Some
reception locations may
offer the same sit-down
dinner on Sunday for a lot
less cash than Saturdays.
Cleary
Saturday is the day of
choice for weddings. As a
child, Saturdays meant going
to the hair dresser or
playing in the park. Now
that you're one of the
adults (yes), Saturday means
sleeping in, shopping, and
barbecue over your friend's
house. More and more couples
are choosing off days, like
Friday, Sunday, or even
midweek days, for their
weddings -- and finding that
being flexible about the day
of the week can make a big
dollar difference.
WHY SNUB SATURDAY?
Practical
considerations are the big
draw: At many ceremony and
reception sites, Saturdays
are booked a year or more in
advance. If you have your
heart set on one of these
venues, an off-day wedding
can be an event-saving
alternative. Officiants of
many denominations often are
more readily available for
an off-day wedding. For some
couples, having their
wedding on a specific date
-- say, their parent's
wedding anniversary, for
example -- is more important
than having it on Saturday.
Other couples have a midweek
event so they can take
advantage of lower airfares
for out of town guests (and
for their own honeymoon
flights). Off-day weddings
seem especially appealing to
brides or grooms who have
been married before and who
know that a wedding is a
wedding, any day of the
week.
BUDGET BOOSTS
Off-day
weddings can save you some
serious money. Some
reception locations, in a
quest to book venues that
would otherwise remain
empty, may offer the same
sit-down dinner on Sunday
for a lot less cash than it
did on Saturday. It's a
simple case of supply and
demand: You'll have better
luck negotiating lower rates
with vendors if there aren't
five other couples lined up
behind you, ready to take
your spot. Also, you may be
able to make things work
with fewer guests, because
some establishments loosen
minimum guest requirements
on off days. You're also
likely to get better service
because you'll have
management's undivided
attention on a less busy
day.
Depending on the specifics
of your location, you also
may be able to get your
guests better hotel rates.
Keep in mind that a hotel
that hosts conventions or
caters to business people
probably won't offer lower
rates during the week. At
some establishments, you can
reserve a block of rooms for
Friday night with a lower
number of guests because, by
then, business travelers
have gone home. Know that
you have the power to
negotiate.
LONG-WEEKEND ALLURE
Three-day
holiday weekends like
Memorial Day or Labor Day
are popular for Sunday
weddings because out-of-town
guests have a full day to
return home; and because for
most guests, these weekends
come with a built-in day off
from work. (If you choose a
holiday weekend wedding
date, be sure you give your
guests plenty of notice
before they make other
plans. This is the perfect
excuse to buy those cute
save-the-date cards.) Other
holidays like Halloween, New
Year's Eve, or even Father's
Day are perfect for creative
types looking to build a
wedding with a theme (and to
celebrate their anniversary
on a holiday every year!).
Remember, however, that some
vendors are in great demand
for certain holidays. For
example, florists are
swamped on Valentine's Day
and Mother's Day; and bands
are tough to book for New
Year's Eve.
OFF-DAY GUEST CARE
Okay, it can
be a little more difficult
for your guests, especially
those traveling from afar,
to manage a Friday or Sunday
wedding. They may have to
take an extra day off from
the office or school. Be
prepared for a
higher-than-average rate of
regrets, because those who
aren't especially close to
you aren't likely to accept
your invitation. The good
news: You end up with a core
group of die-hard fans at
your wedding, which makes
the event a bit more cozy
and a lot of fun.
These days, with so many
guests traveling great
distances to attend
weddings, lots of couples
plan celebrations that last
several days or longer;
couples with off-day affairs
will find themselves in the
same situation. Your weekend
may begin with a bang: a
Friday wedding followed by
Saturday or Sunday
activities and outings.
Another option is Friday and
Saturday group activities
with a Sunday ceremony as
the finale. In consideration
of guests' schedules, a
Friday wedding should be an
evening affair, and a Sunday
celebration should be
planned to wrap up fairly
early.
TIMING IS EVERYTHING
Thinking that
maybe off-day means
off-base? No way. Just
because it's not a Saturday
night doesn't mean that it's
not a party. Friday evening
or Sunday morning weddings
can be just as elegant as
Saturday celebrations.
Consider a Sunday reception
in the form of a champagne
brunch. These tend to begin
with a ceremony between 11
a.m. and 1 p.m., followed by
a reception that wraps up
around 5 p.m. A Friday
wedding can be a
sophisticated, starry-night
soiree that goes far into
the evening. |
