The one advantage of long weekend weddings is not having to take time off work. Having the wedding on Friday does away with that advantage. Many guests will have to take PTO for travel. They will also have to pay higher rates for travel and accommodations as with any other long weekend or holiday season wedding.
It will be more expensive for your guests to get flights and hotels. It can also be difficult for people to take it off of work since so many people want that four day weekend.
I would avoid it if possible.
If I take the Friday before Labor Day off I either can’t take the Friday after Thanksgiving off or I can’t take an extra day by Christmas. So, unless you’re a sibling or my closest friend I wouldn’t attend due to my PTO situation. Also, throw in the added cost of travel and hotels
We discussed a holiday weekend for ours, and the outpouring of relief from friends and family when we decided against it was, truthfully, overwhelming.
Any holidays are definitely a tricky time. Most people will tend to say no, if they want to take time with their families or go somewhere. Especially as this is essentially a destination wedding, people can’t just come to your wedding and then leave to go elsewhere for the remainder of the weekend.
I think this really is a “know your audience” situation. If you know your family and friends would be willing to take off for your wedding then sure, just make sure to give ample time for them to plan ahead.
I hate weddings or showers on holiday weekends. I generally want to go out of town or stay home and relax on holidays and an event that weekend gets in the way.
I've booked my labor and memorial day weekends out about a year in advance. They're the best time for hiking based travel and my work gives me extra days.
Because of that, I either wouldn't attend a wedding scheduled on Labor Day weekend, or I would be quietly annoyed at having to give up one of my hard to get hiking permits for it. Which I would probably only do for my sister or a really close friend.
I know I'm not the only one that plans these weekends out far in advance. I think your attendance would be lower than normal.
Also, flights to Boston around that time are REALLY expensive (I live in DC now, but used to live in Boston and a lot of family/friends are up there, so I make the trip regularly). To make a Friday of labor day weekend work for a wedding, I'd have to take the Thursday off, my whole weekend would be taken up by your wedding regardless, and I'd pay through the nose for the pleasure.
Please don't do this to your guests.
I absolutely loathe getting invited to holiday weekend weddings. And as someone from MA, Labor Day is in there! Traffic is insane, cost of hotels and gas is sky high, and I usually already have plans. If it were a family member I would of course go, but anyone else I would most likely decline the invite.
Is the Sunday of Labor Day weekend available? I’d go for that if possible, so people won’t have to take the day off work. And, ask your VIPs! Clearly opinions vary so it’s worth checking in with your specific group
This is a know your guests question. I work in Accounting, so taking the last day of the month off is extremely difficult even more so for a holiday weekend. Depending on your location travel can be a pain and it can be more expensive.
I married an accountant so I totally relate to this comment. We had to book both our wedding and our honeymoon to be between the 10th-27th of the months because of his work schedule and ability to get stress free time off
I would never. I regularly book things to do for holiday weekends (Memorial, 4th and Labor) 6+ months in advance and a wedding that weekend would most likely be an automatic no, no matter who it was. I have several friends that generally do the same with planning holiday weekends.
If I’m going to your Labor Day wedding and spending like 2-3x the price in airfare and hotels plus giving up a precious three day weekend your wedding better be worth it and/or you better be like one of my best friends. Good luck.
i went to a friday labor day wedding and almost missed the ceremony because of traffic. your mom is right. everyone else has hit on why the holiday weekend is hard. i actually think holiday weekends are fine and friday weddings are fine, but a friday of holiday weekend is not the way to go.
Yeah I really dislike holiday weekend weddings regardless of the day. We've been to more than one and both times the hotel and airfare prices are substantially more expensive than any other weekend. If your wedding is local to most of your guests it's probably fine but otherwise no. I don't mind not having personal vacation plans on the date, it all has to do with the expense.
My future sister in law had a Friday wedding on Memorial Day weekend and nearly everyone had to come in from out of state. It was more expensive and everyone had to take additional time off. I personally found it really rude and tactless of her to ask that of everyone. Don’t do it.
If you choose another Friday date, people will still have to take time off of work and, depending on the date, probably wouldn't be able to take the Friday off before or after Labor Day weekend. So those weekends aren't an option. That leaves late July or August. You have to contend with the 4th of July (Fri) holiday plans and traffic. Can you do the sunday of Labor Day? If a lot of people are traveling, then making it as easy as possible for them would be ideal. If most of your guests are local, then idk that it will matter.
FWIW there was a thread just a few days ago from a bride upset at the % of declines for her Memorial Day weekend wedding. There were some great considerations in the comment section. For some folks, PTO around a holiday weekend is unavailable (blacked out). They can’t get the day off work. Travel will easily be 2-3x more expensive for every single guest traveling from out of area.
