As you plan your wedding, high chances are that your ideal venue or location is booked solid, especially for every Saturday you prefer as your potential date. Even worse, you may find yourself on a long waiting list, especially in cases where you’re looking for craved dates at the peak of wedding season.
That beautiful July wedding you’ve been planning for so long may seem like it won’t take place unless both of you are willing to stay engaged for another year. While you and your partner could proceed to postpone the nuptials, you may consider having your wedding on a Friday as opposed to a Saturday wedding.
Friday weddings are one of those trends lately taking off in many countries across the globe, and there’s no harm in having your wedding on a Friday. Below are the pros and cons of a Friday wedding.
Pros of a Friday Wedding
There’s no need to worry if you have to get married on Friday. There are several advantages to Friday weddings, as highlighted below:
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Venues/locations mainly offer affordable rates on Fridays
If you’ve been keen enough, you’ll notice that most people choose to have their weddings on Saturdays or Sundays, since the weekends are more convenient for guests. If you decide to marry on a Friday, you’ll spend less on the venue costs. Due to less demand, most wedding venues charge a small fee for Friday bookings.
In the U.S., for instance, we’ve established that renowned wedding venues charge around $10,000 for a wedding scheduled to take place on a Saturday. However, these rates change from $6,000 to approximately $8,000 for Friday weddings. As you can see, you can save $2,000 to around $4,000 by booking a different day.
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Most wedding vendors are more available for Friday weddings
As mentioned above, a considerable number of weddings are held on weekends, meaning you may have to compete with other couples not only for the venue but also for wedding vendors such as wedding photographers, florists, coordinators, and DJs, most of whom might be fully booked for weekend weddings, sometimes a year in advance.
If you choose to have your wedding on a Friday, high chances are that you’ll be able to work with a wedding vendor you prefer efficiently. For example, that wedding DJ you like might be readily available on Friday instead of Saturday.
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Most wedding vendors offer discounted packages for Friday bookings
Since fewer weddings take place on weekdays, you’ll find that plenty of wedding vendors offer budget-friendly packages for Friday weddings. If you book them on a Friday, rest assured of friendly rates instead of booking them on a Saturday.
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You have additional options for dates as you book your wedding venue
Should you have your mind set on a wedding for the weekend, you’ll have to inquire about wedding venues at least 8 months in advance. You’ll be surprised to find a famous wedding venue fully booked for up to 2 years!
Based on the above, you’ve got more flexibility regarding Friday weddings since wedding venues — even the most famous ones — might have several open dates available on weekdays.
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You can spend your weekend doing whatever you like
After your wedding, you must return to your everyday routines as soon as possible. You might have school or work on Monday or a flight immediately after your wedding. But with a Friday wedding, you’ll have your weekends free and do what you desire for those two days.
Most couples who get married on Friday can spend the weekend resting or hold a more intimate celebration with loved ones only. During the weekend, you let go of the stress of planning your wedding and relax. You require this downtime before resuming your regular schedule.
Cons of a Friday Wedding
While several advantages are associated with Friday weddings, sadly, a few disadvantages exist to having your wedding on a Friday. They include:
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Most invites may fail to attend your wedding due to work commitment
One of the most significant demerits of a Friday wedding is that most of your invites might have work commitments. Others may fail to be granted some leave or have work-related occasions that they can’t afford to skip.
Even though you can bypass this setback by trying to schedule your reception or ceremony later into the night and allowing your guests to attend the event after work, you’ll have to accept that some guests may miss it. Some might feel tired after work, while others could be afraid of losing a day’s salary.
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Most Friday weddings last long into the night
Since plenty of Friday weddings tend to commence late, it also means that most end late into the night. While this schedule could work well with night owls or seasoned partygoers, on the other hand, guests who prefer to go to bed early might find this setup challenging.
Likewise, you may have to encounter logistical challenges. For example, some venues don’t permit loud music or other sounds after a specific time.
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You may have to settle for a short wedding day
Following a late start to your wedding, you’ll have to trim and condense your wedding timeline. It’s unrealistic to expect your entire bridal party to join you for a sunrise first-look celebration or a morning hike.
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Some venues aren’t available on Fridays
As couples search for wedding locations and venues meant for their Saturday wedding, you may find such venues offering packages that include overnight stays before the event. Should they choose to provide such packages, you won’t be able to make your Friday booking.
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Some wedding vendors don’t work on Fridays
As you search for your wedding vendors, you’ll be disappointed to learn that some don’t work on Fridays. Wedding vendors may fail to take gigs on specific days as some may have other jobs, such as wedding photographers, DJs, or florists, as their side hustle.
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Traffic leading to your wedding venue might be terrible
Most individuals work on Fridays, and many more go out with friends on Fridays to celebrate and party at the end of the week. For this reason, your guests may have to share the roads with them, and based on where you reside, you may find your guests stuck in traffic for long. Things might get even messier if you are holding a destination wedding, where congested roads might have some guests arriving late.
Final Thoughts
Overall, while it may seem Saturday weddings are a norm, you don’t have to stress yourself out about whether having your wedding on Friday. You and your partner can still have a fantastic wedding together and create a wonderful experience for all your guests. Still, while you may not save much, your compromise for settling for a Friday wedding would be worth it!
