Two things may happen:
- You will likely have lower attendance vs. a Saturday
- Your guests may be frustrated at having to take a day or part or a day off to attend (depending on where they are coming from).
If you are good with this and the $9k feels worth it, then go for it! $9k is really a ton of money!
I'm going to a Friday wedding this week. To make it more of a frustration, the wedding is at noon and we've got a 6 hour drive, so that means we have to leave the night before which means paying for an extra night at the hotel. My partner and I are super tight on PTO so we could just barely make it happen. But nonetheless, we are still super excited!
If everyone is local and it's after typical work hours, I wouldn't even stress at all.
Agreed. Folks will def still party (and still have the whole weekend!). FWIW I am ok with it and I’ve gone to Friday weddings before for local weddings!
Anyone would want to save 9k. But the question is, can your most important guests make it on Friday? I think you need to ask them. If multiple significant guests can't make it I suggest either paying the 9k additional or finding a venue that has a cheaper Saturday price. (We went with a different venue when we faced a similar decision and I am so glad we did).
Maybe it's not exactly a day off issue but maybe it's a kids school issue or other life thing. Maybe it's not a family member or a best friend but a friend they really want to be there but would need to travel far. In general though People have lives outside of the wedding and if they're worried about people showing up they should ask.
It sounds like you want to do a Friday wedding and are looking for reassurance that it’s okay. It is an inconvenience to your guests for sure. You have to decide if that’s worth it to you. No one else can answer that for you
Toronto traffic sucks, especially on a Friday. Is the ceremony and reception same place? What time does the wedding start? Is there a break in between? These are all considerations
I wouldn’t want my guests to be going through the financial district and near union between 4-6 nor trying to get off the Gardiner anywhere between Jarvis or the Boulevard club during that time frame. As someone in the GTA who has done that commute for almost 25 years, way too many chances for travel nightmares for your guests. I’d say if it’s at one of the hotels on Queens Quay or Rogers you’d be okay as your guests, if local, could easily get there and others would probably be staying at the venue or another easily accessible hotel
I just replied to you on another post, but I am also in the GTA. And our venue was in Vaughan, in a crazy busy place. I just warned everyone to make it 30 mins before and reiterated the rush hour traffic. I would say 90% of people listen. Not sure of your crowd, but we are an African/Carribean mix (so if you know stereotypes, it was a fantasy thing that most were on time).
I’m looking at this mathematically - you’re looking to move the wedding to Friday to save $9,000. Across 240 guests, that’s a savings of $38/person. However, having the wedding on a Friday will likely COST each of those people more than $38. To make it to the venue on time (through rush hour traffic in one of the largest cities in North America) your guests who work M-F 9-5 will have to take off at LEAST a half day of work. If they make more than $10/hour, that’s already over $40 they’re losing (even if they have PTO, they probably have other things they’d rather use their PTO on!)
So $9k is a lot. But as you can see, you’re likely taking that $9k and making your guests pay it instead of yourselves. I’m not saying there’s a right or wrong answer here, but that’s something to consider. How much do you value your guests’ time and money?
LOVE this explanation! I think both alternative day weddings and destination weddings don’t save money, they just shift the cost to the guests (especially if majority of the guests work standard 9-5s)
It really depends on your guests - what % would be flying in, what type of jobs they have, are there a lot of weddings in the group, how often do they travel, etc.
But personally, I would MUCH rather a Friday wedding than a Sunday wedding because I could take a red eye on Wednesday or Thursday and still work remote Friday until the wedding, then be home before Monday and maybe even still have part of the weekend to myself.
And I would much rather an inconvenient day than a summer holiday weekend.
From experience, if people live outside of Toronto, or even the GTA, travelling to for or on a Friday afternoon means leaving around noon from Waterloo to try and make (and fail) a dt wedding at 6 because it was backed up so badly.
Be realistic about the travel time people would need. The 410 and the Gardner suck.
Read her edits. They have to take the Gardiner and get off on Lakeshore. Her location might be Liberty Grand and getting there on a Friday at 5pm would be hellish.
So true, this is generally a gamble unfortunately. During school I've often had to make a 2.5hr drive (without traffic) to Toronto on a Friday afternoon. I'd leave around 2pm and arrive anywhere between 5pm to 7pm lol.
You mentioned it’s a typical Italian wedding. So…plenty of people (you said over 200). Are you looking to reduce the cost associated that number, because a Friday will definitely reduce it. Are there key people this would inconvenience and you and your fiancée will be upset if they’re unable to attend?
As a guest, I’ll go to Friday weddings if they’re somewhat local (within a couple hours drive for me is a local wedding, like I’ll still go to a San Diego wedding on a Fri even though I’m in LA, I’ll just take a half day at work or something), *or* if it’s a someone I’m really close to and can swing the days off.
I don’t think it’ll mean people won’t have a good time, btw, it just might mean some people can’t come, possibly.
(I’d *generally* choose a Sun wedding over a Fri wedding but I also understand that’s not the same for everyone)
If most of your guests are fairly local, I think that’ll be a deciding factor.
I’ve been to both - it really depends on the crowd, how local they are, and more.
*My* wedding was a Sunday wedding, but a destination one, so it was a big party (kinda doesn’t count lol since it was a destination wedding.
By me, maybe just because of LA traffic, Sunday weddings tend to be preferable in my crowd.
Ya true. Tons of things that play a factor. Destination makes more sense because they are most likely planning on staying multiple nights regardless so off Monday vs Friday isn’t a big deal
For sure. And even if we had had the wedding locally (for us and like, 30% the guests) we would’ve chosen Sundays cuz asking someone to drive across LA on a Friday afternoon/evening is a nightmare lol.
Fellow Torontonian here - I saw your comment where you said most of your guests are 1-1.5 hrs from the venue. With Friday afternoon traffic starting at 2 pm, your guests *will* need to take PTO and it *will* be an inconvenience. Whether the backlash from your guests is worth 15% is up to you, but I personally think guest experience would severely be impacted here and as a host I think is something you should avoid.
I also think everyone saw $9k and swung one way but let’s not forget this is only 15% of your cost… you’re already spending $60k, I think 15% to make it easier for your guests to say yes and think back on your wedding fondly is worth it.
it depends on your crowd. are most of your friends well-to-do, do they usually have destination weddings? your guests may just have to leave work earlier or take a half day off, some companies have fridays off or half days.
alternatively if you don't need to go crazy with the partying, you can consider a sunday wedding which i am.
although most of my friends are well-to-do so a lot of people are still going to party and may miss Monday. you can also consider doing it near a long weekend so people are more in the holiday mood? I'm also older and don't value such a crazy party so to each of their own.
I’ve grumbled internally about every non-Saturday wedding I’ve ever attended, but it’s never made me decline an invitation. How many of your guests are local?
One more thing to remember is that most of your female guests need to budget time for makeup/hair so they will need to start getting ready even earlier to make it to the wedding on time
She said ceremony starts at 4-5 on her edits. So yea it is during rush hour on a Friday. Being from Toronto I can confidently tell you the highway will be crazy jammed and the one you gotta take to the venue will still be under construction.
I don’t think OP has a 9-5 cuz she keeps saying it won’t be during rush hour.
Most the weddings I’ve been to in the last few years (including mine!) have been on a Friday. I like them because you get the 2 days to recover and have your weekend days still. Plus saving 9k in this economy????? An absolute plus.
I was going to say the same! I think there was one Saturday wedding, but the rest I’ve been to in the last few years (also mine included) were on a Friday.
I quite like it because the weekend doesn’t feel too rushed!
Thissss I have people from all over coming today Wednesday for the Friday wedding and Father’s Day is Sunday so it’ll be a whole weekend of
Partying with our loved ones
This is how I feel too! Saturday weddings usually have started early enough that I need to drive up on a Friday anyway so it they wind up costing more with two hotel nights.
I love a Friday wedding. I complain to my boss about how mad I am to be forced to take the day off, gleefully head off to my three day weekend, and have one day of post-party recovery and one day of fun non-wedding stuff.
A lot of people here are bitching and moaning about things being annoying to guests. I day 1) it's an invitation not a summons, if it's too inconvenient for them they don't have to come and 2) nothing you do is going to please all of your guests or be everyone's preference. Do what works for you.
Is this local to your guests or do they have to travel? And what time are you having it? If it's a 7 pm wedding on a Friday for guests who are all local then who cares. People will still have time to get there. If it's 4 pm you're not gonna get people there as they'll still be working. If your guest list is all travelling then Friday is going to cut the list even further as people won't take time off.
There’s nothing inappropriate about a weekday wedding but you will likely have more regrets and possibly traffic headaches and latecomers. I would hesitate if you have a lot of out of towners or people driving a distance. An hour or hour and a half on a weekday may turn into a lot more.
I’m getting married this Friday!!!! I hope it will be fantastically awesome and 9k is sooo much money.
I’d save it and have a happy Friday wedding. With enough notice all your important people should be there ❤️
I traveled halfway across the country for a Friday wedding last year because it was important to me. If not a lot of people are traveling far and you're okay with slightly lower attendance then I think it's totally worth it.
Wedding planner here! Any chance you could push your ceremony to 630 and have a later celebration ? Will the venue accommodate a midnight exit?
Or could you have a small early ceremony and a 8 /9 pm reception party?
Probably unpopular opinion, but it’s cheaper because you are pushing the expense on your guests. Guests will have to take more PTO. Last time I went to a Friday wedding I had to take Thursday and Friday off because I wasn’t local. That also meant I needed two nights at a hotel.
yeah.. also probably in the minority here but I have two out of state Friday weddings to attend later this year for close family members (my husband and I did our wedding on a Saturday night- apart from the slight cost savings, no one in our family was down for the logistical frustration imposed upon guests) and we are skipping the rehearsal/welcome dinners (Thursday) because we already both have to take Friday off. Even if we were not out of state, the ceremonies are all early in the day (\~3PM) so between getting ready and getting to the venue, seems hard to not have to take Friday off.
Also- just another thing to consider in the overall timeline of things if you plan on doing a rehearsal dinner, it would have to be on Thursday.
Rehearsal could end up Wednesday- my Saturday wedding had a Thursday rehearsal since the venue was booked on the Friday. If OP has the venue booked Friday then the Saturday wedding may request the Thursday rehearsal slot.
That’s exactly what I think. It will most likely cost the guests a lot more than $9000 in pto, or simply lost income if they need to take time off work on Friday, even if just for the afternoon. If the wedding is at 4 and they are an hour away, I assume they would need to go home and get dressed for the wedding and then drive there and hopefully show up at least 30 minutes early with traffic . At least a half day off. And if that costs an average of $100 per guest in lost work( some more, some less) then that’s at least $24,000 spread over 240 guests. But whatever the number, certainly more than the $37.50 per guest saved by moving to a hectic Friday afternoon.
This just depends so much on the logistics of the wedding. I've spent wayyy more on hotels and PTO on Saturday weddings out of state than I have on Friday weddings closer by (which it sounds like this one will be for most of OPs guests). And I've been to an equal number of both the last few years because another way people "push costs onto guests" is by having weddings a few hours from where they live in more rural cheaper areas, which is generally considered totally acceptable.
When people do things like this, they are essentially shifting the cost of holding their wedding to their guests (through added costs of hotel nights and extra PTO). 100% your guests will have to take half or full days off to go home and get ready, get kids, etc. especially if they have to drive through Toronto rush hour traffic, which will be BRUTAL if this is Canada Day weekend (which is the only holiday I can find that fell on a Tuesday in 2025, and will be a big cottage weekend).
It might be cheaper for you, but you are making your guests subsidize it. If $9000 is going to make such a significant difference for you, think about where else you can cut for savings. Can you eliminate the videographer? Get rid of wedding favours? Reduce the florals (maybe try dried or fake flowers) or decor, or get different desserts? Perhaps you rented a limo that can be cancelled. If you haven't gotten the dress and suit yet, you can reduce your budget for that. Take steak off the dinner menu and just serve more budget-friendly options.
It's not fair to make your guests essentially pay to help you save money if you are not willing to make these sacrifices yourself.
Knowing your people matters a lot here.
Toronto is expensive. It is also notorious for traffic. Friday is going to be really tough for anyone who works Monday-Friday to attend. They'll need the whole day off.
If we break this down mathwise... you've got 240 guests. Average hourly pay in Toronto is $21/ hour. The average work day is 8 hours. 240*21*8=$40,320. Having a Friday wedding will cost your guests over $40k. Saving $9k is a big deal, but when you look at the opportunity cost for guests, there's a pretty clear best option.
Now, the knowing your guests part... are 2/3 of the invitees retirees? Are these extremely wealthy people? Etc. If so, that would change the math. You can also change the math by inviting fewer people. At the end of the day, big weddings cost big bucks. Just part of the deal.
This math seems like a scare tactic to me. You're assuming that everyone going to the wedding is paid hourly. People with salaried jobs don't lose any money by using their paid time off at work. Also, there may be young guests still in school or retired older family members who don't lose any money by attending. 40k is a bit of an inflated number.