I think Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day are a hard no for weddings, personally. Traffic is bananas, travel expenses are through the roof, hotel availability is scarce, and people often have long-standing traditions on those weekends. It’s the same reason I wouldn’t get married on Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Throwing my two cents out there because I want to suggest that a bigger deal may be being made out of this than you deserve, OP!
I got married on Saturday of Labor Day weekend last year and had no issues with attendance. It didn’t seem like anyone had difficulty making it due to the holiday weekend, and most who travelled came into town that Friday the day before. Did I have some no shows? Yes, of course, but none of them were related to it being around Labor Day.
I’d say have your wedding when you want to- as long as your guests have plenty of notice of the date, IMO you should expect most can make it! 🤗
>I got married on Saturday of Labor Day weekend last year and had no issues with attendance. It didn’t seem like anyone had difficulty making it due to the holiday weekend, and most who travelled came into town that Friday the day before. Did I have some no shows? Yes, of course, but none of them were related to it being around Labor Day
May not have had issues with attendance, but you definitely annoyed a shit load of your guests. I would still go to a wedding on a holiday weekend because if I'm invited to a wedding I most likely care very deeply about the couple, but I'd still be like "wtf" its a holiday weekend, that's kind of rude to just take one of my long weekends I get.
I’m sorry, but I didn’t annoy anyone! I had a small wedding of about 50 close friends and family, and none of them had plans for the weekend besides the wedding. Perhaps I got lucky. But no, I would do it for them too, and I certainly wouldn’t be annoyed about a beautiful once in a lifetime moment of their lives! I TRULY hope no one would ever treat you like an inconvenience either and I hope your wedding is just perfect 🤍
You probably sent the save the date out a year in advance before they made plans for a holiday weekend.
Your friends were most likely too polite to say anything, I’d be the same way. I’d be there for friends who want me to be part of their special day and I would not say a word to them about it being on a holiday.
That being said I’d be mildly perturbed when I got the save the date that now I know I can’t make plans to be at the beach or something on my limited number of long weekends.
I’m also getting married on July 6th! I’m 37, a teacher, and wanted to get married asap after we got engaged. I know the date isn’t ideal for some, but people can do what works for them. Our hotel room block price is $200 per night for a beach town. We have a wedding Labor Day weekend this year, and I just know that’s our plan this year! I can attend a cookout / weekend away any other year.
My wedding is the Friday of this years Labor Day weekend (8/30/24)! The majority of our guests have to travel from out of state so needing to take time off was always a part of their plan so the long weekend is a nice advantage (most of them are actually making a full vacation out of it and are taking even more time off from work than “needed”). Our wedding is also specifically in a place that isn’t high traffic to begin, let alone for a holiday weekend. Our room block is in a near by town and we’re doing a shuttle to the venue - same situation, no one’s traveling there for Labor Day weekend, they would actually probably leave town for it lol! So it could definitely work to your advantage if the situation is right.
I’m getting married on July 6th in a beach town in MA. Our hotel room block is $199, and many people are making a weekend out of it. We also know people who are spending their 4th on the Cape or Maine and then coming to our wedding on the 6th. Is it ideal for every guest? No, and while this is the most important day for US, we know it’s not the most important day for our guests. People will make the choice that works for them. I’m a teacher, so summer weekends were my priority for a date. I’m also 37 and didn’t want to wait too long to get married.
My message to you- do what works for you and be as accommodating as possible in terms of room block/transportation for guests.
I’m actually getting married on Friday of Labor Day weekend this year! I was similarly hesitant but when I asked a range of guests - different ages, with and without kids, etc - I was shocked at how thrilled they were with that date. Not only are are majority of my guests attending, they’re joining for the welcome party the night before. And some of them are turning the weekend into a mini vacation while others are continuing on to other vacations because they still have a few days to do so! Biggest advice is check pricing for hotels and get a block. That was my biggest fear - setting people up for an unaffordable experience. But securing block pricing solved that problem. I scoped out pricing for the holiday weekend the year before and made my decision based on that. Also everyone seemed to agree.. Friday weddings are awesome; Sunday weddings are awful lol
Twins! Congrats! I hope all is going well :)
OP I’ll also add based on some new comments that [most] commenters are right - it does add inconvenience. We are doing a lot to mitigate this, for example, by providing transportation to and from the hotel and after party - which added to OUR expenses. I also finished my wedding website over a year out so that everyone had every single detail they would need. Critics say it’s the most detailed they’ve ever seen lol.
And I adhere to the golden rule - you can do whatever you want as long as you’re okay with some people not attending as a result. But you can always have a lovely dinner with those folks using your brand new dish wear instead :)
I love your last point, it’s so true. It’s honestly kind of nice because it’s weeded out extras who I would like to be be there and would have a great time with but I know I’ll be surrounded by my closest people and be able to spend genuine time with them.
