Should You Have Your Wedding on A Friday?

At first I thought it was just wrong.
A Friday night wedding? What about work or school? Gift opening on Saturday?

But we were on a time crunch, with help from the Army, so we went for Friday, July 21, 2006. All said and done, the day was perfect. And I wouldn't have done it any other way. Or day. And here is why...

Five pros to a Friday wedding:

1) The day isn't quite as long - in a good way. With a Saturday 2 p.m. ceremony, pictures start at 11 which means hair starts at 7 a.m. and dancing until midnight after that early start can make for a very long day. With a 4 or 5 p.m. ceremony on Friday, you can sleep in, take your time and still have your dancing shoes on until they kick you out. Your wedding day will exhaust you emotionally and physically and you will want to be rested and relaxed.

2) Discounts! We found that reception halls, photographers, DJs, and even limo companies offer discounts on Fridays to pull more business from their booked Saturdays. Our reception hall offered a Friday special that included a plated dinner, champagne for all guests, cake cutting, linens, tax and gratuity for an all-in-one fixed price. Whereas on Saturdays, the menu is al a carte plus champagne, tax and gratuity. We saved over $2,000 on our reception, DJ and limo costs with a Friday wedding.

3) Atop discounts, Fridays offer more availablity. If you are not planning a year or two in advance, good places and companies are often hard to find with open Saturdays - especially during the summer. Our hall and photographer were booked solid on Saturdays this summer but had several Friday openings. And we are glad they did! Fridays give you more choices - with discounts!

4) Allow for more fun! As the beginning of the weekend, your guests can look forward to a great dinner and party to end their busy work week. Don't worry about work or school getting in the way of people making it to the ceremony, they will work it out. You're important to them and it's a great reason to get Friday afternoon off! On Friday nights guests can relax, have that extra drink and stay that extra song knowing it's okay to feel groggy in the morning - there is Sunday for things that need to get done! You will like the two days also, to recover and let everything sink in, before thinking about the honeymoon or going back to work.

5) Plan ahead! With a Friday wedding, your one-year anniversary can be celebrated on a Saturday night! Although there is a little more patience required with this perk, think of all the options that are available on Saturday nights for great anniversary dates - concerts, plays, comedy club, live music at bars, another wedding - all without work the next day! Afterall, who wants to end their one-year going to bed early on Sunday night?

Now, don't get me wrong - I still love a Saturday wedding. I just wanted to get the word out there about the not-so-popular Friday night and what it can offer the couple-to-be and thier guests. Happy planning!