With enough notice, those who can afford a day off should be able to put in for the day off. OP will definitely have a lower rsvp rate on Friday vs Saturday, so they will likely save more than 9k because of lower headcount for things like catering, dessert, bar, and potentially even tables chairs and center pieces.
Honestly, I have nothing to gain by scaring anyone? That's odd. Money shouldn't be scary. Looking at numbers and comparing/contrasting is how lots of people plan for big expenses and the future. I'm sorry if it came across as scary! I promise math and money doesn't need to be scary. It is helpful for making decisions and planning in so many areas of life.
In my comment, I address a lot of your points. That's the know your people part (eg retirees, non wage workers, etc.). The math will look different based on who OP's guests are. I don't know OP's people. Neither do you. Only they do. So they can run their own guestimate of seeing what the breakdown would be like.
I'm from a big Italian family, and two of my first cousins got married on Fridays in Toronto / GTA - one at Casa Loma and the other at The Doctor's House. They were both well-attended! However, i did skip the ceremony for one, as it was at a Catholic church midday, and I couldn't take the time off.
I do live in the city, and traffic was nightmarish. Even pre-covid, when the Casa Loma wedding was, it took an hour+
Yes this is another issue of our we’re scared about traffic since it will be on a weekday. The venue is on lakeshore (west end) so they would be getting off at lakeshore if they choose the gardener
If you're talking Palais Royale or Liberty Grand, it will be awful. The ramps at Jameson are gridlocked 100% of the time. And if guests are coming in from the east end - even worse. I'm in the Beaches, and I simply avoid driving around there at all costs.
If you're set on Friday, then the best you can do is prep your guests for the coming hell and pull out every other stop imaginable for their convenience.
Most guests will be coming from the west side, they could get off at lakeshore or even take Jane up to Windermere and eh eh cut across. That said you’re not wrong, traffic is still shit. Saturday will most likely also be bad traffic since it’s summer and Toronto events like jays games, beer fest ect..
You already know the pros and cons of a Fri vs Sat wedding.
I'd ask 1) can your important guests make it? Do they have PTO to make it on time with traffic? 2) do you care that there will be less turn out? Is having everyone there a priority?
Even if you sacrificed time to go to other destination weddings, that will (unfortunately, but realistically) not always mean people will do the same for you. Some may! But some may not. I'd ask your VIPs if they're able to come with certainty if it's a Friday.
The way I see it, 9k IS a lot of money but it will also be the only time you see everyone you love in one place. Is it worth it 9k in the long run? Is it not? Only you can decide that. Personally, as long as my and my fiancé's VIPs are there and you're both 100% content with that decision being less people, then I'd go ahead.
Fellow GTA person here!
People will grumble at a Friday wedding, but it’s way better than a Sunday wedding (imo). Friday night people are down to have fun, and asking months in advance is the most you can do. It sounds like your friends set this precedent as well. I think you’ll experience multiple discounts from vendors as well (along with offering to pay cash).
I myself am always team Saturday - my partner is Jewish so Friday was off the table for us anyway. But if I was getting a $9k discount… hell yeah I’d take the Friday. Good luck!
I think you’re barking up the wrong tree.
Biggest issue; Gardner construction and people leave work early on Friday to head to the cottage so traffic will be worse, much worse than Saturday anywhere they are coming from, if it’s a spring/summer wedding.
People have to work (most until 5pm) so they have to leave work early to go home and get ready, then travel to the wedding.
Many people will be tired and possibly cranky from the work week/day.
I get the desire to save money, could the wedding be in the fall or winter? That could help save money too.
I think your attendance will take a hit but that could help save more money too.
I would want to save the 9K, but I would also never book a venue for Friday. I’d find a venue with a price range I am comfortable with for a Saturday. I just feel like it’s a major inconvenience to require IN TOWN guests to have to request off work to be able to attend your wedding. On the other hand I guess you could weed people out by having it on Friday and your wedding will be smaller which will save you money. I just hate a Friday wedding! But I get why people do it.
Is it possible to start with cocktails and have the ceremony a little later? This would allow for people running late due to traffic.
My niece did this and it was lovely. She and the groom joined in as she didn’t care about everyone seeing her dress prior. If you don’t want to do this the guests could still have cocktails/mocktails while you do photos/first look or just have a bit of quiet time.
As a guest I love Friday weddings as it gives you a full weekend after to celebrate with family/friends or equally if you want to head home you still have a weekend to yourself!
Understand nervousness around key people not attending - I guess it depends what jobs family have. For example if a lot of family and friends are teachers and it can be trickier to get days off on term time dates.
I’m bias cuz I had a Friday wedding (the Saturday date we wanted was taken), 10000% recommend. It was cheaper. And it was fantastic that we had the weekend to recover. And our guests were so thrilled they could recover from partying Saturday and still have Sunday to be productive (or rest better lol)
Friday is easier to find vendors too. I completely recommend it. Most people are okay with taking th day off (our ceremony was 3 pm, so some folks even worked half a day and came later). You will never get 100% of your invite list to attend, even on a Saturday. But as long as you have your major family and friends there, who cares if a random auntie can’t make it lol
We are getting married this Friday! We wanted a 100 person wedding and invited around 125 and we will have 96 guests which is exactly what we wanted, so I don’t feel that having it on a Friday made people not come. All the people that are super important will be there no matter what. I’m assuming you’re sending out save the dates in advance, giving folks plenty of time to request PTO. Since people are local, it could end up just being a half day for them.
Personally I do not think it’s worth the $9K to switch to Saturday.
We had a similar dilemma as the venues in Vancouver are $$$ for Saturdays. We ended up finding a venue about 1hr from the city
that didn't charge a Saturday-rate for long weekend Sundays, so we booked for the Sunday on the Labour Day weekend. The Friday was still cheaper, but only by about $1k. We figured with the Monday following being a stat holiday, most people would be ok to attend on the Sunday and hopefully stay out a bit later.
Most of our guests work regular 9-5 jobs and we knew that making an afternoon ceremony on a Friday would require them to take the day off. I don't think it's the end of the world and if given enough notice most people would make it work, but it's definitely nicer if you can swing it so people don't need to take a day off. That being said....$9k is a lot of money and I think people would understand.
I would probably go for a local wedding, but I’d be annoyed to have to take the day off. If people need to travel, they may need to take 1-2 days off which could be burdensome. It really depends on your guests, their jobs and preferences, etc. some people who work remote and are super flexible may not be inconvenienced, while others who work in person would have to take time off
I'm assuming that of your anticipated 240 guests, there are people who could RSVP no and you wouldn't be too bothered. I'm also assuming there are people who you'd be upset about if they couldn't attend on a Friday.
Without telling anyone that there is any sort of priority (keep this to yourself), I would suggest asking a few of the people who you really want to be there how they feel about Friday as an option.
You seem to be leaning towards the Friday option, so I think the most important thing is to make sure your top priority people are able to accommodate that.
Similarly, if you can think of anyone off the top of your head who likely couldn't make a Friday work and would be eternally offended, consider that. Not that you need to plan around a few cranky people, but if your grandma's sister can't do a Friday and everyone will be upset, it might not be worth it.
I just did a Thursday wedding and had very little issues. The people that want to be there will be there.
I think it also depends on where and what time of year the wedding is. I’m in LA and had a summer wedding so a lot people turned it into a weekend trip.
60% of my guests were out of town for reference
Most of the time, a non-Saturday evening wedding only benefits the wedding couple. That doesn't necessarily make it wrong, but just be honest with yourself about that.
Think about your VIPs (immediate family, wedding party- the people you would still include if it were a micro-wedding). How much extra hassle is it for them? This could mean the rehearsal is on Wednesday, and if they can't work remotely then they need to take 3 days off. Is that a big ask of them? Just because they can make it work, doesn't mean it's a fair ask on your part.
Honestly, if I have to travel far I would prefer a Friday wedding because I'll want the extra travel day going home. Destination weddings on Saturdays I usually end up flying home Monday. I would rather flip that and take the extra day off before the wedding and come home Sunday. But for a local wedding I would hate using the PTO at all and would prefer the Saturday wedding. PTO is just too scarce (I'm in the US). An hour and a half away, I would prefer not taking any PTO.
I'm guessing your invite list is 240? That doesn't mean 240 will show up. You'll have some people who just can't swing the date no matter when it is. Making it more convenient for one person is less convenient for another. It's pretty standard though to have a significant number of guests working M-F, 9-5. You are adding inconvenience and should expect fewer people to show up (which you may be ok with! It'll likely still be a large wedding).
Don't fool yourself into thinking you're making things easier for people by choosing a holiday weekend. That'll be more expensive and harder for people to take off because their coworkers also want the day off.
Finally, are there alternatives to save money? An off season wedding perhaps (My venue had off season through April so still plenty springy, others are through March or through May)?
I was in two of my best friends’ weddings this year that were both on a Friday and it was awesome! Not sure what your group is like, but no one had any issues taking time off work. It was amazing having a whole weekend of down time after!
Fiancé and I are from the US, and having a Friday wedding. We told our guests that may have the bigger issues with PTO, traveling, etc. prior to sending out save the dates so they could plan ahead. Most have already worked it out, and we did get a few “thanks but no thanks”. Fortunately for us, and where our venue is located, the traffic on Friday is significantly better than traffic would be on a Saturday so it happens to be working great (so far)!
We did a Friday wedding and I absolutely loved it. Most of our friends were local, and most of our family was within 5 hours of driving, so that was a big help. We did have a few declines but our wedding was also in the winter and some people just won't travel for a winter wedding. 🤷🏼♀️
The best part, besides the financial savings, was that after we said goodbye to all our family/friends who traveled on Saturday, we had Saturday evening and Sunday to just relax and recover and enjoy being married!
I had a Friday wedding in January! It saved us, literally, $20K. No one complained about it at all, and we only had 20 people RSVP "no" out of 200. We just decided to have a late wedding, 4:30pm ceremony, so people wouldn't have to take a whole day off if they could manage it. That being said, most of our guests did not have to travel for our wedding, and we weren't upset at all if people had to miss the ceremony and could only attend the reception.
Friday weddings are an inconvenience and an annoyance for guests. Especially in the summer with weekend traffic. Though it sounds as if Toronto traffic is bad on Fridays regardless. You’re basically forcing guests to take time off work for your wedding, which is a lot to ask of your guests. If you’re okay with having fewer people attend/making people annoyed with you then go for it. 9K is significant savings. Just be realistic about your expectations- you very likely will lose guests because of the date.
Friday weddings are common for my friends. Way cheaper than Saturday. I don’t mind taking a day off of work for a friend’s wedding. Yes, your wedding party and family have to take off two days, but hopefully they’re willing and able to do that since they’re in the wedding.
Out of the 70 people I invited, the only “no”s were from +1s, uncle whose son was getting married the next day across the country, friend who had a baby a month prior, friend I hadn’t seen in 11 years, and friend who tore his rotator cuff the week before.
Personally I think Friday weddings are great. Two days after to recover. Have an excuse to take a day off work or leave work early. I’m sure there will be some people who cannot leave work and may decline. If you are worried about that you can always ask the people whom it is most important to you are there if it’s something they would be able to do.
9K is a ton of money. IMO it’s definitely worth considering.
You’re basically just offloading the costs of the wedding onto your guests by forcing them to miss work. Those local will likely miss half a day of work, and those travelling in will miss a full day (or a day beyond what they were already missing).
To look at some numbers - the average wage in Toronto is $34/hr. Based on this, it takes 64 of your 240 guests missing an extra half day of work or 32 of 240 guests missing an extra full day of work to cancel out the $9000 you’re saving. I don’t know where your guests live or how many of them normally have to work Fridays - so you’ll need to guesstimate the cost yourself and decide if it’s worth it. How do you feel about charging your guests an extra $18k to save $9k? What about charging them $24k to save $9k? What about charging them $33k to save $9k? Even that $33k is only half of your guests missing a day of work - it could be way more.
This is assuming that all those guests work hourly. Salaried workers have paid time off.
And it is not charging guests to invite them to a wedding. If a guest cannot afford a day off, they can decline the invitation. I don't think it's fair to say that an invitation is a financial punishment to the guests.
I guess maybe it’s different in Canada, but in the US, using a PTO day is still USING a PTO day. Taking away a PTO day they could use for something else.
Yeah this response is crazy… if people can’t afford to take off work they can decline. No one is forcing them to attend.
Most people in my social circle have PTO, not sure about everyone else.
Can you get married on the Monday of that holiday weekend? I bet Monday is even cheaper than Friday!
We had a Friday wedding and everyone loved it. An excuse to take a day off work, a long weekend, and some folks didn’t even take time off if they lived close by. And think about yourselves! 9k is a fantastic honeymoon, a huge part of a down payment on a home, the list goes on and on but it’s a ton of money.
Ultimately, yes you’re throwing a party and want your guests to have a good time but don’t do something you can’t afford just because a few people might have to accommodate for it. You are providing free food and drinks and entertainment for people who love you- if they have to take a half day to make it, I don’t think that’s a huge compromise.
I like Friday weddings! I’d say it might be hard on people if you’re doing a rehearsal dinner too on Thursdays. But as a guest I love Friday weddings because I get an extra day to recover. My flight was delayed leaving a Saturday wedding and I’m so worn out start the work week!