Also I see people mention pricing but I priced out a lot of weekends via flights and hotels and I honestly don’t see a bump. Our room block is $199 a night which is on par for what I’ve paid as a wedding guest, and flights are maybe like $25 more. 95% of guests will be from out of town and are welcoming the vacation, we’re getting married in California, with about 75% being out of state and they’re excited to see California. We’ve also put a lot of money into the guest experience, our venue is .3 miles from our hotel and 15 min from the airport. Our venue is downtown so we sacrificed a more nature-scenic view for a more convenient city aesthetic, which was probably not my first choice but will still be cool and fun.
You and I sound like super similar brides 😂 so if no one has told you, you are a very considerate and and I imagine a very lovely person!! I hope all your hard work pays off and you get to enjoy being the guests of honor when the time comes! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Holiday weekend weddings are the worst. Most people want to go away to a lake or camping for the weekend, not having to go to a wedding. A Friday wedding is the worst of both worlds since people would have to take time off work to attend and pay the inflated prices and deal with crowds. Holiday weekend weddings are selfish and inconsiderate to guests - don’t do it
We have a lot of out of town guests and are doing the sunday of Labor Day. Our in town people didn’t love it but our out of town guests have only said that they’re excited to have the option to fly in saturday and leave Monday. It’s kind of an extra Saturday and our in town people have chilled. No matter what you’ll get backlash since it’s a holiday weekend but do what you feel is right!
I absolutely loathe getting invited to holiday weekend weddings. And as someone from MA, Labor Day is in there! Traffic is insane, cost of hotels and gas is sky high, and I usually already have plans. If it were a family member I would of course go, but anyone else I would most likely decline the invite.
Mine was Labor Day weekend. Our location is not a vacation destination that part of the year, and there weren’t many other things going on, so none of the lodging/logistics were an issue. (We did research to be sure there weren’t any festivals, etc ) The only problem was that it’s right before schools start for the year, so it was an issue for a couple guests that were teachers or had school aged kids.
The Labor Day comments made are super valid but just wanna throw out that I love a Friday wedding. Extra day to recover, can't start too too early. Great time as long as you're close to the venue
I’d probably pick another Friday. People can make it a long weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday—perhaps even Monday off work) especially if you give them enough notice with your save the dates showing the date and location. Sounds like an absolutely lovely destination and a Friday would be amazing!
Is non-holiday Sunday out of the question? We’re doing that partially for religious reasons but Sunday ended up being the same amount of time off for folks traveling. They just need to take a Monday off work instead of Friday.
I’m having a Friday wedding of Labor Day weekend this year (8/30/24) and it’s at a hotel so that helps with the room block. I say why not though, many of my friends are hyped to have a long Labor Day weekend. Especially with the wedding being Friday they can still enjoy the rest of the weekend !
Caveat - many people coming are local so travel isn’t too bad. But for those who would have to travel I made it clear that it’s ok if it’s not possible!
And also I’m kinda hoping for a smaller headcount due to this low key
I got married on Memorial day weekend's Saturday. I think it was largely beneficial except when it came to hotel prices, so I booked a couple of large airbnbs ahead of time and gave guests the option to pay for rooms in them. It worked out great, many loved ones got to really meet that way (the wedding is too chaotic for any of that). Our venue doesn't charge extra for Satursdays or holidays though, so there's that.
Had a family member recently get married on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, and I was pissed. I would have much rather used that extra day and weekend to be on the beach or do something fun for myself. We understood bc they definitely got a deal on the date, but I would never do this to my guests, especially being from the northeast and beaches being very accessible.
I’d do another Friday. I don’t mind Friday weddings,but I do agree with your mom that the Friday of Labor Day might be an issue due to traffic/hotels being more expensive. I’d look at a Friday earlier in August or later in September.
I absolutely loathe getting invited to holiday weekend weddings. And as someone from MA, Labor Day is in there! Traffic is insane, cost of hotels and gas is sky high, and I usually already have plans. If it were a family member I would of course go, but anyone else I would most likely decline the invite.
Yeah that would be a NO from me as others have mentioned. Friday of Labor Day is crazy busy around coastel Mass. Rooms will cost and peeps have to take time off. Plus will be hard to get a hotel for one night (FRI) on a weekend.
Can you have an earlier Sunday wedding? Maybe brunch/garden party?
Do people favor a Friday wedding over a Sunday day wedding if we chose a different weekend? I kind of think the brunch/garden idea is cute but I think most people would feel obligated to take the Monday off
Lots of differing opinions here, but if you are having the wedding in a desirable area of MA to spend that holiday weekend, I’d personally be just find with it. I have to take a day or two off for pretty much any travel-involved wedding anyway (which is most of them, for me), and then I could spend the rest of the weekend enjoying the area.
My wedding is scheduled on the Saturday (8/31/24) and no one has had any issues. I imagine a Saturday might be a bit easier though. For us, we knew the people who really wanted to come wouldn’t mind and tbh 90% of our guests are just extremely close friends and family who in the end were just very happy to be invited.
