Wedding - day of the week

Unwilling

Anyone have any opinions on a midweek wedding - it makes no odds to the cost with the hotel so that is not our motivation.
It boils down to availability of the registrar................

thursday versus Friday?!?!?!?!:D

snuggles09

we went Friday because if it was a Thursday we would be expecting people to maybe take 2 days off work

some hotels offer 15% discounts though and extras for a mid week wedding so it's up to yourselves really:)

happypuppy

Friday if you consider people taking time off work to go, might only have to take one day instead of two and will cost them less

We were actually discussing this in work yesterday and the general feeling was that it is "selfish" to have your wedding midweek as it usually involves people taking two days off work. One girl thought that it would mean the wedding wouldn't be as fun as alot of people would not take the second day and therefore head off early. But then, people work Saturdays and Sundays too, granted not as many.

Personally, I would prefer to have my wedding on a Friday or Saturday (mine was the latter) but I certainly don't think people are "selfish" for choosing any other day of the week. At the end of the day, if it doesn't suit people to attend, they don't have to

ThePiedPiper

A cousin of mine had her wedding on a Thursday and it really was not good fun.. Lots of people coming late after work, loads went home immediately after the meal who had work the next day.

We're having ours on a Saturday as it's the day that nearly guarantees you're inconveniencing the least people and hardly anyone would have work the next day.

Bear in mind a lot of your guests may only have 20 days holidays to take per year, so add up 4 or 5 weddings on weekdays and you'll understand why a lot of people have issues with them.. just my tuppence

suzieled

I attended 2 Thursday weddings last year and had to work both Fridays after them. Come 10pm at each wedding I found myself looking at my watch knowing I had to be up by 6 for work the next day, even though the music was just getting started. That way I couldnt enjoy it at all.

hunnymonster

if cost isn't your motivation and most of your guests are monday to friday workers, would you consider doing hte legal bits when the registrar is available and having the bash on a day that's more convenient for people. It's just an idea.

BC

Definately a friday - its easier for guests.
Its unfortunate that the HSE won't do civil weddings on saturdays.

superleedsdub

BC wrote: »

Definately a friday - its easier for guests.
Its unfortunate that the HSE won't do civil weddings on saturdays.

I find it strange that the HSE don`t do civil weddings on a saturday - surely that is the most popular day for having a wedding ceremony?

I`m having my wedding on a friday for 2 key reasons:

1. It gives the guests the whole weekend to recover;)
2. It won`t clash with any football - I don`t want to miss any matches or have any of the guests heading off to the bar to watch a match....(rugby world cup starts the following weekend so there should be no major sporting events scheduled)
I`ve been to weddings where things like this caused alot of friction...

tatli_lokma

we had our wedding on a Thurs purely because if we wanted a Friday we would have had to wait a further 4 mths which we did not want to do.
I honestly don't think it impacted on people too much - i do acknowledge that they needed an extra day off, and I appreciate them making that effort. Having said that, we had a relatively small wedding (50 guests) and they were almost all people who would have come to the wedding regardless, so they didn't mind too much. also initially we were supposed to get married abroad so a large portion of the guests were expecting to have to take a week off and travel overseas, so for them only taking 2 days off and staying in Dublin was better for them.

However, if I were having a larger more traditional sized wedding I would probably opt for the Friday instead, because as many have pointed out it makes things easier for your guests, less days off, easier to get a babysitter etc.

Having said that, I don't think a particular day of the week guarantees a better wedding - it is the crowd and the atmosphere that dictate that, not the day of the week. How many of us have gone out for 1 after work, only to stay the duration and have a great time? If people are having fun they will throw worries about the following day aside and enjoy themselves. My sister got married on a Tuesday many moons ago, and to this day relatives still comment on what a great wedding it was! and that was in the days were no one stayed in the hotel regardless of distance from home - some of them had to get in cars or on the bus and travel a good bit home, and yet they all stayed til the death and had a great time.

BC

superleedsdub wrote: »

I find it strange that the HSE don`t do civil weddings on a saturday - surely that is the most popular day for having a wedding ceremony?

The registrars are public sector employees whose normal work hours are monday to friday.

OS119

lots of other countries manage to get civil registrars to work on a saturday, its not a fundamental law of physics that needs over-turning, mearly an annotation of their contract of employment for the convenience of those they are employed to serve.

OP, if you want lots of people to turn up, sit through interminable speeches, pay for hotels, suits, dresses etc.. and give you a nice present, you have to make it as easy as possible for them to participate. asking them - by and large - to take two days annual leave in order for them to do so isn't a good starting point.

weekend wedding all the way, Friday is almost as good provided its done well in advance and the transport and hotel costs (to your guests) aren't robbery - but thursday? don't bother...

hunnymonster

BC wrote: »

The registrars are public sector employees whose normal work hours are monday to friday.

not all public sector worker are Mon-Fri'ers. When there is a justification for other hours (which for weddings there certainly would be) then why not employ people at weekends. Sundays are pretty much a dead day for weddings as very few churches will marry you on a Sunday so it would be an ideal time for hotels as this is their quietest night of the week.

BC

hunnymonster wrote: »

not all public sector worker are Mon-Fri'ers. When there is a justification for other hours (which for weddings there certainly would be) then why not employ people at weekends. Sundays are pretty much a dead day for weddings as very few churches will marry you on a Sunday so it would be an ideal time for hotels as this is their quietest night of the week.

I work in the public sector so I know that!
What I meant was the HSE registrars are Monday to Friday workers.
I agree that they (or at least some of them) should work saturdays but currently they don't.