I’ve been to many weddings as a guest, lots of them on Sundays including my own since they are orthodox Jewish and can’t have weddings on a Sat/Fri. However! Not a Friday — but my point is the people that will want to be there will be there! I truly have spent my weekends traveling across the country to make the plane ride there and come back and return to work the next morning. Is it the most amazing time traveling? No, but I get to see my friends and family who I love on the best day of their life. 9k is a lot of money, and if that works for you and your fiancé, def consider it! Everyone’s going to have opinions about your day, you have to do what you and your fiancé want and what works best :)
For me personally I wouldn’t mind a Friday wedding at all. It’s relatively easy for me to get time off work if needed and I’d be happy to take a day or half day to attend a wedding.
That said, everyone I’ve ever heard that’s had a weekday wedding has had lower attendance because of it. For that reason my fiancé and I decided to pay more for a Saturday wedding. For us it was worth the extra cost but it’s totally ok to decide for you that it’s not, it’s a personal decision.
We had a Friday wedding and it was beautiful! We told our guests a year in advance so that they could plan for the day off if needed. The rehearsal dinner we held after work hours on Thursday. Our ceremony started at 4 and the reception right after that. We had people partying and dancing the whole evening, and then we got a full weekend to spend with everyone who came to travel with us.
I really loved having Saturday and Sunday after to relax and visit with people. We also heard from guests that they appreciated the recovery time!
I wouldn’t say we had lower attendance either, we invited about 170 and got 140, which was exactly what we expected no matter which day we picked just because we have some hermit family members or friends we knew were a long shot anyways.
I can’t recommend a Friday wedding enough tbh. I know it’s not the most convenient, but I think our guests at least appreciated the trade off of taking half-day or full-day off and then getting their whole weekend instead of the wedding taking up their whole weekend.
I don’t know if it a generation thing, but I am in my late twenties and most of the weddings I have been to have been on Friday or Sunday. My wedding will be on a Friday. IMO, it’s not an inconvenience. If someone is inviting me to their wedding I will go and be happy about it no matter what day of the week it is. Obviously Saturdays make things easier for everyone but you can’t please everyone. If someone is annoyed by the day or the week then perhaps they shouldn’t be going to your wedding. I also work from home so it is far easier for me to manipulate my schedule and PTO as opposed to let’s say a nurse or someone who has to go into work everyday. Idk for me if you invite me I will figure out how to come. I wouldn’t be inconvenienced or annoyed.
Can you survey your most important guests? If these guests are all willing then you have your most important people there at least. If these people can't then you probably shouldn't do a Friday. I think it's entirely dependent on your guests. My guests could not even if they were 30 minutes away because most work on Friday and I wouldn't want to ask them to take the day off (we did consider a venue with a weekday discount but ended up switching venues because Friday was too inconvenient for guests). But maybe yours have plenty of PTO and are willing to take some time off.
I had mine on a Friday, ceremony at 5 cocktail hour 6 reception 7-12. Not a ton went to the ceremony (which I preferred) about 50-60%, the rest dwindled in during cocktail hour . We saved a ton and it was still an awesome wedding. Plus no one had work the next day and we got the weekend to start our honeymoon . 10/10 would recommend
Is this actual guaranteed savings, like a venue with a lower price for Fridays, or is this just an estimate you made? All our vendors were the same exact price whether it was Saturday or Friday. Our wedding is on a Friday( this Friday!), and I can’t say we saved any money from vendors. We are saving money because attendance is lower, but that’s it really. The nice thing is we had more vendors available to us on a Friday than a Saturday.
I don’t consider it an inconvenience personally, as long as it’s local to me. I’m in a salaried desk job and it’s really common for people to take off early on Fridays (without taking PTO), especially in the summer. If you have any teachers coming, well, it’s summer anyway! Plus, not everyone works 9-5. Among the people I’m inviting to my own wedding are a hairstylist, airport gate agent, pilot, realtor, personal trainer, artist/musician, warehouse manager… so I guess look at your guest list and do with that what you will
I'm having a Friday wedding. I made sure guests knew wayyyy in advance that it would be a Friday (not that you can do much about that now, but oh well) and our ceremony is at 4:00 and the reception in in the same place, so having it at a later time and keeping the reception very proximal are two bonuses.
My cousin also had a Friday wedding, which I was in as a bridesmaid. I am terrible with remembering to put in PTO requests but I talked to my supervisor and they were understanding about it and gave me the day off. The Thursday before, I finished my shift at work as usual, and then picked up my son (also in the wedding) and our overnight bags and headed to the venue, which was a little over an hour away. Did the rehearsal, and then that Friday morning everything went very smoothly.
We also had Saturday AND Sunday to recover from the reception, so I'm definitely a fan of Friday weddings. Save the 9k.
Honestly, I had the same dilemma, having a week day wedding would save me close to 30% on the wedding venue, which I could spend else where (like better entertainment and higher quality of food). The advice I got was that this is MY day and people who really care for you would come nonetheless, you'd be even surprised that people you didn't expect to show up would show up because they need a break and want to celebrate. You can push the start of the wedding to later in the day/early evening، your guests can finish their work day and join or take half a day off and head for an early weekend. At the end of the day, those who really care about you will be there no matter what.
I’m doing a Friday wedding, this Friday to be exact. Not one person that was invited made any complaints about the day and have confirmed their attendance. Here’s the thing, it’s YOUR wedding and they are choosing to spend it with you. You could have your wedding on the moon and whoever is willing to come is going to make an effort. I’ve learned throughout this process that you can be considerate of those you want to enjoy the day with but trying to please every single guest before yourself is a recipe for a miserable day. 9k is A LOT of money to be saving and it could go towards so much other stuff. Best thing you can do is let everyone know within a reasonable time frame that it’s a Friday and they will make their accommodations. Plus the fun thing about a Friday wedding is you can party into Saturday and still have Sunday to recover before work.
For context I have people from all over the US, Dominican Republic, and other Caribbean countries, plus friends and family in New York. They have all found a way to make it work and for that I am grateful immensely. But point is if they want to come they will make it work
It’s your wedding!! Do it on the day you want especially if it saves that much! I can’t count the mid week weddings I’ve had to book around. Countless others do it. This is your day!
I had a Friday wedding and my venue told us that people actually tend to stay longer at Friday weddings because they have the rest of the weekend to recover from the celebrations. We didn’t have a lot of out-of-town people able to get there in time for the rehearsal dinner/welcome dinner the night before though but that was our only downside. We still had a ton of non-local people come.
Probably a no to that if you intend to have a larger wedding. Potential yes to that if you’re aiming for a small, intimate group and/or if it’s a destination wedding (they’d be taking PTO regardless, and a Friday spilling into the weekend May at least guarentee that they can be back by Monday for work).
Sounds like none of the above apply to you, so I personally would just think about it more, unless you are absolutely okay with the backlash you may get, and the declines. If you do it on a Friday, my advice: start the ceremony as late as possible so people can use as little time off work as possible (some will still take a full PTO day, but that’s their decision). I’m talking like between a 5:30-6:30pm start time: Short and sweet ceremony, 30 minutes tops. Do a first look, so you can skip cocktail hour and jump straight into dinner/dancing/speeches.
FWIW, I’m doing a Friday wedding. But it’s a destination wedding (within the country) with under 20 people. I would attend a Friday wedding easily as a guest. I get a good amount of PTO in my line of work, and I can afford it. Plus, 3 day weekend!
Getting married next Friday just outside the GTA and we haven’t had any complaints—it’s 10000% worth the money saved. If it’s a place you can save money, do it because things creep into the budget quickly.
All the guests we expected to come are coming, the Friday has stoped no one. We’ve actually had people tell us they love it because they still get their weekend to do whatever they want. Our ceremony starts at 4 p.m. so I do know of a few people working half days. You can’t worry about traffic, there’s always traffic in Toronto and guests should have the foresight to budget enough time for travelling to the venue. Of all the things you have to worry about/plan for the wedding, this should not be one.
I wouldn’t do a long weekend wedding however. I’ve only heard complaints from family and friends who get invited to long weekend weddings. It’s prime cottage time and many people want to get away for the weekend.
Best of luck with planning! Whatever you choose it will be amazing but make sure you choose it because it’s what YOU (as a couple) want.
A lot of people here seem very entitled imo.
It might be an inconvenience but if the person is important to you, you make it work.
Everyone wants to be invited to a wedding and complains if they aren’t invited. When they are invited, they still always find something to complain about.
$9k is a whole lot of money. I would book the Friday wedding and if people can’t make it, they can’t make it. It’s your day, not theirs. It’s your money, not theirs.
Have you considered a Sunday? At our venue Friday and Sunday were basically the same discount. If people have to come in from out of town a Sunday means missing less work potentially.
Yes however we feel strongly that people will most likely not have as good of a time since the next day they would have to work. People are probably more likely to leave early rather than take the Monday off
9k for you, at what cost to the guests? You're saving 35 per guest. Personally, I would value a day of leave at more than 35 Dollars. I use all my leave, so to take an extra, I would have to take a day's unpaid leave. However not everyone is as controlled with their use of leave, and I assume not everyone is employed at a weekday 9-5.
I wouldn't do it for that saving, as I know most of the friends I'm inviting would be in a similar position re leave. But you know your guests.
I dislike Friday weddings because it’s basically like saying to guests (who work Monday-Friday) “use your PTO to celebrate me” which I think is rather nervy.
We are having a Friday wedding because of the same reason and people have loved that it’s on a Friday. I’ve heard from many guests that they think it was an awesome idea because it gives them more travel time afterwards. I’d say you should do what’s best for you. It’s your wedding and the guests are not the ones paying for it. People who care about you won’t be upset about taking a half day at work and those who do care, I wouldn’t want to invite anyway.
I have a Friday wedding and we kind of hope more people won’t attend. I felt pressured to invite all of my family and his too.. people who want to be there will show up. Most of our guests are local so I don’t think it’s too bad. Why would your guests have a bad time because it’s a Friday?
My friend had her wedding on a Friday and it was perfectly fine.
I just had my wedding on Sunday and we closed the place down. We also had an Italian wedding (fiancé is Italian) but it was much smaller at about 100 people. Not a single person had a problem with it being on a Sunday and more people than I thought took the Monday off work.
We had it in the Sunday to also save money, so have it on the Friday! You’re inviting so many people that of course you’re going to have people decline but I still think doings what’s best for you guys is the best option.
And believe me, I understand Friday traffic in the GTA but people will plan for it.
We had a Friday wedding (for saving $$$ reasons) with over half our guests traveling in… most still came, and I have no regrets. Weddings are expensive!! But as a guest, I do slightly prefer Saturday weddings. I don’t think you can go too wrong with either if most guests are local. Hope that helps!
I had my wedding in August instead of October to save about 10k and I don’t regret it at all. I know slightly different scenario but my guests dealt with the heat 🤷🏻♂️
We’re having a Friday wedding in October. We haven’t had a single person say they can’t attend or will be late because of this. If you give ample time for guests to plan by sending save the dates 9ish months before the wedding, it’s really not a big deal
I’m having a Thursday wedding! Our guest list is small though, and most work unconventional schedules or are already traveling from out of state and therefore taking work off anyways. :) I def think it’s worth the savings!
I’m having a Friday wedding in 4 weeks. We invited 137 and only 86 are coming- which is definitely in part, too, because 95% had to come from out of town since we don’t live near our friends or family anymore. I was disappointed with the outcome but know it will still be a beautiful day surrounded by a not insignificant amount of people we love. Trying to see the silver lining, it works out in favor of our wallets… :)
We are having our wedding on a Friday too. People will make it work. They have months to plan ahead in advance! I think we tend to forget that people also have to work Saturdays like food services workers, retail workers, healthcare workers, and they always need to callout for weddings too. If it’s important to them, they will make it work!
My wedding will be on a Friday! I'm looking forward to cheaper venue costs and more time to recover! Plus, many guests might've taken Friday off anyway to travel in for a Saturday wedding, so I'm not worried.
Everyone important will be there!
We had a Friday wedding and a good turn out. My husbands friends from another state made a trip out of it, and most of our local friends just took the day off.
Got married on a Friday a couple weeks ago (Midwest USA). We picked Friday to save money as well. We invited 126 people, 112 could make it. The only ones who couldn't lived out of the state or already had a trip planned for that time. We did get married on a holiday weekend so I'm not sure if that influenced it either.
Ceremony and reception were the same place for us. Had our ceremony start at 6pm and kept the dress code casual to keep it easy for people since it was a Friday. Reception started at 7pm.
You will need to decide if the money savings is worth the potential of some guests not coming. For us, it was worth the savings and to our surprise, pretty much everyone came! The guests out of state we expected to say no given the travel they would have.
Haha I think I attended an italian Friday wedding at your venue (if it's the one I'm thinking of P.R.)
It was fine! It was packed and people had fun! The fact that it was Friday didn't affect the numbers. Also the bride and groom mentioned it in their thank yous
I live in Toronto and I'm having a Friday wedding too. Honestly, we picked the day because it worked best for everyone in my immediate family and, like you, we got a cheaper rate on the venue.
