Article & Photos by Amber Garrett Photography
This Wedding Boom is no joke, y’all. After the mess that was 2020 and part of 2021, more couples are itching to have big weddings with all of their favorite people present. This means that vendors are booking up faster and faster, and that in order to have their dream wedding, some couples may have to get married on non-traditional days. But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and I myself am actually get married during the week, too! So here’s a quick rundown on getting married during the week vs. the weekend! For starters, I’m defining the weekend as Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and the week is Monday-Thursday. Cool? Cool.
Getting married on the weekend
Pros:
This is what your guests expect, especially Saturdays. It’s become traditional to host these big events on days that most people aren’t working.
Chances are, your guests won’t have to take off work. This isn’t always the case for Friday weddings, but if your ceremony starts after 3 p.m., most people (who work 9-5) shouldn’t have too much of an issue getting off an hour early.
You have a greater pick of vendors. Some vendors have 9-5 jobs in addition to running their own businesses, so while they may not be able to work weddings during the week, they can do weekends no problem!
Cons:
These days book out super far in advance. Venues and visual teams will book anywhere between one year and two years before the date. So you may have a longer engagement if you’re holding out for your dream team.
Some vendors have “prime seasons” for more valuable dates. Usually these prime dates only fall on the weekends during spring and fall – when the weather is statistically the best.
Some people might not attend Sunday weddings if they have prior commitments, especially if they’re of the religious variety.
Getting married During the Week
Pros:
Your favorite vendors probably won’t be booked. Getting married Monday-Thursday isn’t that common right now, so chances are, you can book your preferred vendors that you’ve been stalking on Instagram for years.
Less traffic, more parking. Weekends are busy no matter what. If you’re getting married in the middle of downtown on a weekend, you/your guests won’t have as easy of a time finding parking near your venue because other people in the city may be taking up those spots. This isn’t as much of an issue during the week.
More prep time. You have the whole weekend ahead of your wedding day to finalize your plans and tie up any loose ends.
Bonus: You get to take more days off work. We love to see it.
Cons:
Your guests may not be able to attend. If you’re like us and having a destination wedding during the week that requires a lot of people to travel, you’ll quickly realize that not a lot of people can take off work for a mid-week wedding. It’s a big old bummer, but it’s just part of it.
Some vendors won’t be available. Personally, I don’t have set days that I photograph vs. edit, so I can really take events on any day. This isn’t the case with every vendor. Some have set days that they’ll only be in the office – no events. I think this is kinda' odd, but it does happen!
You’ll get some weird looks from people. The number of times I have had to say “Yes, it’s on a Thursday,” is astronomical! I’ve had vendors (that I didn’t end up hiring) get my date wrong in emails because they assumed they knew what I meant. You’ll be verifying your date quite a bit!
Lucky for you, I book every day of the week, but I do book a while in advance. So if you’re ready to book your dream photog, get in touch and let’s party together!
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