Weekday weddings - more guests declining?

I'm not sure that having your wedding on Friday would necessarily mean you'd get more declines. I imagine a lot of people would be willing to take a day off work.

However, if you are already able to identify people who are important to you who may struggle with a Friday wedding, that's the reason I'd be reconsidering.

We're having a Friday wedding as we wanted to save a bit of cash but weren't prepared to go the 'whole hog' and go for a mon,tues,wed,thurs, as we felt a Friday would make it more like a long weekend for people and most would have Saturday off so could party the night away still. Personally, I'd take the day off work any day of the week for a wedding, but I'd be less likely to take two days off, so if the wedding was on a Wednesday I'd probably go home fairly early as I'd have to go to work the next day. One thing we did do was make sure the date was during the school holidays - although we're not having children outside of the wedding party, it's often easier for parents to get childcare during school holidays as they can go and spend a few nights with grandparents etc what with not being bound by school hours.

I have recently been to a friday wedding, and i can say it didnt bother me that it was a friday, a lot of people nowasdays dont work mon-fri so i think you will be fine, if you mean anything to people they will make the effort to come

My cousin had her weddign on a Friday and i dont think they had any people that didnt come, I think so long as you give people plenty of notice so they can plan there holiday then they should be fine and as everyone else said so long as the people that really matter are there i.e you an your OH then everyone else is unimportant. x

We had our wedding on a Friday and had no declines because it was a week day. As long as you give people plenty of notice - i even had 2 teachers who got the day off.

I am getting married on a Friday - I did consider there are a few teachers who may not be able to get the day off, and I know some friends have a lot of weddings on Fridays this year so is alot of days off, but I gave them plenty of notice so I know most will make all the effort they can.

Most of the weddings I am invited to now are on Fridays!

We're getting married on a Friday and haven't had any declines because of it. However, I did a PGCE last year and I would have found it very difficult to get a day off in the last weeks of my final placement, unless it was for an interview. Your bridesmaid may need to speak to someone as soon as possible. If you are really worried about it, could you delay it by a few weeks and get married in the summer holidays?

Out of the weddings I will be attending this year (other than my own) 3 are Friday weddings, 1 a Saturday and 1 a Sunday.

I will be attending all of them but I must admit we are struggling a bit for annual leave as we had a month off work for our own wedding and honeymoon.

I think Friday weddings are almost as common as Saturday weddings these days (or more so if you go by my friends).

As BV said though, if there are some guests that you absolutely want there but already envisage problems with them attending, why don't you ask them?

Well, we both work in theatre so Saturdays would be horrendous for us and most of our guests due to Saturday being the busiest day, usually 2 shows and a get-out of the show. So we have gone for a Friday and expect to get a lot less declines because of it! x

I haven't been to any Friday weddings yet but have an evening do for one in August, plus two for Sundays this year (one being the 23rd December!), the others are Saturdays.

I wouldn't have an issue getting time off but Mr C as a teacher would (our honeymoon was unpaid leave as it was!) which would mean going on my own or missing it.

If it meant that those closest to me couldn't come, I would consider rearranging.

As long as you give as much notice as possible, you shouldn't get any more declines than you usually might.

I personally prefer Friday weddings as it means I still get a weekend (and it means I don't miss footy if it's a home game!).

But I know it can be a problem for teachers so you just have to prepare yourself for that.

I have 2 Fri wedding invites for this year.

1 I will defo be going to, it's not too far away and it's close members of OH's family.

The other one I probably won't go to, its up north in manchester this Aug, the official invites haven't even come out yet to tell us if we are day or evening guests and I've only met the guy once (extended OH family).

So I think it really depends on how much people care about attending, how far they have to travel. One reason I probably won't go to the 2nd is we'd need to travel up on the Thurs which would mean 2 days off rather than 1. Just makes it that much more difficult.

But only you know your guests and can decide based on their contexts.

hmmm spend a friday at work or a beautiful wedding ?? ?......no contest !

Personally, I welcome any reason to take a Friday off work. ?

We've just been invuted to a wedding next year which is on a Friday. I won't be able to go as I'm a teacher so can not book anytime off in non school holiday times but if this wasn't the case I would be happy to book a day off to go to a wedding if I was allowed.

Rachel xx

We've just booked our wedding for a Friday. We've discussed it with our close family, who, luckily, should all be able to book the day off. However, should they not have been able to make it, we would have gone for the Saturday without hesitation, despite it costing a bit more.

IMO, I would discuss it with those who are most important to you before booking your venue to double check they can make it.

We have just booked our venue and decided to go for a Friday. We did want to have a Saturday but the venue hire doubles in price and we just can't justify it. So it was between Friday or Sunday. We have chosen Friday as people are less likely to have work the next day... yes they will have to take the Friday off work but then I feel people won't want/need to leave early to "get back home" or whatever! Where as I felt if we did it on the Sunday people would have been more reluctant to take the Monday off work and therefore would have left early. I hope that makes sense lol!

I am still worried that people will decline the invitation as it is on a Friday but after working out how much we'll probably be spending... if a few decline it won't be the end of the world and it will save some pennies! We also plan to send out Save the Dates incredibly early so people can book time off in advance if needed.

Hope that helps!

x x

My wedding was on a friday and i had 3 teachers attend- we had no declines, people who wants to be there WILL be there

I went to a Thursday wedding at the end of May (took 3 days off work to fly out as well) in Ireland - they found the people who really wanted to be there made the effort. BUT if you are worried about declines think about who you really want there and if they would struggle may be reconsider?

My own wedding is a Thursday and I have only had one couple decline as they are on holiday that week

We got married on a Friday and didn't get a single decline because of it (the only two no's were for distance reasons). Having said that, it was a Friday in the holidays (I'm a teacher) so it didn't affect our friends who are teachers. I think teachers attending very much depends on circumstances - some times of year and some schools are easier to ask for a day off than others. I would have found it very difficult to get a Friday off during my training year, unless you can ask her to mention it at the start perhaps - she might be able to make a placement day up at another time.

Ours was a Friday, we only had 2 couples decline the day invitations, one couple who live in Australia and my friend who was due to have her baby that week. My mum is a teacher as is one of the other guests. They both managed to get the time off to attend. Although, one of hubby's friends sent us a message the day before the wedding saying how she had stupidly assumed the wedding was on the saturday and hadn't booked the day off work, despite the fact that the invitations clearly said the day and date on them.

Weve booked ours for a friday, aswell as the money saving side on the venue hire and photographer (going to start asking for discounts on everything cuz its a friday) it meant we didnt have to meet the minimum number of guests etc so we aint just making numbers up and it keeps it personal. We feel with enough notice everyone close to us will book it off work well in advance (I certainly would) and yet its still a good start to the weekend so wont have so much "work the next day" issues.

WOW I want to work where they work as we are not allowed time off at all unless it is an immediate relative.

In answer to the original post if you have checked that the people you really want to be there can be then go for it.