Holiday Wedding Pros And Cons

If you’re still choosing a wedding date and considering a holiday week or weekend, it can seem like a no-brainer. A few extra days built-in to celebrate and spend time with your friends and family. Festive atmospheres. Super fun photo opportunities. And while that’s all true, there are definitely both holiday wedding pros and cons to consider. 

Some people will eagerly accept the chance to use a holiday to come and celebrate your wedding with you. And others will not. You can’t make everyone happy. But it is definitely worth it to think through a holiday wedding, and whether or not it is the best option for you and your guests.

Here is a list of some holiday wedding pros and cons you need to consider.

1. Travel and accommodations
2. Guest list RSVPs
3. Venues and vendors
4. The holiday itself

1. Travel and accommodations

There are holiday wedding pros and cons when it comes to travel and accommodations for you and your guests.

PROS

One reason couples choose to plan their weddings on a holiday weekend is the extra days available to work with. Holiday weekends can allow couples to extend their wedding celebrations to more than just one day. This allows for more quality time with family and friends. It also allows more time for extra get-togethers, like pre-or-post wedding BBQs, day trips, and time to recuperate from festivities.

Holiday weddings can be more convenient for some of your guests who might otherwise have to take time off work. It also gives your far-flung guests more time to work with for their travel days and recovery time.

If you do plan a wedding over a holiday, just make sure to provide enough activities for your guests. You want to make sure it’s worth it for those who may have had to give up other plans.

CONS

Your guests won’t be the only ones needing to travel around a holiday weekend. Airfare and hotel accommodations spike during these times and options become more limited. This can end up putting an unfortunate financial strain on your guests. You would need to send the invites out well in advance so people have time to book flights and hotels that fill up fast for holidays. It’s also a good idea to book a wedding block of rooms at a hotel close to your venue for this reason.

Traffic can get pretty congested on holiday weekends, as everyone’s in a rush to get somewhere. So you need to factor that in for the time of day you plan your ceremony. If your wedding is at 5 pm on the Friday before a holiday weekend, you might have a lot of guests arriving late.

2. Guest list RSVPs

Holiday wedding pros and cons will affect the RSVPs of your guest list. Here are some things to consider.

PROS

Your out-of-town guests might benefit from your festivities being planned on a holiday weekend It gives them more time to travel to your venue, and might make it easier for them to accept the invitation. Not having to take extra time off work could also make some guests available who might otherwise not be able to come.

CONS

Holidays generally mean dedicated family time for some, and religious holidays especially might have traditions that outweigh your big day. Or there might be annual family reunions or previously planned vacations that people can’t get out of. So you may have more people decline than you would on a non-holiday weekend.

Some holidays are routinely popular wedding weekends. So it’s also possible that some of your guests might have a couple of conflicting wedding invitations on the same day. In that case, you have to be okay with the possibility of a guest needing to decline yours.

If you are considering planning your wedding around a holiday, it is wise to consult with your wedding party and guest list VIPs ahead of time about your dates. At the very least, you want to be sure your most important people can make it!

3. Venues and vendors

Many factors surround a holiday that could be holiday wedding pros and cons regarding your preferred venues and vendors.

PROS

Some venues offer special pricing for ceremonies held on Fridays or Sundays. So having an extra buffer day due to a holiday weekend can make some venues more affordable to couples.

Another perk of planning a holiday wedding is that some venues, like churches, will be beautifully decorated for the holiday. So you can potentially save money on decorations. 

Likewise, if you’re in a nice city or destination, the city and area themselves might also be all dressed up. The atmosphere and energy of the holiday can add to the excitement of the wedding. It also can provide some great photo ops!

CONS

Certain holidays, like Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Columbus Day, are super popular, high-demand wedding weekends. So your ideal venues and vendors might not be available unless you book them months (sometimes years) in advance. 

This also means that, due to demand, you probably won’t be getting any discounts on these weekends. You might even be faced with steep upcharges or premiums to nail down your dream venue and vendors.

4. The holiday itself

Holiday wedding pros and cons come down to the holiday itself and how it’s celebrated along with your wedding.

PROS

There are definitely a lot of ways to have fun with a holiday weekend wedding. Feel free to incorporate the holiday theme into your decor, as long as you don’t go overboard. A July 4th wedding could be by a lake and end in fireworks. A Christmas time wedding can have winter accents. And holiday-themed signature cocktails can kick it up a notch.

You might even find that there are local holiday events you and your guests can take advantage of. This can provide more opportunities for unforgettable wedding time memories.

CONS

There are also some less desirable things to consider when planning a holiday wedding. Association with the holiday itself can make your anniversary day not as separate and special as it should be. 

You also have to consider what you could be making your guests, vendors, etc give up to come to your wedding. They might be having to choose between your wedding and time with their families. So just keep that in mind when considering your plans.

Conclusion

Weigh your options and these holiday wedding pros and cons from the point of view of your guests. You want them to come and celebrate with you. But you also don’t want to cause them any undue strain financially or otherwise. And you don’t want them to have to sacrifice too much family time or traditions on your behalf.

Ultimately, though, this is your wedding. Tying the knot with your future spouse should be as special as you want it to be. You can always live-stream your ceremony for those who can’t make it.

Hopefully, these holiday wedding pros and cons helped you weigh some options to help you decide whether or not a holiday wedding is right for you.

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