Planning your wedding for a holiday or a long weekend comes with significant benefits and downsides to consider. On the plus side, there’s more time to party with family and friends, and holiday activities (like a stellar fireworks show) can make your day extra memorable. However, holiday weekends can be extremely expensive for travel and lodging and you might end up sharing your anniversary with another holiday. Whether you’re thinking Fourth of July, New Year’s Eve, or a local “holiday” like Hoopfest or the Christmas Lighting Festival, here’s what you need to do.
1. Check with those MOST important to you to make sure they don’t already have plans for that holiday. (Think immediate family, grandparents, and your BFFs) If it’s very important to you or your spouse that a certain person is in attendance, that might trump the excitement of a holiday weekend.
2. Send out your save the dates EXTRA early! Especially during the summer, people make plans way in advance. Get those save the dates out to make sure that well, everyone saves your date!
3. Carefully consider your venue. Were you dreaming of getting married at that gorgeous lakeside park? You might have to reconsider in order to pull off a Fourth of July wedding. Public areas are usually packed on holidays and long weekends, and the last thing you need is a bunch of “fireworks enthusiasts” interrupting your vows!
4. Make sure to secure a block of rooms with a convenient hotel ahead of time. This way your guests won’t have trouble finding a room and they won’t have to pay an arm and a leg for it!
5. Be prepared for people to say no. Lots of people have long-standing traditions for holidays that simply cannot be rescheduled or canceled. If you can settle for that, you might even save money in the long run!
In the end, it’s up to you and your significant other to decide if a holiday wedding is worth it! Sit down together and thoughtfully weigh the pros and cons to determine if it’s the right fit for you. You may end up walking down the aisle sparklers in hand, or taking advantage of one of the other numerous weekends the year has to offer!
