Things to Consider When Planning a Midweek Wedding

One of the top results when you search ‘weekday wedding’ online is, “Can you marry on a weekday?”. Traditionally, weekends have always been the most popular option for weddings but the slow and steady trend of couples getting married during the week isn’t showing any signs of waning. Despite what many people assume, their popularity isn’t simply because they’re cheaper (although frequently they are!) there are a variety of other reasons too, some of which I’ll touch on shortly.

Admittedly a midweek wedding isn’t for everyone, but hosting your wedding on a day other than Saturday is seriously worth a discussion. So whether you’ve already secured a wonderful Wednesday wedding or you’re weighing up your options, keep reading for some things to consider when planning a midweek wedding.

Availability

Now, this is a biggie. Popular venues are renowned for booking their peak Saturday dates at least one, but probably two years in advance. If a midweek wedding is on the cards one of the biggest pros is that you’ll find venues’ availability to be much more flexible during the week. Plus you shouldn’t have to worry about clashing wedding dates with anyone else, and if you wanted to you could get married sooner than initially thought.

Wedding Suppliers

Just as popular venues get booked up early, so do some wedding suppliers. So if you have your heart set on a particular fine art wedding photographer, or awesome brass band, they are much more likely to have your midweek wedding date available. Just because you’re getting married in the week doesn’t mean you have to compromise, actually it’s kind of the opposite – you can cherry pick your faves and start curating your ultimate dream team of wedding suppliers!

Budget

Although not always a given, marrying on a weekday could mean some pretty big financial benefits. Loads of venues that we know (and love) offer discounted rates or bespoke packages, but these might only be available during the week or out of season. Opting for a midweek date won’t just be kinder on your budget, but your guests can often save money on their travel and accommodation if booked outside of peak times too. And whilst we wouldn’t recommend bartering anyone and everyone for a few quid off here and there, it’s sometimes worth being transparent with your suppliers about your allocated funds. They might be happy to work within your budget if it means they get to take a booking that they might not have had otherwise.

Top Tip: If you are looking to get married within a year of getting engaged, keep your eyes peeled for late availability discounts and offers too – many venues include them on their listings with us. You can also head to the Venue Finder, and filter your search results by ‘Late Availability’ or ‘Exclusive Offers’ and see who pops up… you’re welcome!

Your Guests

Understandably one of the biggest concerns for couples considering a weekday wedding is that their loved ones won’t be able to attend. Whilst this is a possibility, rest assured that the people most important to you will do their best to make it happen. With at least 12 months’ notice your guests should be able to organise their lives in order to be at your special day. To make it even easier for them you could always consider getting married during the school holidays or choosing a day such as a Friday or Monday which could easily merge into a long weekend.

Extended Hire Period

As well as potentially saving a bit of money off the hire cost, some wedding venues may have the option to extend their hire period during the week, meaning you could spread the celebrations over several days. If venues do offer a midweek wedding, often they’ll limit it to one on a weekend and one in the week, giving you much more flexibility around the wedding day. Why not host a BBQ or cocktail evening on the night before your wedding? Or task someone with organising a walk and a lunch the day after? Wedding days are famous for flying by so embracing a longer celebration simply means you get to spend more quality time with all of your favourite people!

The local area

If you’re seriously considering opting for a midweek wedding, I would suggest having an open and honest conversation with your venue about what to expect. Although you will naturally be in your own glorious wedding bubble, ultimately for everyone else life just goes on. They’ll be going to work, school, and basically getting on with their day-to-day lives. Of course this point really depends on the style and location of your chosen venue. If you’re looking at a private, secluded country house with no other folk for miles around then this shouldn’t affect you. But if your venue is in a built-up area or on a working farm then it’s likely there will be workers milling around, machinery, vehicles noises, deliveries, etc. This actually might not bother you at all, but it’s certainly something to be aware of.

A Relaxed Atmosphere

This isn’t necessarily something to consider but I think it’s worth noting that for some reason hosting a wedding during the week seems to give the occasion a bit more of a relaxed vibe. Maybe it’s the flexibility around the wedding day, or maybe it’s because people are in ‘holiday mode’ if they’re not at work or school. Either way, if it’s a leisurely, laid-back celebration you’re after, without some of the added fuss of a weekend bash, a midweek wedding is the one for you.