Thursday weddings

You should be fine as long as your guests aren't travelling from far away. Just be prepared for a lot of people not to drink/to leave the eve reception early so that they can go to work the next day. We attended a Thursday wedding and that's what most guests did, rather than take 2 days off work. If you're getting married in school holidays and have guests who are teachers/school staff though, that probably won't be a problem.

Thursday weddings are becoming more and more popular- we have quite a few this year. I think lots more couples are opting for a Thursday now because most venues now seem to charge Fridays the same (or only slightly less) than a Saturday date, so Thursdays end up being a far better deal.

We've shot lots of weekday weddings and have never had an empty one yet! Things will very much depend on your guests though, so only you will know best. If you have a lot of teachers in the family for example and plan to host your wedding during term time, they may struggle with getting time off. However if you have lots of shift workers, or people who work weekends in your family, you may find a Thursday works better for them.

You will never be able to please everyone. If a Thursday works for you, your partner and your nearest and dearest that's all that matters really

Echoing what others have said, I also have quite a few Thursday weddings and from memory over the years I don't think I have seen the weddings guests leaving early.

We ended up having to have a Thursday wedding, and all but five of our guests had at least a three-hour journey to get there, so it meant two days off work and a night in a hotel for almost everyone. It was in the summer holidays, so people with children had to find childcare as well. What we found was that our closest friends were happy to make it into a small holiday and take two days off. With some less-close couples with children, there was a pattern that the one who was closer to us came to the wedding, while their partner stayed at home. So we did have a lot of 'no' RSVPs, but we just invited more people off the back-up list to make up the numbers. Given the effort anyone would have had to make to come, we didn't bother with any 'evening-only' invitations. People are still telling me what a lovely wedding it was and how much they enjoyed it, so it seems to have worked out OK. We did have a free bar though, it seemed the least we could do, given the trouble we were putting them all to!

We're getting married on Thursday. We actually opted for Maundy Thursday in 2017, as it's both midweek and out of "peak" season, so we got a fantastic deal on our venue. It also is during the school holidays (important for us as several family & friends work in schools, including OH), and the following day is Good Friday so most of our guests will have the Bank Holiday off.

A bit different – but still a weekday… We are getting married on a Monday and have had the same concerns. However, I think only one couple out of the 65 we have sent save the dates to have expressed a concern. Everyone else has said they’ll be more than happy to take a day off! Another way of looking at it is…. Long gone are the days of work being Monday – Friday 9 – 5, whenever you get married (whether it be a Thursday, Monday, or a Saturday) someone is more than likely going to have to take a day off if they want to come!

I have been to a few Friday ones. To be fair the people who really want to be there will make it. I would book the Thursday and Friday off work to make a weekend of it

Oh erin. you've trotted out my pet hate phrase! :/

i do get annoyed with the 'if they want they will' way of thinking.

one friend was denied his brothers wedding off by his boss and he was supposed to be best man!!! work just couldn't spare him at that time of year and he couldn't have the day. he arrived at 9pm

another friend had already been told that any holiday in december would be denied so he threw a sickie.....his boss found out and he was threatened with dismissal, given an official warning and lost his £1500 christmas bonus!!

clearly these people WANTED to be there but there simply isn't always a way.

OP- as others have said in modern society, where people often work weekends and evenings, you will NEVER suit everyone. yes weekday weddings can be a little more awkward, but you know your guests, their jobs etc, and as long as you are happy to accept with good grace that some people may not make despite desperately wanting to, i think you'll be fine.

you and your h2b know YOUR wedding and you know what will be best for you. whatever happens, whoever comes, the main people will be there (you and h2b!!), you will finish the day married and you will have an amazing day because it will be YOUR wedding!!

have a beautiful day hun! x

I'm going to be honest and risk a grilling from people here. I HATE weekday weddings. I don't think much to Sunday weddings either. It is a lot cheaper for you, but more for every single guest you have. I couldn't have done it anyway as some of my family (including Dad!) work in schools so couldn't have been there. Some of my family took the friday off to travel down and make a proper weekend of it, but I would never have expected them to do that. We're going to a wedding on a Sunday soon and as H is best man and it's the other end of the country we have no choice but to take the Monday off and it bugs me. Having said all that, only you know how your guests will react and 5k is a huge amount of money, especially if it is a small wedding.

I agree with MrsShep.

We had a Friday wedding and my H's aunt couldn't come cos of work and childcare, which was fine (I've never met her). My bro and SIL are both teachers and got the day off, but unpaid. If they hadn't been able to afford to come I would have been understanding, but disappointed. But they did, thankfully.

Let the grilling begin ? I don't agree that it's more for nearly every guest you have, the majority of our guests work weekends so it's always going to be inconvenient for someone whatever day you get married. I actually like booking a Monday off and making it into a long weekend. I wouldn't pay an extra £5,000 just so some people don't have to use one days holiday.

We are getting married on a tuesday, all 66 people invited to the wedding are coming so we are quite happy with that. It was £4000 cheaper to do the tuesday so we snapped it up and its paid off, nobody has commented about having to book days off.

We are getting married on a Tuesday in 5 weeks time. A few friends's partners aren't coming but everyone else is!! We have had about 3 nos out of 60- all partners who we don't know that well anyway. Most of my friends (and me) work shifts anyway so it makes no difference to us. It's in the school holidays so hubby-2-be's cousins (aged 13-20) and his mum who is a teaching assistant can all come. Aunties and uncles are all more than happy to take a day off. I would say only 50% of my guests work mon-fri to be honest!! We had to make a sacrifice on either the venue or the day of the week as we couldn't afford a venue cost of £11,000 and having it on a weekday halved the cost. I was initially worried but needn't have been and I am so pleased we didn't sacrifice the venue of our dreams for a Saturday.

