When you’re picking a date for your wedding there are a few things to keep in mind. First of all, you want to pick a date that works with the majority of your family and friends so that you can share your day with your favourite people but you also don’t want to inconvenience your guests. Some couples opt to host their wedding on a long weekend, and this seems to be a divisive issue – is a holiday long weekend wedding a great idea? Or is it a total faux-pas? Of course, there are pros and cons to having your wedding on a long weekend.

pros and cons of a long weekend wedding, 1

Photo Courtesy of Purple Tree Wedding Photography

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PRO: You can prolong the wedding fun:
Rehearsal dinner on the Friday, chill out with your wedding party on the Saturday, get hitched on the Sunday and then have an epic post wedding day on Monday. Having a day off between your rehearsal and the actual wedding means you can have a little more fun and not worry about having a headache on the morning of your wedding.

PRO: Your guests can make it a mini vacation:
Especially if you are getting married out of town OR if you have out of town guests coming to your wedding, having it on a long weekend allows them to turn the weekend into a mini vacation. Rather than dedicating a whole weekend to your wedding, they are able to do some touristy things where your wedding is taking place.

PRO: It’s one less vacation day you have to spend on your honeymoon:
If you’re leaving for your honeymoon right away– having your wedding on a long weekend allows you to keep an extra vacation day at work. This might not seem like a huge deal, but you’ll likely be taking some time off before the wedding to run errands and get ready– this way you don’t have to worry if you have enough vacation days left over.

CON: People usually want to do their own thing on long weekends:
Long weekends are few and far between– so for those with typical 9-5 schedules, long weekends are like mini vacations that allow them to get away for the weekend and do their own thing. They might not appreciate having to skip one of their coveted three-day-ers for your wedding.

CON: There’s no Sunday discount:
While some venues will offer a discount if you get married on a Sunday, this usually doesn’t apply to long weekends. So, if that is your reason for wanting to get married on a long weekend, we suggest you reconsider.

At the end of the day, you have to consider what you want your wedding weekend to look like. If you’re hoping to have a big family weekend together with lots of quality time together then a long weekend wedding sounds like the perfect thing for you. If not, or you don’t have a lot of out of town guests, a regular weekend can be the perfect fit as well. As always, make sure you and your future spouse have a conversation about what you want. Happy Planning!