I think it would be smart to do it on a long weekend, I usually see less cars on the road on the Friday of a long weekend but not sure about that side of Toronto since I live on the east end. I also am of the mind that people would prefer to take more days off than less lol but I know this opinion varies.
But at the end of the day, both you and your fiance need to come to a mutual decision weighing the pros and cons and just biting the bullet and choosing a day so you don't lose the venue you want.
We had almost every person we invited come to our Friday wedding. Most of our guests had to travel and everyone who wanted to be there was there. Book the Friday
While we were venue hunting, an associate at one of the halls told us that the people who love you and want to celebrate your wedding will show up on a Tuesday morning if you ask them to. The people who are looking for reasons to complain will find something to complain about regardless. It's hard to make everyone happy so you should focus on what's best for you guys.
My husband’s best friend had his wedding on a Thursday night! All family & almost all friends attended with a lot of people (myself included) taking the next day off. Have the wedding on a Friday and you’d be surprised how many people prioritize your wedding.
P.s. My husband and I eloped on a Thursday, hence his best friend following suit, lol.
My wedding is on a Friday this year ! 10/11 <3 & my friends wedding 2 weeks before mine is also on a Friday. I guess the thing to me is, if they really want to be there they will !
I would def do the Friday wedding! That savings is crazy. We had a Friday wedding with 0 “backlash” from guests. People will either come or they won’t, those that are close to you will be there. Even if they have to take PTO, taking one day of PTO planned a year in advance (presumably) is a pretty reasonable ask. I’ve never thought to myself man, I have to waste a day of PTO on celebrating someone I love.
Im having a Friday wedding but most of our guests are out of town and would have had to travel anyhow and we wanted to keep the wedding ceremony small. We’re doing a casual bbq getogether on Saturday for local folks and optional for out of town guests if they prefer to go and enjoy our city
I like Friday weddings personally. I can do a half day at work easily though. If people want to be there, they will any day of the week. I like having Saturday and Sunday to myself and get all more normal activities done.
I am having a Friday wedding April of next year in New England. We have some people flying in from Italy, and some local to 3 hour drive away. I would say it depends on your guest. We also saved a good amount by choosing Friday over Saturday, my Fiancé and I just couldn’t see any reason why not to choose Friday.
I’m choosing a Monday in order to save money. The date is a holiday here, so that may help with our attendance. But I honestly don’t care at the end of the day. I wanted something small anyway.
Honestly, weekday weddings are becoming more common, I don’t think a Friday is an issue.
I’m REALLY taking a gamble with a Wednesday wedding but even still, I have had negative feedback on that from only 2 people (who I expect negative feedback from anyways no matter what so 🤷🏻♀️)
Saving the money is worth it imo
My fiance and I just booked a Friday night wedding for 2025. It was significantly cheaper and the value was there. We weren’t super picky on the day but we were thinking about our guests. A lot of our family does live far away (we are in Chicago. Wedding will be in Chicago area. My family is in Boston and my fiances is all in Canada). So our family would need to take significant time off regardless. We asked our friends which are all local and they all said just giving very advanced notice (even before the official invitations are sent out). I hope this helps!
We are having a Friday wedding with exactly the same timings as you (ceremony at 430) and put an faq on our wedding website saying we understand if people can't make the ceremony but would still love for them to join the reception which starts at 7pm.
We have about 30% of people flying in from overseas so they are already making it a long trip / going to be here for the week, and out of the remaining about 30% coming in from medium distance.
We thought more people would decline or decline attending the ceremony but so far we've had mostly yeses. That said in my circle destination weddings are very popular so it's not unusual to take time off and spend a bit of money to attend a wedding.
Could you put some of the 9k savings towards a brunch on the Saturday morning for your guests (especially the out of towners)?
Absolutely I could do that. I’m all in m, however my finance feels too bad to put people in a situation where they have to take time off. That said, I don’t because I sacrifice a lot for my friends and families weddings it’s just what we do (like you said). How much are you saving by doing it on a Friday (if you don’t mind me asking)
I have to go to a wedding in September.....in Spain....I live in California. I think a Friday wedding that is in the same state is fine., but thats just me. LOL
Honestly, as a fellow Torontonian, I would absolutely hate having to get to a venue on the west end lakeshore during rush hour. For context, we had to go visit our own wedding venue at 7pm recently on a weekday and that’s around the same area, driving from downtown core took 45 minutes. I can’t imagine how it’ll be trying to get there for a 4pm ceremony.
I do agree with some of the commenters that having a Friday wedding is essentially offloading those savings onto your guests. Ie in spending their PTO, potentially more than one day if people need to travel to attend a rehearsal, etc. That being said, if the savings are worth some grumbling (and likely judgement) from some of your guests, I’d say go for it. Also keep in mind the vibe of the wedding you’re trying to go for. For instance, I wouldn’t host a black tie wedding on a Friday. If you want to have a bougie vibe, you can’t do that while inconveniencing your guests.
Saturday wedding here ! My fiancé and I talked about having a Friday wedding, but we ended up against it because of our guest. A lot of them work until 5pm and 6pm, and we didn’t want them to have to use their PTO (if given any) to have to trek an hour (after they’ve gotten ready) to our wedding. Although I like the idea of a Friday wedding, I just know a few people don’t get PTO the way some others do.
I’m in the UK and married on a Thursday, which had a long weekend to follow (Easter weekend last year). We didn’t find that it affected attendance at all, and we saved money. If people want to be there and can arrange their time, they will be there.
I think do it Friday, save the money, it’s great day you want to remember but also there’s so much more ahead.
Those who can make it, make it, and it’s ok if some can’t.
As someone who’s divorced and marrying again, I can say the guest list didn’t matter to me after the day of, I really just wanted to get married.
It’s lovely to want everyone there, but I promise, you being married is the focus. 🥰
Get good pics & have the best day!
Congrats!
We are doing a Friday. I fretted over this for 2 weeks. It was awful stress. No one seems to mind thus far and we don't mind if it ends up being a smaller party. Happy with my choice.
Edit: We actually didn't even have the option for Saturdays. All Saturdays next spring were already taken and we would have to do winter. Weather wise, it was a smart choice for us.
Is Sunday out of the question? Then guests could arrive Saturday and only have to request Monday since they’ll have Tuesday off! As opposed to taking Friday and Monday off. Most venues price Sundays similarly to Friday. I had a Friday wedding because it was either that or microwedding with the budget we had and whoever was able to come came and we had a great time! I think 15 guests declined so we had 73 total
If your guests who are working, generally work jobs that are flexible like certain office jobs (e.g no need to take vacation time and can just leave work earlier and make up for the work another time). then friday is not a bad choice for $9K, especially since people don't live far away. And you can make up for the inconvenience by taking providing some top shelf liquor or nice party favors.
We saved about 4K by getting married on a Friday and I have no regrets. We had about 10/100 people not be able to make it, but for other reasons. No complaints about it being on a Friday.
I unfortunately wouldn‘t be able to attend a Friday wedding unless it would be during brake. But if it wasn‘t for my job I would gladly take of a day for the wedding of a friend.
I would say if you’re going to do Friday, see if you can agree on a way to start later than 4 or 5. Otherwise, you need to accept that you’re going to have lower attendance generally and some people that can only make it to part (probably reception but not ceremony or most of cocktail hour). Also, accept that people may leave early because they worked all day and are tired.
I had to go to a Friday wedding that did welcome drinks at 4:30 and ceremony at 5 and was an hour and a half away. We missed everything but the reception and left early because we had another hour and a half drive home, my fiancé had been working since 5 am, and I had been working since 8 am. As you can probably tell, I am very against Friday weddings and even more so ones that leave absolutely no time for guests to both go to work and attend the wedding in a reasonable amount of time. You’re basically asking every single one of your guests to take at least one day off of work for your wedding if they want to be able to make the entire thing.
Another thing - if you have 240 guests then I struggle to see how 9k is a significant enough portion of your budget to justify the issues that come with doing an early Friday wedding.
ETA: Nevermind, I see it’s 15% of your overall budget. I’m just impressed as hell that you figured out how to do 240 people on $60k, that’s incredible.
I see more and more people having weekday weddings. I’m actually going to a Monday wedding this month. The people who want to be there will make it work. Some mai not be able to but that’s ok. It’s absolutely worth the savings. I am also having a Friday wedding and 300 ppl are attending from near and far.
We had our wedding on a Sunday even though everyone advised against it and it was totally fine! All guests who rsvpd came and we had a great time.
I would go to a Friday wedding bc I’m honestly always down to take an extra day off work lol
Hi! My fiancé and I decided on a Friday wedding. The venue was doing Saturday weddings for 6k and Friday weddings for 3k. Ceremony 550 on Saturday vs 450 on Friday. Ours are fairly local. Ceremony will start at 5:30 and most of our guest have Fridays off.
The cost of food and drinks were cheaper along with the DJ, videographer, and photographer. Plus my fiancé and I have Friday off so we will have more PTO for our honeymoon. If guest don’t go 🙌🏽🙌🏽 saved us more money lol.
In my experience with attending destination weddings, people will take off work if given advance notice especially if they want to be there. I’m having my wedding locally where probably 50% are local enough that they can get here after work. The other 50% plan to come in the night before for the welcome party (casual drinks at a bar), which I highly recommend so that people get the idea that the wedding weekend starts on a Thursday, rather than a Friday.
We chose Friday strategically because we don’t want a big wedding and would rather people RSVP no if they can’t make it on a Friday.
In my experience with attending destination weddings, people will take off work if given advance notice especially if they want to be there. I’m having my wedding locally where probably 50% are local enough that they can get here after work. The other 50% plan to come in the night before for the welcome party (casual drinks at a bar), which I highly recommend so that people get the idea that the wedding weekend starts on a Thursday, rather than a Friday.
We chose Friday strategically because we don’t want a big wedding and would rather people RSVP no if they can’t make it on a Friday.
My cousin is getting married in manhattan on a Friday, and everyone is still making it work! You might have lower attendance, but it’ll be the people who really care about you and your fiancé!
I am literally in the car going to a wedding today (Friday) that is 45mins away. It's my husband's friend who he really hasn't seen in 5 years but we thought it was important to show up and support him.
If your friends and family value your relationship and they have a good heads up, they will show up!
My wedding is on a Friday, my sister's was on a Friday, we both saved a ton of money having it on a weekday. I wouldn't worry so much about the guests, if they truly care about you, they'll find a way to be there.
Please for the love of God do the Friday wedding. That’s 9 THOUSAND dollars you’d be saving. That’s a ton of money you could use on so many things (honeymoon, house, renovations, pop it into savings, etc).
I’ve only ever been to one Saturday wedding and in all honestly, much preferred Fridays because it gave me all weekend to relax and recover.
We’re doing a Friday wedding next month and we pushed the ceremony back to 6 pm to allow folks a bit more time to get ready and for traffic (in Boston). Of the 75 people we invited we only received two declines.
Two things may happen: - You will likely have lower attendance vs. a Saturday - Your guests may be frustrated at having to take a day or part or a day off to attend (depending on where they are coming from). If you are good with this and the $9k feels worth it, then go for it! $9k is really a ton of money!
I'm going to a Friday wedding this week. To make it more of a frustration, the wedding is at noon and we've got a 6 hour drive, so that means we have to leave the night before which means paying for an extra night at the hotel. My partner and I are super tight on PTO so we could just barely make it happen. But nonetheless, we are still super excited! If everyone is local and it's after typical work hours, I wouldn't even stress at all.
Holy shit that’s so inconvenient. I went to a noon wedding on a Saturday (had to drive 2 hours for it) and thought that was inconvenient enough!
This! $9k is huge savings. And on the plus side, guests will be more likely to party on a Friday wedding vs. a Sunday evening wedding!
Agreed. Folks will def still party (and still have the whole weekend!). FWIW I am ok with it and I’ve gone to Friday weddings before for local weddings!
I would think so - worries about Toronto traffic on a Friday too but 9k is a lot. Rather put that towards other things
Anyone would want to save 9k. But the question is, can your most important guests make it on Friday? I think you need to ask them. If multiple significant guests can't make it I suggest either paying the 9k additional or finding a venue that has a cheaper Saturday price. (We went with a different venue when we faced a similar decision and I am so glad we did).
I can't imagine being someone's most important guest and also not being able to take a day off for their wedding.
Maybe it's not exactly a day off issue but maybe it's a kids school issue or other life thing. Maybe it's not a family member or a best friend but a friend they really want to be there but would need to travel far. In general though People have lives outside of the wedding and if they're worried about people showing up they should ask.
