What Are The Most Popular Wedding trends You Need To Know
Will This Wedding Trend Ruin Your Wedding?
You open your mailbox to find a luxurious feeling envelope with elaborate writing.
You suspect it's a wedding invitation.
You open it and begin reading.
Sally Ann Smith, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Smith, and Robert Jones, son of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Jones, request your the honor of your presence at their wedding on the ninth of July, two thousand eighteen at three o'clock in the afternoon.
You scan the calendar hanging on the wall.
July 9th........IS A MONDAY?!?!
You wonder if it's a mistake. A wedding on a Monday?
weekday weddings, a new trend
The best time to have a wedding. It's a common thought shared by practically every couple getting married.
Couples used to worry about the time of year they got married. Did they want an early summer wedding with beautiful blooming flowers or did they want a fall wedding with the gorgeous colors of changing leaves. Now, couples are are trying to decide whether they want a traditional Saturday wedding or a weekday wedding (Monday - Thursday). That's right, weekday weddings are a new trend that are gaining steam in an effort to reduce wedding costs.
But.....
Yes, there's always a but.
Will adopting this trend ruin your wedding?
This might seem like a silly question to you and you might be wondering how it could ruin your wedding. You work hard for your money and it's always tempting to entertain less expensive options, but every decision you make, especially with your wedding, comes with consequences.
Many couples make the same mistake when planning their wedding. They choose "cheaper" options over their own memories. Couples are often left broken hearted by these choices and by the time it sinks in, it's too late. It sucks.
The Knot's 2017 wedding survey
The Knot surveyed 13,000 couples that got married in 2017. The results were not very surprising. In fact, year in and year out, couples essentially have the same 5 regrets.
Couples wished they invested more money in their wedding photography
Couples wished they hired a videographer
Couples wished they invested more money in their DJ
Couples wished they had a smaller wedding
Couples wishes they chose a venue that better aligned with their vision
Ironically enough, these are also the same areas couples try to cut costs during the planning process. They realize later that by cutting costs on these details, they compromised their own memories.
The 2017 survey did shed some light on a trend that's been emerging over the past several years.
Guest experience.
In the past, weddings used to be all about the couple getting married. However, couples are shifting away from this belief and placing a much stronger emphasis on creating a wedding that delivers an amazing guest experience.
The question that immediately comes to my mind is simple.
Does having a weekday wedding align with creating an amazing guest experience?
Do weekday weddings = an amazing guest experience?
If you're looking to reduce wedding costs, a weekday wedding just might be the answer. However, if you're looking to have a wedding with an amazing guest experience, a weekday wedding will probably be a disaster.
Let's take a look at some real and serious concerns your guests will have.
Time Off From Work
Let's face it, life is expensive and both head of households generally have full time careers. If you decide you want to have a weekday wedding, it's likely at least 90% of your guests will have to worry about getting time off from work. If they are out-of-town guests, they will probably need to take multiple days off! Having to take time off from work to attend your wedding could create some serious challenges for your guests.
Children
For those guests with children, a weekday wedding is seriously going to add to their stress levels. Not only do they need to get time off from work, but they also have to figure out what they're going to do with their kids.
Are you allowing children to attend the wedding? If so, are parents going to want to take their kids out of school for a day or more to attend the wedding? If not, will they be able to find someone to babysit for a day or two?
When it comes to children, we could make a list of considerations that's a mile long!
Travel
Depending on the location of your ceremony and reception, a weekday wedding could significantly impact travel because your guests will likely need to deal with commuter traffic. This will be an even bigger concern for your out-of-town guests. This may not seem like a big deal, but it could be a major headache for a lot of people.
More "Unable To Attend" Responses
It's estimated that 20% of wedding invites respond "Unable to Attend," and that's for traditional weekend weddings. When we consider time off from work, children's needs, travel, etc. this number will probably increase significantly for weekday weddings.
Most people struggle to make it through each work week. They have so many responsibilities that need to be addressed every week and adding a wedding to their hectic schedule, is only going to stress them out even more.
How Do You Imagine Your Wedding Celebration
This is definitely a question many couples fail to properly think about. If you're looking for a very subdued celebration, a weekday wedding will probably work great for you. However, if you want a wedding that's exciting, fun, and has a party like atmosphere, a weekday wedding is a sure way to kill that.
Most of your guests are going to have to get up early the next day to go to work. This is definitely going to put a damper on the "party" mentality. Unfortunately, a lot of your guests will be watching the clock all night, so they can get out of there as quickly as possible. Who wants to have to go to work the next day with a hang over?
Again, for those guests with kids, they may not have a choice of staying for the entire wedding. They may have to pick their kids up from the babysitter or get them to bed by a certain time.
What’s right for you and your guests
A weekday wedding might be the perfect solution for you, but if you're like most couples and want to ensure an amazing experience for your guests, you have some serious thinking to do.
Your guests are probably going to cringe when they get their invitation for a weekday wedding. For most of them, it's inconvenient. Their thoughts will immediately turn to all of their responsibilities and how they are going to manage them, and go to your wedding. This is going to place a lot of stress on them.
Weekday weddings are from being the only way to cut wedding costs. There are many other ways to save money without sacrificing what's important to you or stressing out your guests.