To Do or Not To Do: Holiday Weekend Weddings

As our calendar begins to show the tell-tale signs of another busy wedding season we were surprised when we realized that we would have to close our calendar for the Labor Day weekend 2010 {and we never say no to a bride}! Why? It turns out that this year, Holiday Weekend Weddings are the place to be!

Another surprise – one of our “Labor Day” bride’s story actually made an article on the subject for the New York Times! So now we’re really curious…

How do you really feel about weddings planned over a Holiday weekend? Opinions online are mostly for them {although most of the people who weighed in are Holiday brides themselves} but there are definitely some drawbacks for guests and even the bride and groom themselves. Here are the pro’s & con’s:

Pros
- guests don’t have to take extra vacation days to attend {esp if traveling to an out of town event!}
- potentially more time to spend with the bride & groom
- now you’ll have plans for the long weekend
- guests see more value in traveling for the extended weekend vs. a rushed trip

One opinion: “I absolutely LOVE weddings that fall on a holiday weekend. I spent 8 yrs in New England for school and I’m from CA. When school was finished (2001) I zipped back to CA and now live in WA. I have traveled back east for all of my friends weddings and the ones that have been most memorable have been the ones over holiday weekends ….Clearly I vote YES for holiday weekend weddings” (Marissa, SouthernWeddings.com)

Cons
- Holiday Weekends are reserved for relaxing and family {we only get so many Monday’s off each year}
- Many people have long standing Holiday Weekend traditions {BBQ’s, camping, the beach, etc}
- Holiday Weekend travel can be more expensive
- It’s considered most polite for the bride & groom to offer activities and gift baskets for guests traveling from afar and this can put a major dent in the wedding budget

And from other side of camp: “While I wouldn’t go as far as to say they’re inconsiderate, I am not big on holiday wedding weekends. I’m headed to one this weekend and bummed about all the fun events I’m missing at home. If you’re truly thinking about your guests, I think any bride would lean towards a weekend that won’t be a big inconvenience to them. Except for the bride and groom’s very closest friends and family, NO ONE wants to use a holiday weekend to go to a wedding.” (Amanda from SouthernWeddings.com)

Ouch! Touchy subject. Seems like everybody’s got an immediate opinion on this one.. what’s yours?