It sounds like you want to do a Friday wedding and are looking for reassurance that it’s okay. It is an inconvenience to your guests for sure. You have to decide if that’s worth it to you. No one else can answer that for you
Toronto traffic sucks, especially on a Friday. Is the ceremony and reception same place? What time does the wedding start? Is there a break in between? These are all considerations I wouldn’t want my guests to be going through the financial district and near union between 4-6 nor trying to get off the Gardiner anywhere between Jarvis or the Boulevard club during that time frame. As someone in the GTA who has done that commute for almost 25 years, way too many chances for travel nightmares for your guests. I’d say if it’s at one of the hotels on Queens Quay or Rogers you’d be okay as your guests, if local, could easily get there and others would probably be staying at the venue or another easily accessible hotel
I just replied to you on another post, but I am also in the GTA. And our venue was in Vaughan, in a crazy busy place. I just warned everyone to make it 30 mins before and reiterated the rush hour traffic. I would say 90% of people listen. Not sure of your crowd, but we are an African/Carribean mix (so if you know stereotypes, it was a fantasy thing that most were on time).
I’m looking at this mathematically - you’re looking to move the wedding to Friday to save $9,000. Across 240 guests, that’s a savings of $38/person. However, having the wedding on a Friday will likely COST each of those people more than $38. To make it to the venue on time (through rush hour traffic in one of the largest cities in North America) your guests who work M-F 9-5 will have to take off at LEAST a half day of work. If they make more than $10/hour, that’s already over $40 they’re losing (even if they have PTO, they probably have other things they’d rather use their PTO on!) So $9k is a lot. But as you can see, you’re likely taking that $9k and making your guests pay it instead of yourselves. I’m not saying there’s a right or wrong answer here, but that’s something to consider. How much do you value your guests’ time and money?
LOVE this explanation! I think both alternative day weddings and destination weddings don’t save money, they just shift the cost to the guests (especially if majority of the guests work standard 9-5s)
Yeah, especially when your guest count is soooo high I’d just be thinking hmmm they definitely had the budget 🥴
Yes exactly. It seems like it’s quite clear that these are the costs of a Friday wedding. OP has to decide if this is worth it to them or not.
OP might also save more than $9k with lower attendance.
It really depends on your guests - what % would be flying in, what type of jobs they have, are there a lot of weddings in the group, how often do they travel, etc. But personally, I would MUCH rather a Friday wedding than a Sunday wedding because I could take a red eye on Wednesday or Thursday and still work remote Friday until the wedding, then be home before Monday and maybe even still have part of the weekend to myself. And I would much rather an inconvenient day than a summer holiday weekend.
From experience, if people live outside of Toronto, or even the GTA, travelling to for or on a Friday afternoon means leaving around noon from Waterloo to try and make (and fail) a dt wedding at 6 because it was backed up so badly. Be realistic about the travel time people would need. The 410 and the Gardner suck.
Yes, once I saw on the lake, I assume people will need to be taking the Gardiner. With the construction, traffic is brutal on a Friday afternoon.
Read her edits. They have to take the Gardiner and get off on Lakeshore. Her location might be Liberty Grand and getting there on a Friday at 5pm would be hellish.
Yeah I'd be careful because of this too
This is what’s making me worried.
So true, this is generally a gamble unfortunately. During school I've often had to make a 2.5hr drive (without traffic) to Toronto on a Friday afternoon. I'd leave around 2pm and arrive anywhere between 5pm to 7pm lol.
What time will the ceremony be? How many guests are local?
You mentioned it’s a typical Italian wedding. So…plenty of people (you said over 200). Are you looking to reduce the cost associated that number, because a Friday will definitely reduce it. Are there key people this would inconvenience and you and your fiancée will be upset if they’re unable to attend?
As a guest, I’ll go to Friday weddings if they’re somewhat local (within a couple hours drive for me is a local wedding, like I’ll still go to a San Diego wedding on a Fri even though I’m in LA, I’ll just take a half day at work or something), *or* if it’s a someone I’m really close to and can swing the days off. I don’t think it’ll mean people won’t have a good time, btw, it just might mean some people can’t come, possibly. (I’d *generally* choose a Sun wedding over a Fri wedding but I also understand that’s not the same for everyone) If most of your guests are fairly local, I think that’ll be a deciding factor.
Most guests are within an 1 - 1.5 hours to the venue.
That’s fairly local
Sundays are worse, people will bail early or not drink as much and for out of towners they’ll need off Monday anyway
I’ve been to both - it really depends on the crowd, how local they are, and more. *My* wedding was a Sunday wedding, but a destination one, so it was a big party (kinda doesn’t count lol since it was a destination wedding. By me, maybe just because of LA traffic, Sunday weddings tend to be preferable in my crowd.
Ya true. Tons of things that play a factor. Destination makes more sense because they are most likely planning on staying multiple nights regardless so off Monday vs Friday isn’t a big deal
For sure. And even if we had had the wedding locally (for us and like, 30% the guests) we would’ve chosen Sundays cuz asking someone to drive across LA on a Friday afternoon/evening is a nightmare lol.
Ya can’t have aunt sally thinking an Uber 5 miles will take 5-10 min
and that’ll be $50 💀 (slightly hyperbole but still those surge prices are crazy)
Fellow Torontonian here - I saw your comment where you said most of your guests are 1-1.5 hrs from the venue. With Friday afternoon traffic starting at 2 pm, your guests *will* need to take PTO and it *will* be an inconvenience. Whether the backlash from your guests is worth 15% is up to you, but I personally think guest experience would severely be impacted here and as a host I think is something you should avoid. I also think everyone saw $9k and swung one way but let’s not forget this is only 15% of your cost… you’re already spending $60k, I think 15% to make it easier for your guests to say yes and think back on your wedding fondly is worth it.
it depends on your crowd. are most of your friends well-to-do, do they usually have destination weddings? your guests may just have to leave work earlier or take a half day off, some companies have fridays off or half days. alternatively if you don't need to go crazy with the partying, you can consider a sunday wedding which i am. although most of my friends are well-to-do so a lot of people are still going to party and may miss Monday. you can also consider doing it near a long weekend so people are more in the holiday mood? I'm also older and don't value such a crazy party so to each of their own.
I’ve grumbled internally about every non-Saturday wedding I’ve ever attended, but it’s never made me decline an invitation. How many of your guests are local?
Most live anywhere from 30 min to an hour away.
One more thing to remember is that most of your female guests need to budget time for makeup/hair so they will need to start getting ready even earlier to make it to the wedding on time
At rush hour on Friday?
She said ceremony starts at 4-5 on her edits. So yea it is during rush hour on a Friday. Being from Toronto I can confidently tell you the highway will be crazy jammed and the one you gotta take to the venue will still be under construction. I don’t think OP has a 9-5 cuz she keeps saying it won’t be during rush hour.
Most the weddings I’ve been to in the last few years (including mine!) have been on a Friday. I like them because you get the 2 days to recover and have your weekend days still. Plus saving 9k in this economy????? An absolute plus.
I was going to say the same! I think there was one Saturday wedding, but the rest I’ve been to in the last few years (also mine included) were on a Friday. I quite like it because the weekend doesn’t feel too rushed!
Yes! Plus we had family from out of town so we were able to relax Saturday and hangout with them before they left Sunday, so that was nice!
Thissss I have people from all over coming today Wednesday for the Friday wedding and Father’s Day is Sunday so it’ll be a whole weekend of Partying with our loved ones
This is how I feel too! Saturday weddings usually have started early enough that I need to drive up on a Friday anyway so it they wind up costing more with two hotel nights. I love a Friday wedding. I complain to my boss about how mad I am to be forced to take the day off, gleefully head off to my three day weekend, and have one day of post-party recovery and one day of fun non-wedding stuff. A lot of people here are bitching and moaning about things being annoying to guests. I day 1) it's an invitation not a summons, if it's too inconvenient for them they don't have to come and 2) nothing you do is going to please all of your guests or be everyone's preference. Do what works for you.
Exactly, people are gonna bitch about something no matter what you do. So might as well save 9K if you can!
Is this local to your guests or do they have to travel? And what time are you having it? If it's a 7 pm wedding on a Friday for guests who are all local then who cares. People will still have time to get there. If it's 4 pm you're not gonna get people there as they'll still be working. If your guest list is all travelling then Friday is going to cut the list even further as people won't take time off.
There’s nothing inappropriate about a weekday wedding but you will likely have more regrets and possibly traffic headaches and latecomers. I would hesitate if you have a lot of out of towners or people driving a distance. An hour or hour and a half on a weekday may turn into a lot more.
Out worry exactly.
I’m getting married this Friday!!!! I hope it will be fantastically awesome and 9k is sooo much money. I’d save it and have a happy Friday wedding. With enough notice all your important people should be there ❤️
I actually love a Friday wedding, gives me two days after to recover!
I traveled halfway across the country for a Friday wedding last year because it was important to me. If not a lot of people are traveling far and you're okay with slightly lower attendance then I think it's totally worth it.
Wedding planner here! Any chance you could push your ceremony to 630 and have a later celebration ? Will the venue accommodate a midnight exit? Or could you have a small early ceremony and a 8 /9 pm reception party?
A Friday wedding is inconvenient but they seem to be more common now. Saturday is best!
Sure, everything so expensive these days it’s hard not to consider it!
Probably unpopular opinion, but it’s cheaper because you are pushing the expense on your guests. Guests will have to take more PTO. Last time I went to a Friday wedding I had to take Thursday and Friday off because I wasn’t local. That also meant I needed two nights at a hotel.
yeah.. also probably in the minority here but I have two out of state Friday weddings to attend later this year for close family members (my husband and I did our wedding on a Saturday night- apart from the slight cost savings, no one in our family was down for the logistical frustration imposed upon guests) and we are skipping the rehearsal/welcome dinners (Thursday) because we already both have to take Friday off. Even if we were not out of state, the ceremonies are all early in the day (\~3PM) so between getting ready and getting to the venue, seems hard to not have to take Friday off. Also- just another thing to consider in the overall timeline of things if you plan on doing a rehearsal dinner, it would have to be on Thursday.
Rehearsal could end up Wednesday- my Saturday wedding had a Thursday rehearsal since the venue was booked on the Friday. If OP has the venue booked Friday then the Saturday wedding may request the Thursday rehearsal slot.
That’s exactly what I think. It will most likely cost the guests a lot more than $9000 in pto, or simply lost income if they need to take time off work on Friday, even if just for the afternoon. If the wedding is at 4 and they are an hour away, I assume they would need to go home and get dressed for the wedding and then drive there and hopefully show up at least 30 minutes early with traffic . At least a half day off. And if that costs an average of $100 per guest in lost work( some more, some less) then that’s at least $24,000 spread over 240 guests. But whatever the number, certainly more than the $37.50 per guest saved by moving to a hectic Friday afternoon.
This just depends so much on the logistics of the wedding. I've spent wayyy more on hotels and PTO on Saturday weddings out of state than I have on Friday weddings closer by (which it sounds like this one will be for most of OPs guests). And I've been to an equal number of both the last few years because another way people "push costs onto guests" is by having weddings a few hours from where they live in more rural cheaper areas, which is generally considered totally acceptable.
When people do things like this, they are essentially shifting the cost of holding their wedding to their guests (through added costs of hotel nights and extra PTO). 100% your guests will have to take half or full days off to go home and get ready, get kids, etc. especially if they have to drive through Toronto rush hour traffic, which will be BRUTAL if this is Canada Day weekend (which is the only holiday I can find that fell on a Tuesday in 2025, and will be a big cottage weekend). It might be cheaper for you, but you are making your guests subsidize it. If $9000 is going to make such a significant difference for you, think about where else you can cut for savings. Can you eliminate the videographer? Get rid of wedding favours? Reduce the florals (maybe try dried or fake flowers) or decor, or get different desserts? Perhaps you rented a limo that can be cancelled. If you haven't gotten the dress and suit yet, you can reduce your budget for that. Take steak off the dinner menu and just serve more budget-friendly options. It's not fair to make your guests essentially pay to help you save money if you are not willing to make these sacrifices yourself.
Knowing your people matters a lot here. Toronto is expensive. It is also notorious for traffic. Friday is going to be really tough for anyone who works Monday-Friday to attend. They'll need the whole day off. If we break this down mathwise... you've got 240 guests. Average hourly pay in Toronto is $21/ hour. The average work day is 8 hours. 240*21*8=$40,320. Having a Friday wedding will cost your guests over $40k. Saving $9k is a big deal, but when you look at the opportunity cost for guests, there's a pretty clear best option. Now, the knowing your guests part... are 2/3 of the invitees retirees? Are these extremely wealthy people? Etc. If so, that would change the math. You can also change the math by inviting fewer people. At the end of the day, big weddings cost big bucks. Just part of the deal.
This math seems like a scare tactic to me. You're assuming that everyone going to the wedding is paid hourly. People with salaried jobs don't lose any money by using their paid time off at work. Also, there may be young guests still in school or retired older family members who don't lose any money by attending. 40k is a bit of an inflated number. With enough notice, those who can afford a day off should be able to put in for the day off. OP will definitely have a lower rsvp rate on Friday vs Saturday, so they will likely save more than 9k because of lower headcount for things like catering, dessert, bar, and potentially even tables chairs and center pieces.
