Is it ok to have a wedding on a workday during work hours?

We were thinking about having our wedding on a friday during lunch time then realized how much cheaper it is to have it on thursday. Both would interfere with most peoples work days. Is it a big deal or bad to expect people to request off MONTHS in advanced to come to your wedding???Is it ok to have a wedding on a workday during work hours?
Congratulations!



I am having a Friday wedding, and 95% of my guests will be traveling over 500 miles to be here. I鈥檓 inviting my co-workers, and I know that there is a slim chance of them coming to the ceremony (at 3:00pm) but they all know that they are invited to the reception. I also know that some out of town guests cannot come due to other things going on on a Friday evening. For instance, I just found out that my nephews can鈥檛 come because they are graduating that day. I鈥檝e already booked everything鈥? So be prepared for things like this to come up.



I think that mid-week weddings are fine as long as:

- you give people PLENTY of notice, especially if travel (over 2 hours/overnight stay) is a concern. Childcare is also a concern for many parents, but if your wedding is child friendly, then maybe it will be a perk for them to go rather than pay for childcare.

- you don鈥檛 mind some people choosing work instead of your wedding. In this economy time off work may be rough, but given the time to plan it shouldn鈥檛 be an unreasonable request. It also depends on what they do for a living, mostly Teachers, Military, General Office? All of that will make an impact.

- you don鈥檛 skimp. Use the same amount of money as you planned for 鈥?just use it better. Get better food, better entertainment, better goodies 鈥?all for the same amount of cash 鈥?trust me if you are expecting your guests to accommodate your weekday wedding you have to give them something to come for, otherwise they may leave wishing they had been at work.



I don鈥檛 think that its rude or out of hand to request. I think that your wedding day is what you make it. You may save more money since your guest list may be shortened by the day, but if these people are really the important ones they鈥檒l find a way to be there!





Good Luck!Is it ok to have a wedding on a workday during work hours?
Its your wedding, but dont get mad when others do not want to take a vacation or a sick day to attend. And for get about out of town guests, they might not be able to take off work for 2 days.



You will save even more $ becuase less people will attend. But they will probably still send a few bucks and mail you a card, so financially its a good idea, but not very considerate
That's kinda inconsiderate on your part. A lot of people may not be there because they won't be able to take off work. Yes, weekday weddings are cheaper and if you absolutely want a Thursday, why not do it at like 7 or 8pm and have a very short reception?
If I was invited to a Thursday lunchtime wedding, I wouldn't go unless they were a very very close friend or relative. That would make me mad, honestly. People can't travel without taking 2 days off work then, and people don't have that kind of vacation time.
during the week, most people aren't going to come, and i'll tell you why.



it's not the work. they can get the time off that they need, provided you give them at least some notice. the fact is, they don't want to come to work hungover the next day. who would? as a result, they will feel as if they can't have as much fun at the wedding, and so they wonder if they should even attend.



now, there's also the possibility that if you have it on a thursday, people might take friday off as well, but that would depend greatly on the person.



i'd really recommend going with a friday or saturday.
Pick a better time if you want to be assured that your guests can attend. Best Wishes. :-)
If that is what you want to do, you just may not get as many guests as if you did it one on a weekend. Some may get offended, but it is your wedding not theirs.
You can have your wedding on the day and time you choose, but consideration should be given to the guests also.



You can't expect people to take off work for a lunchtime wedding in the middle of the week. Not everyone has the ability to take the time off, even with months of notice. There are other things to consider like daycare, picking up kids from school, etc that working people have to deal with. If you don't mind getting a lot of responses saying people can't attend, then go for it.



Good luck.
considering that thursday is actually one of the busiest days in most peoples work week, yeah, i think a lot of people would be mad and have a lot of issues getting that date off in the first place....especially those who would have to travel and use up the following friday as well.