Yep, totally depends on your guest list. We had very few people (possibly only my brother) who don't work 9-5 mon-fri. Our school workers and those with kids wouldn't have made it on a weekday, and we also wouldn't have been able to have our work friends there as they wouldn't all have been allowed time off together. And don't get me wrong, I love a long weekend, but not when the day off involves 6hrs of driving, after a late night! But I'm just grumpy

Haha yeah that doesn't exactly sound ideal. You're right it is heavily guest list dependent, I don't know anyone that works in a school so it's not an issue for us.

We are getting married on Maundy Thursday next year and we have sent save the dates out and no one has mentioned anything about the date of the wedding, except one couple who have another wedding to attend on the Easter Saturday. I think with it being just before a long bank holiday weekend people are happy to take the day off, and as I am a teacher and around 60% of our guest list work in schools it works for us. Just make sure you give plenty of notice and be understanding for those who can't come because of work commitments.

We're getting married on a Thursday in August too because we couldn't justify paying an extra 5 grand for 1 days difference. I'm a teacher and my hubby to be works in retail so weekends are not great for a lot of his friends and colleges. All of my colleges and friends will be in the midst of the 6 weeks holidays. All of our 80 day time guests are coming and have booked the time off work and are making a long weekend out of it. The only no's we've had are evening guests who have already booked holidays (but that could quite easily have been the case with a Saturday wedding as many people will be away on holiday in the summer months). You know whether it will work for you or not but it will and is deffo working for us, our guests and the budget!

We are getting married on a Thursday! It was also £5k cheaper, no brainer for me x

Hello,

We are getting married on a Thursday in July during school term time and out of 60 guests invited 50 have said they are coming and we have the majority of guests travelling from Kent, Bedford and London to North Devon! I think what it comes down to is how flexible your family/friends can be, if you know that certain people you truly want there won't be able to make it then perhaps consider a Friday or Saturday but don't give in to peer pressure from your parents, do what you and your Fiance want to do as you will be the ones it matters to most!

Dawn

We're getting married on a Thursday in October! It's in the half term holidays and as most of my OH's family are teachers it works perfectly! I work in retail so although I know all of my colleague's won't be able to attend our evening do, more of them will have a chance at getting the day off on a thursday than a saturday! A lot of my friends are full time mummies and as children are invited to none of them should really have a problem. We sent out save the date's just before christmas and I haven't heard anybody say they aren't coming! It will only really be my parents/step parents that will have to have the day off (although my step-dad works from home anyway) and my aunty/uncle. They are all close family and I know they understand that we just can't justify spending that much more for a few when actually the majority would probably prefer a Thursday!

It definately depends on your guest list. But also ensuring people know in plenty of advance so that they can book time off. In my previous job I had to request the holidays I wanted for the following year (Jan-Dec) in the Sept before! It can genuinely be an issue for some poeple to have time off work, and if your still not sure I would ask around your friends and family and see what they think?

We got married on a Monday then had our reception on the following Saturday. Yes, there were a few people who couldn't make it, but they work in schools and we understood that they couldn't get the time off.

We were disappointed of course, but for them because we knew they really really wanted to be there!

As long as you are prepared to accept that some people won't make it, then there is no reason not to have a weekday wedding.

We are having a Monday wedding and I think we are saving almost half what a weekend wedding would cost. Just be prepared that whatever day you have it there will always be someone who can't come.

We probably would have considered it, except my mum works in a school so that ruled that out. At the time we booked my best friend and bridesmaid was also working in a school so it was double the reason. If not though we would have looked into it for sure. Those savings are appealing!

Think about your guest list - if everyone could make it, then it's up to them whether or not they will.

This is a tricky one and as others have said it depends on the occupations of your guests. If you have a lot of teacher friends, retired family members, stay at home parents, then they may have no problem attending. But you have to look at who potentially would have to take a day off work and whether you would be bothered if they didn't come. On the plus side, it could 'cull' those who actually aren't that close to you, the ones who really matter will be there no matter what, right?

No, that isn't how it works. Not for some jobs. I do wish people would stop saying this.

Yeah...agreed. My brother is the third most important person in my life amongst my wedding guests. But if him and my SIL couldn't have afforded to take a day off unpaid, I would have understood. They haves a young baby to take care of and losing a day's pay is not a small thing. His career and financial situation are not related in any way to how much he matters to me as a wedding guest.

A close friend of mine is getting married on a Wednesday about a 3.5 hour drive from where we live, a little annoying but more than happy to take 2 days off work to be there. The people who really want to come will come, apart from those who had other commitments eg work and we can't always plan for things like that - some people always work weekends (ironically the friend getting married only gets about 3 or 4 Saturdays off a year. )

Just my opinion! We had our wedding party on a Friday and people didn't come for a variety of reasons but no one mentioned the day of the week. I was bridesmaid at my best friend wedding a few summers ago at a time when l was not meant to have leave. I managed to negotiate a long weekend off after some pleading and agreeing to do some rather unpopular shifts. Not everyone will be able to make your date but it is just one of those things.

I agree I think no matter what day you have your wedding on there will always be someone who can't make it, hopefully you are giving people enough notice to book a day or 2 holiday xx

I agree I think no matter what day you have your wedding on there will always be someone who can't make it, hopefully you are giving people enough notice to book a day or 2 holiday xx

I agree I think no matter what day you have your wedding on there will always be someone who can't make it, hopefully you are giving people enough notice to book a day or 2 holiday xx