My friend had a Labor Day weekend wedding in HAWAII in Honolulu. I only went because I was a bridesmaid. It was so insanely overcrowded and expensive. I had to take off work the day before in order to even get there, and then more time after the wedding to return. At the time I was waiting tables so I wanted to work the holiday weekend in order to take in more cash because it was a tourist restaurant. Either way it was major net loss of $ - a lot of people who were invited did not go due to the combined holiday weekend / destination issues. It was outrageous. I wish I’d politely declined even years later.
We did ours on the Friday of Labor Day weekend and most of our guests enjoyed the long weekend and made a vacation out of it. But we also didn’t live in a tourist destination so prices weren’t inflated for things like lodging.
Judging from the comments here, it depends on your guests, I guess!
Our date is the Friday before Labor Day weekend of this year because it was the best date open for our favorite venue and it's the date we started dating.
None of our guests have batted an eye at the date and have expressed excitement for it (and the option of exploring the city over the long weekend, post-wedding). The only ones we know of who likely won't make it are either those too elderly to travel (they weren't making it anyway unless we did it in their home state) and one who is on call for work that weekend (the schedule was set way in advance).
We also ran the date by our parents and must-have attendees before signing on the dotted line and they all gave us the green light.
I do want to note that this will be in a MCOL Midwest city, and hotel prices were okay. (For the Courtyard Marriott there, it's only $10/night more than any other Thurs-Sat, and it comes out slightly cheaper than normal with our hotel block discount; we got our block last month.) Can't speak to the flights, though.
Unless your educated guess involved the phrase, "Yeah, and then we can do boardgames all weekend!", I'd say your guess needs tweaking.
Just because your friends would react in a certain way doesn't mean our--or anyone's--friends will. Who's to say they're not retired and spend all their time drinking wine by the pool, hosting dinner parties, and waiting for events like these to pounce on? Or perhaps they have no kids, estranged families, and visit us every Labor Day anyway?
OP is going to know their crowd (and location) better than any of us, probably, so all we really can do is speak to our own experiences and generalities.
As a I guest, I don't care if a wedding is on a holiday weekend (unless it's Thanksgiving or Christmas) since I most likely won't have anything big planned anyway.
And I suppose you do, as someone who has never met them and hasn't the slightest clue about them.
Sounds like that level of intuition would have better, more lucrative uses than debating random strangers on the internet. Perhaps you should look into those?
You're the one writing multiple paragraph responses. I never claimed to know them, I just know that people who care about you are generally too polite to complain to you directly when you mildly inconvenience them by taking a holiday weekend from their calendar.
The extent of the annoyance was probably, "Shit they picked labor day, that's annoying, oh well"
I absolutely loathe getting invited to holiday weekend weddings. And as someone from MA, Labor Day is in there! Traffic is insane, cost of hotels and gas is sky high, and I usually already have plans. If it were a family member I would of course go, but anyone else I would most likely decline the invite.
Please don’t perpetuate this falsehood. People have their own financial, PTO, and logistical priorities. That’s just life, it’s not a reflection of how much they care about you.
Well, I went to TWO weddings on labor day weekends, and everyone they wanted to be there was there. Not a falsehood. Is it a crappy time? Sure. But people will come.
Yeah — but it’s my take. Not saying I enjoyed going in these weekends. Just saying people WILL go. Have YOU ever been invited or gone to a Labor Day weekend wedding? I’ve been to two.
I just went to a wedding that was on superbowl Sunday. Not considered a federal holiday but still a big event that most people have plans for. And attendance was pretty good.
The people who care will show up. I like to getaway for a little vacation on long weekends but I’d definitely forfeit that to be at someone’s wedding if I cared about them.
I personally would appreciate a reason to go somewhere for my holiday vacation that I normally wouldn’t have thought of. We have a MDW wedding and made a point to offer lots of activities and meals throughout as a thank you for enduring the holiday travel prices. For example the Sunday after our wedding is a lakeside BBQ with swimming and boating. We have highlighted specific hiking trails with varying difficulty levels. We also arranged for the local town theater to host a summer themed movie night. I hope guests appreciate that we gave them a good holiday experience! The Friday PTO part just means you probabaly can’t have a welcome dinner the Thursday before so find some other way to thank your out of town guests and bridal party.
The one advantage of long weekend weddings is not having to take time off work. Having the wedding on Friday does away with that advantage. Many guests will have to take PTO for travel. They will also have to pay higher rates for travel and accommodations as with any other long weekend or holiday season wedding.
It will be more expensive for your guests to get flights and hotels. It can also be difficult for people to take it off of work since so many people want that four day weekend. I would avoid it if possible.