its your wedding, so ultimately you should do what you want, but you cant get mad if a lot of people dont turn up cause of the date and time
I think it's your wedding, do what you want. But do not be offended when the majority of distant relatives/ not-that-close friends; do not come. Yes it's cheaper; but is it worth it to have a fraction of the guest attend?
You will get significantly less people attending your wedding on a Thursday afternoon. But, it's about you two, not everyone else. Also, you can't expect people to take off for your wedding. A lot of people will not.
Yes Thursday is becoming more and more common for a wedding day. Thursday daytime isn't as common, but it's fine. I would say give you guests a lot of notice. Just know that many, even with the advance notice, may not be able to make the wedding- just like advance notice during an off-season wedding. I think this is just a good example of why you don't have things like a cash bar at a wedding. :) Not that you mentioned it, but people are traveling and getting time off work (and buying a gift) to go to your wedding, so asking them to pay for anything is just silly.
If it is a small wedding with mostly just immediate family, then I think it is fine because they will think it is worth it to take the day off. However, for a regular size or large wedding...I wouldn't do that.
It sure is- it's YOUR wedding. I had my wedding on a Friday afternoon. If guests can take off from work and make it, great! If not, it really is too bad, but maybe they can make it to the reception.



I agree that it is cheaper this way- that was the primary reason we did what we did. My husband was against it origionally too, but when I ran real-life dollar amounts by him, he quickly saw it my way. This way too, you're not taking up people's ENTIRE weekend for YOUR wedding. (rehearsal and rehearsal dinner Friday, wedding Saturday, hangover recovery and gift opening Sunday) I had my rehearsal after everyone was done working on Thursday, then dinner. Friday was the wedding, and we had out gift opening on Saturday morning. That gave everyone Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday to do anything else they may have wanted to do!
It's your wedding, have it when you want! But, remember that a lot of people can't make it. I would send a save the date out that says something to the effect of ';Due to financial restrictions we would like to inform you that our wedding will take place on Thursday (Date) (Time). We would appreciate your attendance.'; and then send out the traditional save the date with it!
It is fine if you don't want anyone to be there. Sundays are cheaper to and someone might be able to be there. At least go for an evening weddingif you are going to hold it on a work day and don't serve alcohol folks don't want to be hung over either.
Hmm, is it considerate? Well honestly, I think it is possible as long as you have it at a reasonable hour. There are so many ways to make this possible. If you wanted the reception and ceremony on the same day then you shouldn't except a lot of people to show. A weekday wedding means mostly close friends and very close family. So it's going to be a small reception/party. If you are ok with this then fine. It might be best to have the wedding in the late afternoon and have the reception in the early evening. That way people can make it after work and drive back safely. Don't except any out of town guests to come unless they are extremely close to you. If you don't mind any of that, I say do it. Personally, I want my ceremony and reception on a Sunday afternoon, and my mother is pushing for a Saturday. It ain't happening. :) .



Another option, have the ceremony during the week invite small number of people and have the reception on a Friday evening/weekend day. You can find cheaper places for a reception.



Another option, have the reception and ceremony during the week when you want but have a small after party that weekend with everyone else. The reception can be a small and intimate affair and the after party can include more people. The event can happen at your house/apt or in a nice restaurant/bar.
It's no worse than eloping or having a destination wedding. However, if you expect people to take time off, especially on a Thursday (Friday is bad enough), you're crossing the line. For you, it's a once-in-a-lifetime event. For them, it's yet another cousin/niece/nephew getting married. You're right that Thursday is a lot cheaper - the expensive part of a wedding reception is the per-person for food, and having fewer guests drastically cuts the costs.
I knew someone that got married Thursday night at 7 and everything was so cheap. They were able to rest and then go on the honeymoon. I am renewing my vows next year for our anniversary and it's on a thursday so I now everyone can come and not compete with summer weddings on weekends.
we are having our wedding on a wed, and let me tell you (with the exception of those overseas who cannot afford to come, and a few that we did not mind could not attend (you know those family members you cannot not invite))



almost all of our proposed guests are coming. that is because a lot of the people we know dont work a typical nine to five job and a lot of those will be making the effort to attend



i was wary of a week day i guess but it is the day we met and we want to get married on the day we met, it was a special day and i wont wait four years for it to be a sat :)
It is your wedding. You decide where and when you want it.



OK if it is a weekday it may be impossible for some of your intended guests to come, but you will obviously be aware of that.



Are non-family guests important to your wedding?



If on the other hand you want a big party then set a day when the most people are free to attend.



Or why not just marry and hope you avoid causing any offence.
Sure. Just give your guests a heads-up several months in advance by sending save the date cards so they can be sure and get the day off from work. My son and his fiancee are doing that in May when they marry on a Friday at 11am because it is cheaper than to do so at night or on a Saturday.