since I'd have to leave work early Wednesday then leave the wedding early to be up for work on Thursday.

Only thing I'm worried for you is the minimum guest count but I am having a Wednesday night wedding we're ending at 10 but we also dont have a large number. Our max is 160 but because a lot of my family is out of the state I only expect around 100-120. Its not an option for me to do it closer to them my FH is army and this date we chose is when he will most likely be home. It's been a little difficult my mom keeps insisting it's not a good day but I also know that those closest to me will be able to attend and that's all that really matters most to me. If you dont really believe you'll meet your guest count I wouldnt go for it. Sounds a little too risky

This is an unpopular idea, but I would suggest possibly searching for another venue that could accommodate your ideal date, or I know this is a bummer idea, but could you possibly push the wedding date back a year to get the date/season that you want if you really want to have the wedding at this dream venue? It's just an idea.

Midweek wedding are difficult because they aren't easy for everyone to make it to considering travel and work schedules. I could see Wednesday/Thursday possibly working well for a smaller intimate wedding with close family and friends who won't need to travel too far, but as for the numbers we have here it might be difficult to accommodate. I would just expect quite a few people that may not be able to make it, but since you are flying out to host the wedding closest to your family, I'm sure you'd get a lot of people that will try to make it no matter what.

In terms of the weather, any date could be unpredictable. Although rain on a wedding is apparently a good sign to a happy marriage.

Good luck!

Hey there! Just curious, what venue are you referring to? I'm from NJ, maybe I could give some alternate suggestions that are similar to the venue you like?

I would absolutely not do a Wednesday wedding in your situation. That is a ton of people to ask to take off work and go to a wedding in the middle of the week. You're going to waste a lot of money because the majority of people won't drink much and will leave early or arrive late. I love going to weddings and I will generally go out of my way to attend but you'd have to be immediate family or a best friend for me to attend a Wednesday wedding. Personally, I think it could even be considered rude to invite 300 people on a Wednesday.

I don't think a weekend in March is a bad idea unless you have a lot of people, or important people, traveling from the north (FH's family is in Minnesota and Wisconsin, so we avoided snowy season). Even if there's a storm, people can usually change their flight to make it or take a train instead. There's a chance there's a blizzard and a lot of people don't make it, but I'd say it's a small chance. I would just make sure there's language in your contract addressing bad weather (like if 50 people can't make it cause the airports are closed, you don't have to pay for them, or you can upgrade the bar/food/etc to make up the price difference).

If neither of these options work for you, I think you have to accept that this isn't actually your dream venue, and keep looking.

Wow! Thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts with me on my concerns. I honestly wasn't sure if I would even get 1 comment! I am taking everyones comments in consideration. I understand most people suggest I should pick a new date or a different venue due to declines or inclement weather which is the obvious and smart move to do. But I think thats why I feel so distraught, because I really love this venue and when I picture my close friends and I here, I feel extremely happy. It's also the first place both my fiance and I love and can afford. We've looked at venues for over a year in Hawaii, NY, CA, even Italy, then decided not to have a wedding due to costs.. Then decided we would have one again because I miss my close friends and family in NY. I'm really hoping my close friends and family would make it. I don't expect all of my guests to make it nor do I expect it. I'd actually kind of prefer if some guests I invite via obligation would decline. I'm completely okay with that. Just concerned about meeting that minimum. Again, Thanks everyone! This is an amazing community/response. I'd definitely will start another discussion if when I need it and I probably will!

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Welcome and glad you're taking everyone's advice in stride!

One more thing I wanted to add -- it seems you are looking at the NYC area, yeah? I'm sure you know commute times are awful here, which just makes Wednesday all the more difficult. Fridays have become increasingly popular for weddings and even that is a headache because it takes so long to commute out to the suburbs.