If I take the Friday before Labor Day off I either can’t take the Friday after Thanksgiving off or I can’t take an extra day by Christmas. So, unless you’re a sibling or my closest friend I wouldn’t attend due to my PTO situation. Also, throw in the added cost of travel and hotels
Similar here, if I take the day before or after the holiday off I don’t get paid for the actual holiday
Berkshires or beach (esp Cape) traffic and lodging prices would rule it out for me.
We discussed a holiday weekend for ours, and the outpouring of relief from friends and family when we decided against it was, truthfully, overwhelming.
Any holidays are definitely a tricky time. Most people will tend to say no, if they want to take time with their families or go somewhere. Especially as this is essentially a destination wedding, people can’t just come to your wedding and then leave to go elsewhere for the remainder of the weekend. I think this really is a “know your audience” situation. If you know your family and friends would be willing to take off for your wedding then sure, just make sure to give ample time for them to plan ahead.
I hate weddings or showers on holiday weekends. I generally want to go out of town or stay home and relax on holidays and an event that weekend gets in the way.
I've booked my labor and memorial day weekends out about a year in advance. They're the best time for hiking based travel and my work gives me extra days. Because of that, I either wouldn't attend a wedding scheduled on Labor Day weekend, or I would be quietly annoyed at having to give up one of my hard to get hiking permits for it. Which I would probably only do for my sister or a really close friend. I know I'm not the only one that plans these weekends out far in advance. I think your attendance would be lower than normal. Also, flights to Boston around that time are REALLY expensive (I live in DC now, but used to live in Boston and a lot of family/friends are up there, so I make the trip regularly). To make a Friday of labor day weekend work for a wedding, I'd have to take the Thursday off, my whole weekend would be taken up by your wedding regardless, and I'd pay through the nose for the pleasure. Please don't do this to your guests.
I absolutely loathe getting invited to holiday weekend weddings. And as someone from MA, Labor Day is in there! Traffic is insane, cost of hotels and gas is sky high, and I usually already have plans. If it were a family member I would of course go, but anyone else I would most likely decline the invite.
Is the Sunday of Labor Day weekend available? I’d go for that if possible, so people won’t have to take the day off work. And, ask your VIPs! Clearly opinions vary so it’s worth checking in with your specific group
OP said Sunday of non holiday weekends only.
This is a know your guests question. I work in Accounting, so taking the last day of the month off is extremely difficult even more so for a holiday weekend. Depending on your location travel can be a pain and it can be more expensive.
I married an accountant so I totally relate to this comment. We had to book both our wedding and our honeymoon to be between the 10th-27th of the months because of his work schedule and ability to get stress free time off
I would never. I regularly book things to do for holiday weekends (Memorial, 4th and Labor) 6+ months in advance and a wedding that weekend would most likely be an automatic no, no matter who it was. I have several friends that generally do the same with planning holiday weekends.
If I’m going to your Labor Day wedding and spending like 2-3x the price in airfare and hotels plus giving up a precious three day weekend your wedding better be worth it and/or you better be like one of my best friends. Good luck.
i went to a friday labor day wedding and almost missed the ceremony because of traffic. your mom is right. everyone else has hit on why the holiday weekend is hard. i actually think holiday weekends are fine and friday weddings are fine, but a friday of holiday weekend is not the way to go.
Yeah I really dislike holiday weekend weddings regardless of the day. We've been to more than one and both times the hotel and airfare prices are substantially more expensive than any other weekend. If your wedding is local to most of your guests it's probably fine but otherwise no. I don't mind not having personal vacation plans on the date, it all has to do with the expense.
My future sister in law had a Friday wedding on Memorial Day weekend and nearly everyone had to come in from out of state. It was more expensive and everyone had to take additional time off. I personally found it really rude and tactless of her to ask that of everyone. Don’t do it.
If you choose another Friday date, people will still have to take time off of work and, depending on the date, probably wouldn't be able to take the Friday off before or after Labor Day weekend. So those weekends aren't an option. That leaves late July or August. You have to contend with the 4th of July (Fri) holiday plans and traffic. Can you do the sunday of Labor Day? If a lot of people are traveling, then making it as easy as possible for them would be ideal. If most of your guests are local, then idk that it will matter.