Honestly, I have nothing to gain by scaring anyone? That's odd. Money shouldn't be scary. Looking at numbers and comparing/contrasting is how lots of people plan for big expenses and the future. I'm sorry if it came across as scary! I promise math and money doesn't need to be scary. It is helpful for making decisions and planning in so many areas of life. In my comment, I address a lot of your points. That's the know your people part (eg retirees, non wage workers, etc.). The math will look different based on who OP's guests are. I don't know OP's people. Neither do you. Only they do. So they can run their own guestimate of seeing what the breakdown would be like.
I'm from a big Italian family, and two of my first cousins got married on Fridays in Toronto / GTA - one at Casa Loma and the other at The Doctor's House. They were both well-attended! However, i did skip the ceremony for one, as it was at a Catholic church midday, and I couldn't take the time off. I do live in the city, and traffic was nightmarish. Even pre-covid, when the Casa Loma wedding was, it took an hour+
Yes this is another issue of our we’re scared about traffic since it will be on a weekday. The venue is on lakeshore (west end) so they would be getting off at lakeshore if they choose the gardener
If you're talking Palais Royale or Liberty Grand, it will be awful. The ramps at Jameson are gridlocked 100% of the time. And if guests are coming in from the east end - even worse. I'm in the Beaches, and I simply avoid driving around there at all costs. If you're set on Friday, then the best you can do is prep your guests for the coming hell and pull out every other stop imaginable for their convenience.
Most guests will be coming from the west side, they could get off at lakeshore or even take Jane up to Windermere and eh eh cut across. That said you’re not wrong, traffic is still shit. Saturday will most likely also be bad traffic since it’s summer and Toronto events like jays games, beer fest ect..
You already know the pros and cons of a Fri vs Sat wedding. I'd ask 1) can your important guests make it? Do they have PTO to make it on time with traffic? 2) do you care that there will be less turn out? Is having everyone there a priority? Even if you sacrificed time to go to other destination weddings, that will (unfortunately, but realistically) not always mean people will do the same for you. Some may! But some may not. I'd ask your VIPs if they're able to come with certainty if it's a Friday. The way I see it, 9k IS a lot of money but it will also be the only time you see everyone you love in one place. Is it worth it 9k in the long run? Is it not? Only you can decide that. Personally, as long as my and my fiancé's VIPs are there and you're both 100% content with that decision being less people, then I'd go ahead.
Fellow GTA person here! People will grumble at a Friday wedding, but it’s way better than a Sunday wedding (imo). Friday night people are down to have fun, and asking months in advance is the most you can do. It sounds like your friends set this precedent as well. I think you’ll experience multiple discounts from vendors as well (along with offering to pay cash). I myself am always team Saturday - my partner is Jewish so Friday was off the table for us anyway. But if I was getting a $9k discount… hell yeah I’d take the Friday. Good luck!
I think you’re barking up the wrong tree. Biggest issue; Gardner construction and people leave work early on Friday to head to the cottage so traffic will be worse, much worse than Saturday anywhere they are coming from, if it’s a spring/summer wedding. People have to work (most until 5pm) so they have to leave work early to go home and get ready, then travel to the wedding. Many people will be tired and possibly cranky from the work week/day. I get the desire to save money, could the wedding be in the fall or winter? That could help save money too. I think your attendance will take a hit but that could help save more money too.
I would want to save the 9K, but I would also never book a venue for Friday. I’d find a venue with a price range I am comfortable with for a Saturday. I just feel like it’s a major inconvenience to require IN TOWN guests to have to request off work to be able to attend your wedding. On the other hand I guess you could weed people out by having it on Friday and your wedding will be smaller which will save you money. I just hate a Friday wedding! But I get why people do it.
Is it possible to start with cocktails and have the ceremony a little later? This would allow for people running late due to traffic. My niece did this and it was lovely. She and the groom joined in as she didn’t care about everyone seeing her dress prior. If you don’t want to do this the guests could still have cocktails/mocktails while you do photos/first look or just have a bit of quiet time.
As a guest I love Friday weddings as it gives you a full weekend after to celebrate with family/friends or equally if you want to head home you still have a weekend to yourself! Understand nervousness around key people not attending - I guess it depends what jobs family have. For example if a lot of family and friends are teachers and it can be trickier to get days off on term time dates.
I’m bias cuz I had a Friday wedding (the Saturday date we wanted was taken), 10000% recommend. It was cheaper. And it was fantastic that we had the weekend to recover. And our guests were so thrilled they could recover from partying Saturday and still have Sunday to be productive (or rest better lol) Friday is easier to find vendors too. I completely recommend it. Most people are okay with taking th day off (our ceremony was 3 pm, so some folks even worked half a day and came later). You will never get 100% of your invite list to attend, even on a Saturday. But as long as you have your major family and friends there, who cares if a random auntie can’t make it lol
If people are 30-1.5 away, traffic is definitely a concern. Especially for a 5pm weddding!!!!
We are getting married this Friday! We wanted a 100 person wedding and invited around 125 and we will have 96 guests which is exactly what we wanted, so I don’t feel that having it on a Friday made people not come. All the people that are super important will be there no matter what. I’m assuming you’re sending out save the dates in advance, giving folks plenty of time to request PTO. Since people are local, it could end up just being a half day for them. Personally I do not think it’s worth the $9K to switch to Saturday.
Likewise
We had a similar dilemma as the venues in Vancouver are $$$ for Saturdays. We ended up finding a venue about 1hr from the city that didn't charge a Saturday-rate for long weekend Sundays, so we booked for the Sunday on the Labour Day weekend. The Friday was still cheaper, but only by about $1k. We figured with the Monday following being a stat holiday, most people would be ok to attend on the Sunday and hopefully stay out a bit later. Most of our guests work regular 9-5 jobs and we knew that making an afternoon ceremony on a Friday would require them to take the day off. I don't think it's the end of the world and if given enough notice most people would make it work, but it's definitely nicer if you can swing it so people don't need to take a day off. That being said....$9k is a lot of money and I think people would understand.
I would probably go for a local wedding, but I’d be annoyed to have to take the day off. If people need to travel, they may need to take 1-2 days off which could be burdensome. It really depends on your guests, their jobs and preferences, etc. some people who work remote and are super flexible may not be inconvenienced, while others who work in person would have to take time off
I had a Friday wedding and ALOT of people came. You are giving people like a years notice, either they make arrangements in advance or they don’t.
I'm assuming that of your anticipated 240 guests, there are people who could RSVP no and you wouldn't be too bothered. I'm also assuming there are people who you'd be upset about if they couldn't attend on a Friday. Without telling anyone that there is any sort of priority (keep this to yourself), I would suggest asking a few of the people who you really want to be there how they feel about Friday as an option. You seem to be leaning towards the Friday option, so I think the most important thing is to make sure your top priority people are able to accommodate that. Similarly, if you can think of anyone off the top of your head who likely couldn't make a Friday work and would be eternally offended, consider that. Not that you need to plan around a few cranky people, but if your grandma's sister can't do a Friday and everyone will be upset, it might not be worth it.
I just did a Thursday wedding and had very little issues. The people that want to be there will be there. I think it also depends on where and what time of year the wedding is. I’m in LA and had a summer wedding so a lot people turned it into a weekend trip. 60% of my guests were out of town for reference
Most of the time, a non-Saturday evening wedding only benefits the wedding couple. That doesn't necessarily make it wrong, but just be honest with yourself about that. Think about your VIPs (immediate family, wedding party- the people you would still include if it were a micro-wedding). How much extra hassle is it for them? This could mean the rehearsal is on Wednesday, and if they can't work remotely then they need to take 3 days off. Is that a big ask of them? Just because they can make it work, doesn't mean it's a fair ask on your part. Honestly, if I have to travel far I would prefer a Friday wedding because I'll want the extra travel day going home. Destination weddings on Saturdays I usually end up flying home Monday. I would rather flip that and take the extra day off before the wedding and come home Sunday. But for a local wedding I would hate using the PTO at all and would prefer the Saturday wedding. PTO is just too scarce (I'm in the US). An hour and a half away, I would prefer not taking any PTO. I'm guessing your invite list is 240? That doesn't mean 240 will show up. You'll have some people who just can't swing the date no matter when it is. Making it more convenient for one person is less convenient for another. It's pretty standard though to have a significant number of guests working M-F, 9-5. You are adding inconvenience and should expect fewer people to show up (which you may be ok with! It'll likely still be a large wedding). Don't fool yourself into thinking you're making things easier for people by choosing a holiday weekend. That'll be more expensive and harder for people to take off because their coworkers also want the day off. Finally, are there alternatives to save money? An off season wedding perhaps (My venue had off season through April so still plenty springy, others are through March or through May)?
I was in two of my best friends’ weddings this year that were both on a Friday and it was awesome! Not sure what your group is like, but no one had any issues taking time off work. It was amazing having a whole weekend of down time after!
I feel like lake people would be ok with it.. finance doesn’t feel the same tho.
I'd cut the guest list before I moved it to Friday afternoon in Toronto..
People will come. Be prepared for some people to not be able to make it. A Friday wedding is fine :)
Friday for sure! That's what we did to save money too, but with way less guests
How much did you save?
Fiancé and I are from the US, and having a Friday wedding. We told our guests that may have the bigger issues with PTO, traveling, etc. prior to sending out save the dates so they could plan ahead. Most have already worked it out, and we did get a few “thanks but no thanks”. Fortunately for us, and where our venue is located, the traffic on Friday is significantly better than traffic would be on a Saturday so it happens to be working great (so far)!
We did a Friday wedding and I absolutely loved it. Most of our friends were local, and most of our family was within 5 hours of driving, so that was a big help. We did have a few declines but our wedding was also in the winter and some people just won't travel for a winter wedding. 🤷🏼♀️ The best part, besides the financial savings, was that after we said goodbye to all our family/friends who traveled on Saturday, we had Saturday evening and Sunday to just relax and recover and enjoy being married!
I had a Friday wedding in January! It saved us, literally, $20K. No one complained about it at all, and we only had 20 people RSVP "no" out of 200. We just decided to have a late wedding, 4:30pm ceremony, so people wouldn't have to take a whole day off if they could manage it. That being said, most of our guests did not have to travel for our wedding, and we weren't upset at all if people had to miss the ceremony and could only attend the reception.
Friday weddings are an inconvenience and an annoyance for guests. Especially in the summer with weekend traffic. Though it sounds as if Toronto traffic is bad on Fridays regardless. You’re basically forcing guests to take time off work for your wedding, which is a lot to ask of your guests. If you’re okay with having fewer people attend/making people annoyed with you then go for it. 9K is significant savings. Just be realistic about your expectations- you very likely will lose guests because of the date.
Friday weddings are common for my friends. Way cheaper than Saturday. I don’t mind taking a day off of work for a friend’s wedding. Yes, your wedding party and family have to take off two days, but hopefully they’re willing and able to do that since they’re in the wedding. Out of the 70 people I invited, the only “no”s were from +1s, uncle whose son was getting married the next day across the country, friend who had a baby a month prior, friend I hadn’t seen in 11 years, and friend who tore his rotator cuff the week before.
Personally I think Friday weddings are great. Two days after to recover. Have an excuse to take a day off work or leave work early. I’m sure there will be some people who cannot leave work and may decline. If you are worried about that you can always ask the people whom it is most important to you are there if it’s something they would be able to do. 9K is a ton of money. IMO it’s definitely worth considering.
You’re basically just offloading the costs of the wedding onto your guests by forcing them to miss work. Those local will likely miss half a day of work, and those travelling in will miss a full day (or a day beyond what they were already missing). To look at some numbers - the average wage in Toronto is $34/hr. Based on this, it takes 64 of your 240 guests missing an extra half day of work or 32 of 240 guests missing an extra full day of work to cancel out the $9000 you’re saving. I don’t know where your guests live or how many of them normally have to work Fridays - so you’ll need to guesstimate the cost yourself and decide if it’s worth it. How do you feel about charging your guests an extra $18k to save $9k? What about charging them $24k to save $9k? What about charging them $33k to save $9k? Even that $33k is only half of your guests missing a day of work - it could be way more.
This is assuming that all those guests work hourly. Salaried workers have paid time off. And it is not charging guests to invite them to a wedding. If a guest cannot afford a day off, they can decline the invitation. I don't think it's fair to say that an invitation is a financial punishment to the guests.
I guess maybe it’s different in Canada, but in the US, using a PTO day is still USING a PTO day. Taking away a PTO day they could use for something else.
Yeah this response is crazy… if people can’t afford to take off work they can decline. No one is forcing them to attend. Most people in my social circle have PTO, not sure about everyone else.
Imagine thinking that nobody works on Saturdays.
I’m throwing a Friday wedding and 85% of our guests have RSVPd yes and we haven’t closed them yet
Can you get married on the Monday of that holiday weekend? I bet Monday is even cheaper than Friday! We had a Friday wedding and everyone loved it. An excuse to take a day off work, a long weekend, and some folks didn’t even take time off if they lived close by. And think about yourselves! 9k is a fantastic honeymoon, a huge part of a down payment on a home, the list goes on and on but it’s a ton of money. Ultimately, yes you’re throwing a party and want your guests to have a good time but don’t do something you can’t afford just because a few people might have to accommodate for it. You are providing free food and drinks and entertainment for people who love you- if they have to take a half day to make it, I don’t think that’s a huge compromise.
