There's not going to be a sentence at the end of this that says, "but it's your wedding, so you do you." Because I don't believe that.
I'm super opinionated on this. Getting married on a holiday weekend is one of my five wedding pet peeves.
The other four? A Friday wedding, no favors at the wedding, when the bridesmaids keep constantly fiddling with the bride's veil during the ceremony, and having a buffet instead of a sit down dinner.
Anyway. You might be thinking this is just a wedding blog, written by a random person on the internet who you've never met. But I assure you, other people have this same opinion. They just won't vocalize it. They'll say it's your wedding; they'll say you do you; but deep down, they'll be hoping you change your mind.
Oh sure, they'll still show up for your wedding. I've been to many weddings on holiday weekends. I always RSVP yes.
But it is asking a lot of your guests. And you should think about that when you're picking your date.
Anyway. You might be thinking this is just a wedding blog, written by a random person on the internet who you've never met. But I assure you, other people have this same opinion. They just won't vocalize it. They'll say it's your wedding; they'll say you do you; but deep down, they'll be hoping you change your mind.
Oh sure, they'll still show up for your wedding. I've been to many weddings on holiday weekends. I always RSVP yes.
But it is asking a lot of your guests. And you should think about that when you're picking your date.
And if you don't, well, you can't say someone didn't warn you.
Why You Shouldn't Get Married On A Holiday Weekend
There are five main reasons why you shouldn't get married on a holiday weekend. These are in no particular order.
Well, let me say this. These are the five main reasons I would tell you not to get married on a holiday weekend if you were my friend and asking my opinion.
Other people might have other reasons.
Many people travel on holiday weekends, and the travel industry takes advantage of that. It's a time when gas prices and flight costs increase. Plus, hotels can charge a premium because of the holiday weekend. So rooms and flights and car rentals are all more expensive.
It'll end up costing your guests who are traveling a lot more than if you were planning your wedding on a non-holiday weekend. And those costs might deter them from coming at all.
Traveling is more expensive on holiday weekends
Many people travel on holiday weekends, and the travel industry takes advantage of that. It's a time when gas prices and flight costs increase. Plus, hotels can charge a premium because of the holiday weekend. So rooms and flights and car rentals are all more expensive.
It'll end up costing your guests who are traveling a lot more than if you were planning your wedding on a non-holiday weekend. And those costs might deter them from coming at all.
Also, keep this in mind if you're planning a wedding on a "holiday in your town only" weekend. We have a huge annual festival here in our town and during that weekend, hotel rooms are almost double their regular price. So everyone here knows booking a wedding during that "holiday" weekend is a terrible idea.
People usually have traditional plans. We have family come visit us every year for Easter weekend. That has been our plan for over five years now. If someone we know was getting married that weekend, it would really throw us off. Do we leave our family, who is only in town for three days? Do we skip the wedding?
And that goes for holidays that you might not consider a holiday, like Halloween. Parents, and often aunts and uncles without children, go trick-or-treating that day. So you are asking them to choose between their tradition of trick-or-treating or your wedding.
And sure, it's easy to say that there will be other years to trick-or-treat and your wedding will only happen once. But you don't get to make that decision for other people. And planning you wedding on a holiday or a holiday weekend forces some of your guests to make that decision.
People may have traditions
People usually have traditional plans. We have family come visit us every year for Easter weekend. That has been our plan for over five years now. If someone we know was getting married that weekend, it would really throw us off. Do we leave our family, who is only in town for three days? Do we skip the wedding?
And that goes for holidays that you might not consider a holiday, like Halloween. Parents, and often aunts and uncles without children, go trick-or-treating that day. So you are asking them to choose between their tradition of trick-or-treating or your wedding.
And sure, it's easy to say that there will be other years to trick-or-treat and your wedding will only happen once. But you don't get to make that decision for other people. And planning you wedding on a holiday or a holiday weekend forces some of your guests to make that decision.
And you might get upset with the decision they make.
Many people want to plan a wedding on a holiday weekend because it seems like it would be a good way to save. But it's potentially not going to be cheaper on a holiday weekend.
A lot of vendors have set prices. Florists don't sell less flowers on a holiday weekend than on a non-holiday weekend. In fact, around some holidays -- Valentine's Day and Mother's Day, specifically -- flowers are more expensive. So you may actually pay a premium if you're planning your wedding on a holiday weekend.
And some venues will look at long holiday weekends as a series of Saturdays. Friday is Saturday because people have a bunch of days off after; Saturday is Saturday because it's Saturday; Sunday is Saturday because there's a day off after.
Venues are hip to your save a buck scheme and often won't actually give Friday or Sunday wedding discounts on a holiday weekend.
People look forward to holidays because it's a day off from work. Not for everyone, of course, but for a lot of people. People just want to relax and have a day of nothing to do.
And of course, you want to say your wedding is a big party, and it's the perfect way to spend a day off. But not everyone would agree.
You won't save as much as you think
Many people want to plan a wedding on a holiday weekend because it seems like it would be a good way to save. But it's potentially not going to be cheaper on a holiday weekend.
A lot of vendors have set prices. Florists don't sell less flowers on a holiday weekend than on a non-holiday weekend. In fact, around some holidays -- Valentine's Day and Mother's Day, specifically -- flowers are more expensive. So you may actually pay a premium if you're planning your wedding on a holiday weekend.
And some venues will look at long holiday weekends as a series of Saturdays. Friday is Saturday because people have a bunch of days off after; Saturday is Saturday because it's Saturday; Sunday is Saturday because there's a day off after.
Venues are hip to your save a buck scheme and often won't actually give Friday or Sunday wedding discounts on a holiday weekend.
You're monopolizing the weekend
People look forward to holidays because it's a day off from work. Not for everyone, of course, but for a lot of people. People just want to relax and have a day of nothing to do.
And of course, you want to say your wedding is a big party, and it's the perfect way to spend a day off. But not everyone would agree.
Some people just need that extra day off from work to catch up on things like chores or sleep or season two of Ted Lasso. Who knows what people do on their days off. But, by having your wedding in the middle of a holiday weekend -- one people have been looking forward to since the last time that holiday rolled around -- people probably won't be happy. They'll show up to your wedding, of course, but they'll be grumbling about how they had something else planned for the weekend.
Which brings us to ...
People may already have plans
People have plans for the long weekend. We always set our plans for Memorial Day and Columbus Day weekend the year before because we know it's a long weekend, so it's a great time for us to travel without having to burn a paid vacation day.
If you plan your wedding on a holiday weekend, and don't give people a ton of advanced notice, they may already be booked. And then they can't come.
BRIDAL BABBLE: Do you agree with these reasons why you shouldn't get married on a holiday weekend? Do you have your own reasons. Let us know in the comments.
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