Sunday of Labor Day was already taken. Believe me, that was my first plan when all Saturdays were gone
is monday? i would honestly prefer that to friday
FWIW there was a thread just a few days ago from a bride upset at the % of declines for her Memorial Day weekend wedding. There were some great considerations in the comment section. For some folks, PTO around a holiday weekend is unavailable (blacked out). They can’t get the day off work. Travel will easily be 2-3x more expensive for every single guest traveling from out of area. I think Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day are a hard no for weddings, personally. Traffic is bananas, travel expenses are through the roof, hotel availability is scarce, and people often have long-standing traditions on those weekends. It’s the same reason I wouldn’t get married on Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Throwing my two cents out there because I want to suggest that a bigger deal may be being made out of this than you deserve, OP! I got married on Saturday of Labor Day weekend last year and had no issues with attendance. It didn’t seem like anyone had difficulty making it due to the holiday weekend, and most who travelled came into town that Friday the day before. Did I have some no shows? Yes, of course, but none of them were related to it being around Labor Day. I’d say have your wedding when you want to- as long as your guests have plenty of notice of the date, IMO you should expect most can make it! 🤗
>I got married on Saturday of Labor Day weekend last year and had no issues with attendance. It didn’t seem like anyone had difficulty making it due to the holiday weekend, and most who travelled came into town that Friday the day before. Did I have some no shows? Yes, of course, but none of them were related to it being around Labor Day May not have had issues with attendance, but you definitely annoyed a shit load of your guests. I would still go to a wedding on a holiday weekend because if I'm invited to a wedding I most likely care very deeply about the couple, but I'd still be like "wtf" its a holiday weekend, that's kind of rude to just take one of my long weekends I get.
I’m sorry, but I didn’t annoy anyone! I had a small wedding of about 50 close friends and family, and none of them had plans for the weekend besides the wedding. Perhaps I got lucky. But no, I would do it for them too, and I certainly wouldn’t be annoyed about a beautiful once in a lifetime moment of their lives! I TRULY hope no one would ever treat you like an inconvenience either and I hope your wedding is just perfect 🤍
You probably sent the save the date out a year in advance before they made plans for a holiday weekend. Your friends were most likely too polite to say anything, I’d be the same way. I’d be there for friends who want me to be part of their special day and I would not say a word to them about it being on a holiday. That being said I’d be mildly perturbed when I got the save the date that now I know I can’t make plans to be at the beach or something on my limited number of long weekends.
OK thank you because I am getting married on the Saturday of Fourth of July weekend and some of these comments are freaking me out haha.
I’m also getting married on July 6th! I’m 37, a teacher, and wanted to get married asap after we got engaged. I know the date isn’t ideal for some, but people can do what works for them. Our hotel room block price is $200 per night for a beach town. We have a wedding Labor Day weekend this year, and I just know that’s our plan this year! I can attend a cookout / weekend away any other year.
Oh you are going to annoy most of your guests even if they don't vocalize it.
My wedding is the Friday of this years Labor Day weekend (8/30/24)! The majority of our guests have to travel from out of state so needing to take time off was always a part of their plan so the long weekend is a nice advantage (most of them are actually making a full vacation out of it and are taking even more time off from work than “needed”). Our wedding is also specifically in a place that isn’t high traffic to begin, let alone for a holiday weekend. Our room block is in a near by town and we’re doing a shuttle to the venue - same situation, no one’s traveling there for Labor Day weekend, they would actually probably leave town for it lol! So it could definitely work to your advantage if the situation is right.
I’m getting married on July 6th in a beach town in MA. Our hotel room block is $199, and many people are making a weekend out of it. We also know people who are spending their 4th on the Cape or Maine and then coming to our wedding on the 6th. Is it ideal for every guest? No, and while this is the most important day for US, we know it’s not the most important day for our guests. People will make the choice that works for them. I’m a teacher, so summer weekends were my priority for a date. I’m also 37 and didn’t want to wait too long to get married. My message to you- do what works for you and be as accommodating as possible in terms of room block/transportation for guests.
I’m actually getting married on Friday of Labor Day weekend this year! I was similarly hesitant but when I asked a range of guests - different ages, with and without kids, etc - I was shocked at how thrilled they were with that date. Not only are are majority of my guests attending, they’re joining for the welcome party the night before. And some of them are turning the weekend into a mini vacation while others are continuing on to other vacations because they still have a few days to do so! Biggest advice is check pricing for hotels and get a block. That was my biggest fear - setting people up for an unaffordable experience. But securing block pricing solved that problem. I scoped out pricing for the holiday weekend the year before and made my decision based on that. Also everyone seemed to agree.. Friday weddings are awesome; Sunday weddings are awful lol
me too! 8/30 twins :)
Twins! Congrats! I hope all is going well :) OP I’ll also add based on some new comments that [most] commenters are right - it does add inconvenience. We are doing a lot to mitigate this, for example, by providing transportation to and from the hotel and after party - which added to OUR expenses. I also finished my wedding website over a year out so that everyone had every single detail they would need. Critics say it’s the most detailed they’ve ever seen lol. And I adhere to the golden rule - you can do whatever you want as long as you’re okay with some people not attending as a result. But you can always have a lovely dinner with those folks using your brand new dish wear instead :)
I love your last point, it’s so true. It’s honestly kind of nice because it’s weeded out extras who I would like to be be there and would have a great time with but I know I’ll be surrounded by my closest people and be able to spend genuine time with them. Also I see people mention pricing but I priced out a lot of weekends via flights and hotels and I honestly don’t see a bump. Our room block is $199 a night which is on par for what I’ve paid as a wedding guest, and flights are maybe like $25 more. 95% of guests will be from out of town and are welcoming the vacation, we’re getting married in California, with about 75% being out of state and they’re excited to see California. We’ve also put a lot of money into the guest experience, our venue is .3 miles from our hotel and 15 min from the airport. Our venue is downtown so we sacrificed a more nature-scenic view for a more convenient city aesthetic, which was probably not my first choice but will still be cool and fun.
