Should You Consider a Weekday Wedding?

Thursday is the new Saturday.

True story: Your wedding doesn’t have to take place on a Friday or Saturday. Having a weekday wedding is a real option and a trend folks in the wedding industry are seeing more and more since 2020. 

When so many weddings were rescheduled due to the pandemic, it caused a wedding boom. For many couples, a weekday wedding was the only option if they didn’t want to push their date off years.

What we learned? Weekday weddings are so in.

Pros & Cons of a Weekday Wedding

Pros

Secure your dream vendors. The wedding boom is real, and many vendors are booked every weekend, at least a year in advance. If you have your heart on working with a specific wedding DJ, photographer or videographer, your chances of making that happen skyrocket by planning a weekday wedding.

You’ll save money. Saturdays are the most in-demand days for weddings, so it goes without saying that they are also the priciest. If you opt for a weekday wedding, it’s likely that will have a much lower price tag due to lower demand.

You can naturally cut down your guest list. If you have been wanting a smaller wedding, but feel like you need to invite a large guest list of people, then you’re in luck. Having a weekday wedding can naturally cut out those who you may not be closest with.

Your friends and family will still attend. There is no ‘rule’ that says love can only be celebrated on the weekends. We’re here to tell you (from experience) that is NOT the case. Your guests will attend your Thursday wedding for the same reason they would attend your Saturday wedding… because they LOVE YOU. That means they will want to celebrate your love story any day of the week. 

Cons

Not everyone will be able to come. It may be harder for guests to get out of work or school commitments to attend your weeknight wedding.

Our Tip: Run the idea of a weekday wedding by your VIPs and see if they would be able to attend before setting a date in stone.

Guests may still have a hard time focusing on the celebration. Some of your guests may find it hard to let loose and focus on the celebration if they’re worried about work the next day.

Our Tip: Hire a professional wedding DJ that is an expert at packing dance floors.

Weekday Wedding Planning Advice

Do a pre-check. Before you actually commit to a weekday wedding, ask your closest friends and family (i.e. the ones that you cannot say “I do” without) if the date will work for them.

Plan your timeline accordingly. If many of your guests will be coming from work, you probably don’t want to have a 2pm ceremony time. Similarly, don’t book the extra hours of venue time if most of your guests need to be at work in the morning. Instead, plan to wrap your reception up earlier in the evening to end on a high note.

Do what is right for you. In the end, it is YOUR day, and you need to plan it in alignment with what YOU want.

Learn What These Couples Had To Say About Their Weekday Wedding

Jenna and Mike

For Jenna and Mike, getting married on a weekday was a prime option. 

“2020 was supposed to be our wedding year. It’s what we dreamt about, planned for and we thought those dreams were crushed due to the pandemic until we realized getting married on a weekday was a real option,” said Jenna Edmonds. 

Jenna and her fiance were supposed to get married in April of 2020. Like so many, they had to rethink everything they planned for months. One of their priorities was to keep the vendor team they choose intact. With weekend dates filling up incredibly fast, they decided to go with a Thursday wedding. 

“We felt so connected to the photographer and DJ  that we knew we didn’t want to lose them. After discussing our options, we went with July 2nd 2020. Our friends and family still working would likely have a long weekend due to the holiday and they would be in party mode… so we went with it,” Jenna said. 

Marissa and Jason

The couple was able to send a ‘change the date’ announcement to their guests with plenty of notice and won’t have to sacrifice their 2020 wedding date by getting married on a Thursday. Another couple, Marissa and Jason, planned their wedding on a Monday before the coronavirus pandemic broke out. 

“Planning on a weekday was easier and cheaper,” said Marissa Garrett. “We didn’t have to start planning as early because weekdays do not fill up as quickly.” 

While their July 20th wedding ceremony is still on, they did cancel their BBQ style reception due to the pandemic. 

“I do feel relieved that we picked a weekday wedding to begin with because I feel we can still get married and not have to worry about rescheduling our ceremony,” said Garrett.

Marissa says she’s looking forward to a slower paced, less busy wedding day that allows for more wedding photography options with all of her guests.

“I believe a wedding should be about us and we know our loved ones will want to attend regardless of the day of the week.”

Brendon and Barbara

For Brendon and Barbara, they selected a weekday wedding for in 2019 for sentimental reasons. 

“For us, our wedding had to be on a Monday because we wanted to keep the same anniversary we had been celebrating, July 1st.” said Brendon Waters. “We met and went on our first date exactly 8 years before the day we got married.”

Brendon says their Monday wedding on Wolverine Lake in July, worked out perfectly because a lot of their guests had time to travel due to Independence Day. 

“We were always looking for a special, memorable day with immediate family and close friends, so planning a weekday wedding wasn’t a problem for us.”