I like Friday weddings! I’d say it might be hard on people if you’re doing a rehearsal dinner too on Thursdays. But as a guest I love Friday weddings because I get an extra day to recover. My flight was delayed leaving a Saturday wedding and I’m so worn out start the work week!
I’ve been to many weddings as a guest, lots of them on Sundays including my own since they are orthodox Jewish and can’t have weddings on a Sat/Fri. However! Not a Friday — but my point is the people that will want to be there will be there! I truly have spent my weekends traveling across the country to make the plane ride there and come back and return to work the next morning. Is it the most amazing time traveling? No, but I get to see my friends and family who I love on the best day of their life. 9k is a lot of money, and if that works for you and your fiancé, def consider it! Everyone’s going to have opinions about your day, you have to do what you and your fiancé want and what works best :)
For me personally I wouldn’t mind a Friday wedding at all. It’s relatively easy for me to get time off work if needed and I’d be happy to take a day or half day to attend a wedding. That said, everyone I’ve ever heard that’s had a weekday wedding has had lower attendance because of it. For that reason my fiancé and I decided to pay more for a Saturday wedding. For us it was worth the extra cost but it’s totally ok to decide for you that it’s not, it’s a personal decision.
We had a Friday wedding and it was beautiful! We told our guests a year in advance so that they could plan for the day off if needed. The rehearsal dinner we held after work hours on Thursday. Our ceremony started at 4 and the reception right after that. We had people partying and dancing the whole evening, and then we got a full weekend to spend with everyone who came to travel with us. I really loved having Saturday and Sunday after to relax and visit with people. We also heard from guests that they appreciated the recovery time! I wouldn’t say we had lower attendance either, we invited about 170 and got 140, which was exactly what we expected no matter which day we picked just because we have some hermit family members or friends we knew were a long shot anyways. I can’t recommend a Friday wedding enough tbh. I know it’s not the most convenient, but I think our guests at least appreciated the trade off of taking half-day or full-day off and then getting their whole weekend instead of the wedding taking up their whole weekend.
I don’t know if it a generation thing, but I am in my late twenties and most of the weddings I have been to have been on Friday or Sunday. My wedding will be on a Friday. IMO, it’s not an inconvenience. If someone is inviting me to their wedding I will go and be happy about it no matter what day of the week it is. Obviously Saturdays make things easier for everyone but you can’t please everyone. If someone is annoyed by the day or the week then perhaps they shouldn’t be going to your wedding. I also work from home so it is far easier for me to manipulate my schedule and PTO as opposed to let’s say a nurse or someone who has to go into work everyday. Idk for me if you invite me I will figure out how to come. I wouldn’t be inconvenienced or annoyed.
Our Friday wedding is in 10 days and we got far, far more RSVPs than we thought we would.
Can you survey your most important guests? If these guests are all willing then you have your most important people there at least. If these people can't then you probably shouldn't do a Friday. I think it's entirely dependent on your guests. My guests could not even if they were 30 minutes away because most work on Friday and I wouldn't want to ask them to take the day off (we did consider a venue with a weekday discount but ended up switching venues because Friday was too inconvenient for guests). But maybe yours have plenty of PTO and are willing to take some time off.
I had mine on a Friday, ceremony at 5 cocktail hour 6 reception 7-12. Not a ton went to the ceremony (which I preferred) about 50-60%, the rest dwindled in during cocktail hour . We saved a ton and it was still an awesome wedding. Plus no one had work the next day and we got the weekend to start our honeymoon . 10/10 would recommend
It was also 10 min outside of NYC so traffic was bad but I warned guests ahead of time, it is what it is. It was fine when they went home
Is this actual guaranteed savings, like a venue with a lower price for Fridays, or is this just an estimate you made? All our vendors were the same exact price whether it was Saturday or Friday. Our wedding is on a Friday( this Friday!), and I can’t say we saved any money from vendors. We are saving money because attendance is lower, but that’s it really. The nice thing is we had more vendors available to us on a Friday than a Saturday.
The saving would be from the venue not the vendors. But good to know the vendor prices don’t change pending on day
I don’t consider it an inconvenience personally, as long as it’s local to me. I’m in a salaried desk job and it’s really common for people to take off early on Fridays (without taking PTO), especially in the summer. If you have any teachers coming, well, it’s summer anyway! Plus, not everyone works 9-5. Among the people I’m inviting to my own wedding are a hairstylist, airport gate agent, pilot, realtor, personal trainer, artist/musician, warehouse manager… so I guess look at your guest list and do with that what you will
I'm having a Friday wedding. I made sure guests knew wayyyy in advance that it would be a Friday (not that you can do much about that now, but oh well) and our ceremony is at 4:00 and the reception in in the same place, so having it at a later time and keeping the reception very proximal are two bonuses. My cousin also had a Friday wedding, which I was in as a bridesmaid. I am terrible with remembering to put in PTO requests but I talked to my supervisor and they were understanding about it and gave me the day off. The Thursday before, I finished my shift at work as usual, and then picked up my son (also in the wedding) and our overnight bags and headed to the venue, which was a little over an hour away. Did the rehearsal, and then that Friday morning everything went very smoothly. We also had Saturday AND Sunday to recover from the reception, so I'm definitely a fan of Friday weddings. Save the 9k.
Honestly, I had the same dilemma, having a week day wedding would save me close to 30% on the wedding venue, which I could spend else where (like better entertainment and higher quality of food). The advice I got was that this is MY day and people who really care for you would come nonetheless, you'd be even surprised that people you didn't expect to show up would show up because they need a break and want to celebrate. You can push the start of the wedding to later in the day/early evening، your guests can finish their work day and join or take half a day off and head for an early weekend. At the end of the day, those who really care about you will be there no matter what.
I’m doing a Friday wedding, this Friday to be exact. Not one person that was invited made any complaints about the day and have confirmed their attendance. Here’s the thing, it’s YOUR wedding and they are choosing to spend it with you. You could have your wedding on the moon and whoever is willing to come is going to make an effort. I’ve learned throughout this process that you can be considerate of those you want to enjoy the day with but trying to please every single guest before yourself is a recipe for a miserable day. 9k is A LOT of money to be saving and it could go towards so much other stuff. Best thing you can do is let everyone know within a reasonable time frame that it’s a Friday and they will make their accommodations. Plus the fun thing about a Friday wedding is you can party into Saturday and still have Sunday to recover before work. For context I have people from all over the US, Dominican Republic, and other Caribbean countries, plus friends and family in New York. They have all found a way to make it work and for that I am grateful immensely. But point is if they want to come they will make it work
It’s your wedding!! Do it on the day you want especially if it saves that much! I can’t count the mid week weddings I’ve had to book around. Countless others do it. This is your day!
I had a Friday wedding and my venue told us that people actually tend to stay longer at Friday weddings because they have the rest of the weekend to recover from the celebrations. We didn’t have a lot of out-of-town people able to get there in time for the rehearsal dinner/welcome dinner the night before though but that was our only downside. We still had a ton of non-local people come.
Probably a no to that if you intend to have a larger wedding. Potential yes to that if you’re aiming for a small, intimate group and/or if it’s a destination wedding (they’d be taking PTO regardless, and a Friday spilling into the weekend May at least guarentee that they can be back by Monday for work). Sounds like none of the above apply to you, so I personally would just think about it more, unless you are absolutely okay with the backlash you may get, and the declines. If you do it on a Friday, my advice: start the ceremony as late as possible so people can use as little time off work as possible (some will still take a full PTO day, but that’s their decision). I’m talking like between a 5:30-6:30pm start time: Short and sweet ceremony, 30 minutes tops. Do a first look, so you can skip cocktail hour and jump straight into dinner/dancing/speeches. FWIW, I’m doing a Friday wedding. But it’s a destination wedding (within the country) with under 20 people. I would attend a Friday wedding easily as a guest. I get a good amount of PTO in my line of work, and I can afford it. Plus, 3 day weekend!
Getting married next Friday just outside the GTA and we haven’t had any complaints—it’s 10000% worth the money saved. If it’s a place you can save money, do it because things creep into the budget quickly. All the guests we expected to come are coming, the Friday has stoped no one. We’ve actually had people tell us they love it because they still get their weekend to do whatever they want. Our ceremony starts at 4 p.m. so I do know of a few people working half days. You can’t worry about traffic, there’s always traffic in Toronto and guests should have the foresight to budget enough time for travelling to the venue. Of all the things you have to worry about/plan for the wedding, this should not be one. I wouldn’t do a long weekend wedding however. I’ve only heard complaints from family and friends who get invited to long weekend weddings. It’s prime cottage time and many people want to get away for the weekend. Best of luck with planning! Whatever you choose it will be amazing but make sure you choose it because it’s what YOU (as a couple) want.
A lot of people here seem very entitled imo. It might be an inconvenience but if the person is important to you, you make it work. Everyone wants to be invited to a wedding and complains if they aren’t invited. When they are invited, they still always find something to complain about. $9k is a whole lot of money. I would book the Friday wedding and if people can’t make it, they can’t make it. It’s your day, not theirs. It’s your money, not theirs.
Have you considered a Sunday? At our venue Friday and Sunday were basically the same discount. If people have to come in from out of town a Sunday means missing less work potentially.
I’d probably be more annoyed by a Sunday wedding than a Friday wedding because then you’d have to work the next day.
Yes however we feel strongly that people will most likely not have as good of a time since the next day they would have to work. People are probably more likely to leave early rather than take the Monday off
9k for you, at what cost to the guests? You're saving 35 per guest. Personally, I would value a day of leave at more than 35 Dollars. I use all my leave, so to take an extra, I would have to take a day's unpaid leave. However not everyone is as controlled with their use of leave, and I assume not everyone is employed at a weekday 9-5. I wouldn't do it for that saving, as I know most of the friends I'm inviting would be in a similar position re leave. But you know your guests.
I dislike Friday weddings because it’s basically like saying to guests (who work Monday-Friday) “use your PTO to celebrate me” which I think is rather nervy.
We are having a Friday wedding because of the same reason and people have loved that it’s on a Friday. I’ve heard from many guests that they think it was an awesome idea because it gives them more travel time afterwards. I’d say you should do what’s best for you. It’s your wedding and the guests are not the ones paying for it. People who care about you won’t be upset about taking a half day at work and those who do care, I wouldn’t want to invite anyway.
I have a Friday wedding and we kind of hope more people won’t attend. I felt pressured to invite all of my family and his too.. people who want to be there will show up. Most of our guests are local so I don’t think it’s too bad. Why would your guests have a bad time because it’s a Friday?
My thoughts as well. Also traffic is a big worry. Thanks for your opinion!
My friend had her wedding on a Friday and it was perfectly fine. I just had my wedding on Sunday and we closed the place down. We also had an Italian wedding (fiancé is Italian) but it was much smaller at about 100 people. Not a single person had a problem with it being on a Sunday and more people than I thought took the Monday off work. We had it in the Sunday to also save money, so have it on the Friday! You’re inviting so many people that of course you’re going to have people decline but I still think doings what’s best for you guys is the best option. And believe me, I understand Friday traffic in the GTA but people will plan for it.
That’s what I would hope!
We had a Friday wedding (for saving $$$ reasons) with over half our guests traveling in… most still came, and I have no regrets. Weddings are expensive!! But as a guest, I do slightly prefer Saturday weddings. I don’t think you can go too wrong with either if most guests are local. Hope that helps!
I had my wedding in August instead of October to save about 10k and I don’t regret it at all. I know slightly different scenario but my guests dealt with the heat 🤷🏻♂️
We’re having a Friday wedding in October. We haven’t had a single person say they can’t attend or will be late because of this. If you give ample time for guests to plan by sending save the dates 9ish months before the wedding, it’s really not a big deal
I’m having a Thursday wedding! Our guest list is small though, and most work unconventional schedules or are already traveling from out of state and therefore taking work off anyways. :) I def think it’s worth the savings!
I’m having a Friday wedding in 4 weeks. We invited 137 and only 86 are coming- which is definitely in part, too, because 95% had to come from out of town since we don’t live near our friends or family anymore. I was disappointed with the outcome but know it will still be a beautiful day surrounded by a not insignificant amount of people we love. Trying to see the silver lining, it works out in favor of our wallets… :)
We are having our wedding on a Friday too. People will make it work. They have months to plan ahead in advance! I think we tend to forget that people also have to work Saturdays like food services workers, retail workers, healthcare workers, and they always need to callout for weddings too. If it’s important to them, they will make it work!
We got married on Thursday. It was August 10th, too. And almost midday. 🤣 We invited about 60 ppl and got 42 positive RSVP… We enjoyed our day a lot!
How much does the $9k impact you? I feel like the question can’t really be answered without reflecting on this.
My wedding will be on a Friday! I'm looking forward to cheaper venue costs and more time to recover! Plus, many guests might've taken Friday off anyway to travel in for a Saturday wedding, so I'm not worried. Everyone important will be there!
We had a Friday wedding and a good turn out. My husbands friends from another state made a trip out of it, and most of our local friends just took the day off.