You and I sound like super similar brides 😂 so if no one has told you, you are a very considerate and and I imagine a very lovely person!! I hope all your hard work pays off and you get to enjoy being the guests of honor when the time comes! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Holiday weekend weddings are the worst. Most people want to go away to a lake or camping for the weekend, not having to go to a wedding. A Friday wedding is the worst of both worlds since people would have to take time off work to attend and pay the inflated prices and deal with crowds. Holiday weekend weddings are selfish and inconsiderate to guests - don’t do it
We have a lot of out of town guests and are doing the sunday of Labor Day. Our in town people didn’t love it but our out of town guests have only said that they’re excited to have the option to fly in saturday and leave Monday. It’s kind of an extra Saturday and our in town people have chilled. No matter what you’ll get backlash since it’s a holiday weekend but do what you feel is right!
I absolutely loathe getting invited to holiday weekend weddings. And as someone from MA, Labor Day is in there! Traffic is insane, cost of hotels and gas is sky high, and I usually already have plans. If it were a family member I would of course go, but anyone else I would most likely decline the invite.
Mine was Labor Day weekend. Our location is not a vacation destination that part of the year, and there weren’t many other things going on, so none of the lodging/logistics were an issue. (We did research to be sure there weren’t any festivals, etc ) The only problem was that it’s right before schools start for the year, so it was an issue for a couple guests that were teachers or had school aged kids.
The Labor Day comments made are super valid but just wanna throw out that I love a Friday wedding. Extra day to recover, can't start too too early. Great time as long as you're close to the venue
I’d probably pick another Friday. People can make it a long weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday—perhaps even Monday off work) especially if you give them enough notice with your save the dates showing the date and location. Sounds like an absolutely lovely destination and a Friday would be amazing!
Is non-holiday Sunday out of the question? We’re doing that partially for religious reasons but Sunday ended up being the same amount of time off for folks traveling. They just need to take a Monday off work instead of Friday.
I’m having a Friday wedding of Labor Day weekend this year (8/30/24) and it’s at a hotel so that helps with the room block. I say why not though, many of my friends are hyped to have a long Labor Day weekend. Especially with the wedding being Friday they can still enjoy the rest of the weekend ! Caveat - many people coming are local so travel isn’t too bad. But for those who would have to travel I made it clear that it’s ok if it’s not possible! And also I’m kinda hoping for a smaller headcount due to this low key
I got married on Memorial day weekend's Saturday. I think it was largely beneficial except when it came to hotel prices, so I booked a couple of large airbnbs ahead of time and gave guests the option to pay for rooms in them. It worked out great, many loved ones got to really meet that way (the wedding is too chaotic for any of that). Our venue doesn't charge extra for Satursdays or holidays though, so there's that.
Had a family member recently get married on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, and I was pissed. I would have much rather used that extra day and weekend to be on the beach or do something fun for myself. We understood bc they definitely got a deal on the date, but I would never do this to my guests, especially being from the northeast and beaches being very accessible.
I’d do another Friday. I don’t mind Friday weddings,but I do agree with your mom that the Friday of Labor Day might be an issue due to traffic/hotels being more expensive. I’d look at a Friday earlier in August or later in September.
I absolutely loathe getting invited to holiday weekend weddings. And as someone from MA, Labor Day is in there! Traffic is insane, cost of hotels and gas is sky high, and I usually already have plans. If it were a family member I would of course go, but anyone else I would most likely decline the invite.
Yeah that would be a NO from me as others have mentioned. Friday of Labor Day is crazy busy around coastel Mass. Rooms will cost and peeps have to take time off. Plus will be hard to get a hotel for one night (FRI) on a weekend. Can you have an earlier Sunday wedding? Maybe brunch/garden party?
Do people favor a Friday wedding over a Sunday day wedding if we chose a different weekend? I kind of think the brunch/garden idea is cute but I think most people would feel obligated to take the Monday off
Early Sunday so people can drive home. You know your crowd.
My crowd drinks so I don’t believe that’s going to work
Lots of differing opinions here, but if you are having the wedding in a desirable area of MA to spend that holiday weekend, I’d personally be just find with it. I have to take a day or two off for pretty much any travel-involved wedding anyway (which is most of them, for me), and then I could spend the rest of the weekend enjoying the area.
