The Pros and Cons of a Holiday Weekend Wedding
You’re planning your wedding, and you’re at the stage where you’re looking to set a wedding date. While checking both of your calendars and blocking out any unavailable dates, you discover that there is a holiday weekend right in the middle of your desired wedding date range. Now comes the all-important question: is it a good idea to hold a wedding on a holiday weekend? There are pros and cons to this decision, and the answer will vary depending on your unique circumstances.
The Pros of a Holiday Weekend Wedding
Your Wedding Guests Are More Likely to Be Available to Attend
The main benefit of holding your wedding on a holiday weekend is that there is a much greater likelihood that your guests will be available to attend your wedding. With most people not required to work over a holiday weekend, your guests won’t have to worry about requesting leave in order to attend your wedding.
Your Guests Will Already Be in a Good Mood
Nothing seems to put people in a good mood more than an impending holiday weekend, so scheduling your wedding to take place on a long weekend when people are already happy and excited about a little extra time off work will mean that your guests are likely to already be in a good mood and ready to have fun at your wedding.
The Cons of a Holiday Weekend Wedding
Your Guests May Already Have Plans
People who work full-time and have a limited scope for annual leave often place a lot of importance on holiday weekends, and these can be booked up well in advance. Before making the final decision to have your wedding on a holiday weekend, it is a good idea to contact the people most important to you to make sure that they haven’t already made travel plans for that weekend. Keep in mind that many people book their festive season plans more than 12 months in advance.
Your Guests May Feel Cheated Out Of a Long Weekend
This may sound insensitive, but we have heard it many times: wedding guests feeling cheated out of enjoying a holiday weekend because the bulk of it is taken up with attending a wedding. While some people will plan a quick getaway for a holiday weekend, other people equally enjoy spending time at home, not being woken up rudely by an alarm each morning, and making the most of the opportunity to complete tasks around the home that otherwise be attended to. By planning your wedding to take place over a holiday weekend, you may leave some of your guests disgruntled. Ultimately the decision comes down to you and what works best for your wedding plans. We would advise speaking to the most important guests at your wedding, such as both sets of parents and the intended bridal party, and checking the general consensus about whether a holiday weekend wedding would work for them.
As for the rest of the guests: you won’t be able to please everyone, so once you’ve made your decision, stick with it and people will choose to make the effort or not attend.