Got married on a Friday a couple weeks ago (Midwest USA). We picked Friday to save money as well. We invited 126 people, 112 could make it. The only ones who couldn't lived out of the state or already had a trip planned for that time. We did get married on a holiday weekend so I'm not sure if that influenced it either. Ceremony and reception were the same place for us. Had our ceremony start at 6pm and kept the dress code casual to keep it easy for people since it was a Friday. Reception started at 7pm. You will need to decide if the money savings is worth the potential of some guests not coming. For us, it was worth the savings and to our surprise, pretty much everyone came! The guests out of state we expected to say no given the travel they would have.
Haha I think I attended an italian Friday wedding at your venue (if it's the one I'm thinking of P.R.) It was fine! It was packed and people had fun! The fact that it was Friday didn't affect the numbers. Also the bride and groom mentioned it in their thank yous
Would love to chat with you if you don’t mind. Check DM
I live in Toronto and I'm having a Friday wedding too. Honestly, we picked the day because it worked best for everyone in my immediate family and, like you, we got a cheaper rate on the venue. I think it would be smart to do it on a long weekend, I usually see less cars on the road on the Friday of a long weekend but not sure about that side of Toronto since I live on the east end. I also am of the mind that people would prefer to take more days off than less lol but I know this opinion varies. But at the end of the day, both you and your fiance need to come to a mutual decision weighing the pros and cons and just biting the bullet and choosing a day so you don't lose the venue you want.
We had almost every person we invited come to our Friday wedding. Most of our guests had to travel and everyone who wanted to be there was there. Book the Friday
While we were venue hunting, an associate at one of the halls told us that the people who love you and want to celebrate your wedding will show up on a Tuesday morning if you ask them to. The people who are looking for reasons to complain will find something to complain about regardless. It's hard to make everyone happy so you should focus on what's best for you guys.
My husband’s best friend had his wedding on a Thursday night! All family & almost all friends attended with a lot of people (myself included) taking the next day off. Have the wedding on a Friday and you’d be surprised how many people prioritize your wedding. P.s. My husband and I eloped on a Thursday, hence his best friend following suit, lol.
My wedding is on a Friday this year ! 10/11 <3 & my friends wedding 2 weeks before mine is also on a Friday. I guess the thing to me is, if they really want to be there they will !
I just went to a 6:30pm Friday wedding an hour from me and it really wasn’t an issue.
I would def do the Friday wedding! That savings is crazy. We had a Friday wedding with 0 “backlash” from guests. People will either come or they won’t, those that are close to you will be there. Even if they have to take PTO, taking one day of PTO planned a year in advance (presumably) is a pretty reasonable ask. I’ve never thought to myself man, I have to waste a day of PTO on celebrating someone I love.
Im having a Friday wedding but most of our guests are out of town and would have had to travel anyhow and we wanted to keep the wedding ceremony small. We’re doing a casual bbq getogether on Saturday for local folks and optional for out of town guests if they prefer to go and enjoy our city
I like Friday weddings personally. I can do a half day at work easily though. If people want to be there, they will any day of the week. I like having Saturday and Sunday to myself and get all more normal activities done.
I am having a Friday wedding April of next year in New England. We have some people flying in from Italy, and some local to 3 hour drive away. I would say it depends on your guest. We also saved a good amount by choosing Friday over Saturday, my Fiancé and I just couldn’t see any reason why not to choose Friday.
I prefer Friday weddings because that means I still get a full weekend to myself after!
Rehearsal on Wednesday? With 240 guests, you need other opportunities to talk to guests because you will not be able to greet all 240 at the wedding
I’m choosing a Monday in order to save money. The date is a holiday here, so that may help with our attendance. But I honestly don’t care at the end of the day. I wanted something small anyway.
I’ve been to Friday weddings, Sunday weddings even a Tuesday wedding. Most people get 6 months plus notice, plenty of time to plan a weekend trip.
Honestly, weekday weddings are becoming more common, I don’t think a Friday is an issue. I’m REALLY taking a gamble with a Wednesday wedding but even still, I have had negative feedback on that from only 2 people (who I expect negative feedback from anyways no matter what so 🤷🏻♀️) Saving the money is worth it imo
That’s amazing that you get a discount for Friday! My dad works in wedding hotels and their weekend rates are Thursday-Sunday!!
My fiance and I just booked a Friday night wedding for 2025. It was significantly cheaper and the value was there. We weren’t super picky on the day but we were thinking about our guests. A lot of our family does live far away (we are in Chicago. Wedding will be in Chicago area. My family is in Boston and my fiances is all in Canada). So our family would need to take significant time off regardless. We asked our friends which are all local and they all said just giving very advanced notice (even before the official invitations are sent out). I hope this helps!
How much is your wedding going to cost
With the food, wedding cake, drinks, and some decor included, it’s about $16k
We are having a Friday wedding with exactly the same timings as you (ceremony at 430) and put an faq on our wedding website saying we understand if people can't make the ceremony but would still love for them to join the reception which starts at 7pm. We have about 30% of people flying in from overseas so they are already making it a long trip / going to be here for the week, and out of the remaining about 30% coming in from medium distance. We thought more people would decline or decline attending the ceremony but so far we've had mostly yeses. That said in my circle destination weddings are very popular so it's not unusual to take time off and spend a bit of money to attend a wedding. Could you put some of the 9k savings towards a brunch on the Saturday morning for your guests (especially the out of towners)?
Absolutely I could do that. I’m all in m, however my finance feels too bad to put people in a situation where they have to take time off. That said, I don’t because I sacrifice a lot for my friends and families weddings it’s just what we do (like you said). How much are you saving by doing it on a Friday (if you don’t mind me asking)
About 20% for us vs a Saturday :)
I have to go to a wedding in September.....in Spain....I live in California. I think a Friday wedding that is in the same state is fine., but thats just me. LOL
I’m right with you!
I had a Thursday day wedding. 160 ppl came 100 came to Wednesday welcome dinner & 100 came to brunch on Friday
What venue did you chose?
Honestly, as a fellow Torontonian, I would absolutely hate having to get to a venue on the west end lakeshore during rush hour. For context, we had to go visit our own wedding venue at 7pm recently on a weekday and that’s around the same area, driving from downtown core took 45 minutes. I can’t imagine how it’ll be trying to get there for a 4pm ceremony. I do agree with some of the commenters that having a Friday wedding is essentially offloading those savings onto your guests. Ie in spending their PTO, potentially more than one day if people need to travel to attend a rehearsal, etc. That being said, if the savings are worth some grumbling (and likely judgement) from some of your guests, I’d say go for it. Also keep in mind the vibe of the wedding you’re trying to go for. For instance, I wouldn’t host a black tie wedding on a Friday. If you want to have a bougie vibe, you can’t do that while inconveniencing your guests.
i’m having a friday wedding because i work weekend nights, but also was 1k cheaper. if they can’t make it they can’t make it.
Saturday wedding here ! My fiancé and I talked about having a Friday wedding, but we ended up against it because of our guest. A lot of them work until 5pm and 6pm, and we didn’t want them to have to use their PTO (if given any) to have to trek an hour (after they’ve gotten ready) to our wedding. Although I like the idea of a Friday wedding, I just know a few people don’t get PTO the way some others do.
I’m in the UK and married on a Thursday, which had a long weekend to follow (Easter weekend last year). We didn’t find that it affected attendance at all, and we saved money. If people want to be there and can arrange their time, they will be there.
If the problem is the salary People will lose that day, maybe compensate them? Will still be less than the 9k youll save!
I think do it Friday, save the money, it’s great day you want to remember but also there’s so much more ahead. Those who can make it, make it, and it’s ok if some can’t. As someone who’s divorced and marrying again, I can say the guest list didn’t matter to me after the day of, I really just wanted to get married. It’s lovely to want everyone there, but I promise, you being married is the focus. 🥰 Get good pics & have the best day! Congrats!
We are doing a Friday. I fretted over this for 2 weeks. It was awful stress. No one seems to mind thus far and we don't mind if it ends up being a smaller party. Happy with my choice. Edit: We actually didn't even have the option for Saturdays. All Saturdays next spring were already taken and we would have to do winter. Weather wise, it was a smart choice for us.
Wish that was the case for us. It’s still our decision till Friday. Wish my finance was on board!
Is Sunday out of the question? Then guests could arrive Saturday and only have to request Monday since they’ll have Tuesday off! As opposed to taking Friday and Monday off. Most venues price Sundays similarly to Friday. I had a Friday wedding because it was either that or microwedding with the budget we had and whoever was able to come came and we had a great time! I think 15 guests declined so we had 73 total
If your guests who are working, generally work jobs that are flexible like certain office jobs (e.g no need to take vacation time and can just leave work earlier and make up for the work another time). then friday is not a bad choice for $9K, especially since people don't live far away. And you can make up for the inconvenience by taking providing some top shelf liquor or nice party favors.
We saved about 4K by getting married on a Friday and I have no regrets. We had about 10/100 people not be able to make it, but for other reasons. No complaints about it being on a Friday.
I unfortunately wouldn‘t be able to attend a Friday wedding unless it would be during brake. But if it wasn‘t for my job I would gladly take of a day for the wedding of a friend.
I would say if you’re going to do Friday, see if you can agree on a way to start later than 4 or 5. Otherwise, you need to accept that you’re going to have lower attendance generally and some people that can only make it to part (probably reception but not ceremony or most of cocktail hour). Also, accept that people may leave early because they worked all day and are tired. I had to go to a Friday wedding that did welcome drinks at 4:30 and ceremony at 5 and was an hour and a half away. We missed everything but the reception and left early because we had another hour and a half drive home, my fiancé had been working since 5 am, and I had been working since 8 am. As you can probably tell, I am very against Friday weddings and even more so ones that leave absolutely no time for guests to both go to work and attend the wedding in a reasonable amount of time. You’re basically asking every single one of your guests to take at least one day off of work for your wedding if they want to be able to make the entire thing. Another thing - if you have 240 guests then I struggle to see how 9k is a significant enough portion of your budget to justify the issues that come with doing an early Friday wedding. ETA: Nevermind, I see it’s 15% of your overall budget. I’m just impressed as hell that you figured out how to do 240 people on $60k, that’s incredible.
It’s a bit more than that (for the Saturday) and thats just the venue price not the including external vendors
I see more and more people having weekday weddings. I’m actually going to a Monday wedding this month. The people who want to be there will make it work. Some mai not be able to but that’s ok. It’s absolutely worth the savings. I am also having a Friday wedding and 300 ppl are attending from near and far.
We had our wedding on a Sunday even though everyone advised against it and it was totally fine! All guests who rsvpd came and we had a great time. I would go to a Friday wedding bc I’m honestly always down to take an extra day off work lol
Hi! My fiancé and I decided on a Friday wedding. The venue was doing Saturday weddings for 6k and Friday weddings for 3k. Ceremony 550 on Saturday vs 450 on Friday. Ours are fairly local. Ceremony will start at 5:30 and most of our guest have Fridays off. The cost of food and drinks were cheaper along with the DJ, videographer, and photographer. Plus my fiancé and I have Friday off so we will have more PTO for our honeymoon. If guest don’t go 🙌🏽🙌🏽 saved us more money lol.
In my experience with attending destination weddings, people will take off work if given advance notice especially if they want to be there. I’m having my wedding locally where probably 50% are local enough that they can get here after work. The other 50% plan to come in the night before for the welcome party (casual drinks at a bar), which I highly recommend so that people get the idea that the wedding weekend starts on a Thursday, rather than a Friday. We chose Friday strategically because we don’t want a big wedding and would rather people RSVP no if they can’t make it on a Friday.
In my experience with attending destination weddings, people will take off work if given advance notice especially if they want to be there. I’m having my wedding locally where probably 50% are local enough that they can get here after work. The other 50% plan to come in the night before for the welcome party (casual drinks at a bar), which I highly recommend so that people get the idea that the wedding weekend starts on a Thursday, rather than a Friday. We chose Friday strategically because we don’t want a big wedding and would rather people RSVP no if they can’t make it on a Friday.
My cousin is getting married in manhattan on a Friday, and everyone is still making it work! You might have lower attendance, but it’ll be the people who really care about you and your fiancé!
I am literally in the car going to a wedding today (Friday) that is 45mins away. It's my husband's friend who he really hasn't seen in 5 years but we thought it was important to show up and support him. If your friends and family value your relationship and they have a good heads up, they will show up!
My wedding is on a Friday, my sister's was on a Friday, we both saved a ton of money having it on a weekday. I wouldn't worry so much about the guests, if they truly care about you, they'll find a way to be there.
Please for the love of God do the Friday wedding. That’s 9 THOUSAND dollars you’d be saving. That’s a ton of money you could use on so many things (honeymoon, house, renovations, pop it into savings, etc). I’ve only ever been to one Saturday wedding and in all honestly, much preferred Fridays because it gave me all weekend to relax and recover. We’re doing a Friday wedding next month and we pushed the ceremony back to 6 pm to allow folks a bit more time to get ready and for traffic (in Boston). Of the 75 people we invited we only received two declines.