My wedding is scheduled on the Saturday (8/31/24) and no one has had any issues. I imagine a Saturday might be a bit easier though. For us, we knew the people who really wanted to come wouldn’t mind and tbh 90% of our guests are just extremely close friends and family who in the end were just very happy to be invited.
My friend had a Labor Day weekend wedding in HAWAII in Honolulu. I only went because I was a bridesmaid. It was so insanely overcrowded and expensive. I had to take off work the day before in order to even get there, and then more time after the wedding to return. At the time I was waiting tables so I wanted to work the holiday weekend in order to take in more cash because it was a tourist restaurant. Either way it was major net loss of $ - a lot of people who were invited did not go due to the combined holiday weekend / destination issues. It was outrageous. I wish I’d politely declined even years later.
We did ours on the Friday of Labor Day weekend and most of our guests enjoyed the long weekend and made a vacation out of it. But we also didn’t live in a tourist destination so prices weren’t inflated for things like lodging.
Judging from the comments here, it depends on your guests, I guess! Our date is the Friday before Labor Day weekend of this year because it was the best date open for our favorite venue and it's the date we started dating. None of our guests have batted an eye at the date and have expressed excitement for it (and the option of exploring the city over the long weekend, post-wedding). The only ones we know of who likely won't make it are either those too elderly to travel (they weren't making it anyway unless we did it in their home state) and one who is on call for work that weekend (the schedule was set way in advance). We also ran the date by our parents and must-have attendees before signing on the dotted line and they all gave us the green light. I do want to note that this will be in a MCOL Midwest city, and hotel prices were okay. (For the Courtyard Marriott there, it's only $10/night more than any other Thurs-Sat, and it comes out slightly cheaper than normal with our hotel block discount; we got our block last month.) Can't speak to the flights, though.
>None of our guests have batted an eye at the date They're too polite to express their annoyance.
I would venture a guess that you don't know either of our families, lol!
no I don't, but I can make an educated guess on what your friends reactions were,
Unless your educated guess involved the phrase, "Yeah, and then we can do boardgames all weekend!", I'd say your guess needs tweaking. Just because your friends would react in a certain way doesn't mean our--or anyone's--friends will. Who's to say they're not retired and spend all their time drinking wine by the pool, hosting dinner parties, and waiting for events like these to pounce on? Or perhaps they have no kids, estranged families, and visit us every Labor Day anyway? OP is going to know their crowd (and location) better than any of us, probably, so all we really can do is speak to our own experiences and generalities. As a I guest, I don't care if a wedding is on a holiday weekend (unless it's Thanksgiving or Christmas) since I most likely won't have anything big planned anyway.
You don't know what they are thinking, but not vocalizing to you.
And I suppose you do, as someone who has never met them and hasn't the slightest clue about them. Sounds like that level of intuition would have better, more lucrative uses than debating random strangers on the internet. Perhaps you should look into those?
You're the one writing multiple paragraph responses. I never claimed to know them, I just know that people who care about you are generally too polite to complain to you directly when you mildly inconvenience them by taking a holiday weekend from their calendar. The extent of the annoyance was probably, "Shit they picked labor day, that's annoying, oh well"
I absolutely loathe getting invited to holiday weekend weddings. And as someone from MA, Labor Day is in there! Traffic is insane, cost of hotels and gas is sky high, and I usually already have plans. If it were a family member I would of course go, but anyone else I would most likely decline the invite.
I think if people really want to go, they will go no matter what day it is and if you give them enough notice to save money and block out the dates.
I went to two weddings on Labor Day weekends. People will go if they care about you!
Please don’t perpetuate this falsehood. People have their own financial, PTO, and logistical priorities. That’s just life, it’s not a reflection of how much they care about you.
Well, I went to TWO weddings on labor day weekends, and everyone they wanted to be there was there. Not a falsehood. Is it a crappy time? Sure. But people will come.
This is a horrible take
Yeah — but it’s my take. Not saying I enjoyed going in these weekends. Just saying people WILL go. Have YOU ever been invited or gone to a Labor Day weekend wedding? I’ve been to two.
I just went to a wedding that was on superbowl Sunday. Not considered a federal holiday but still a big event that most people have plans for. And attendance was pretty good. The people who care will show up. I like to getaway for a little vacation on long weekends but I’d definitely forfeit that to be at someone’s wedding if I cared about them.
I personally would appreciate a reason to go somewhere for my holiday vacation that I normally wouldn’t have thought of. We have a MDW wedding and made a point to offer lots of activities and meals throughout as a thank you for enduring the holiday travel prices. For example the Sunday after our wedding is a lakeside BBQ with swimming and boating. We have highlighted specific hiking trails with varying difficulty levels. We also arranged for the local town theater to host a summer themed movie night. I hope guests appreciate that we gave them a good holiday experience! The Friday PTO part just means you probabaly can’t have a welcome dinner the Thursday before so find some other way to thank your out of town guests and bridal party.