By Jose M. Chavez
Photo by Manor on High
The standard of weddings has been on a Saturday long time. It is the day that most of the venues base their packages on, the day that photographers would book first, and the day that guests, without realizing, would be thinking of a wedding. However, the question that is increasingly being posed by more and more couples here in Virginia is the following: Does our wedding have to be on a Saturday? And the answer, to most, is no.
Be it a dream about getting married under the Blue Ridge Mountains of the Shenandoah Valley, a waterfront place on the Coastal Virginia shore, or a big estate in Northern Virginia, it means that a Friday or a Sunday can provide you with opportunities that a Saturday cannot. Let’s break down what you need to know before making the call.
The Case for a Friday Wedding in Virginia
Photo by Manor on High
Friday weddings have been slowly becoming popular, and it is easy to understand why. The first and the most direct is the cost advantage.
Most Virginia facilities are also much cheaper to rent on Fridays, a mere 20 to 30% cheaper than renting on a Saturday. You can use that money to do something grander with the floral design, to do a better bar package, or even an improved honeymoon suite.
Advantages
- Another significant advantage is that of the availability of vendors. The photographer, band, or caterer you have first selected might be committed to another 18 months of booking that day (Saturday), but Fridays are open to any booking. Friday booking can result in landing sellers who would not have been accessible.
- A Friday wedding has a certain intimacy as well. Your guest list may cull itself by nature since it is a workday. Your guests who are really affectionate will also get things shifted and come. The ones who had simply gone to be present out of necessity could simply refuse. The result? A crowd of individuals who are actually in the mood to party with you – and you can feel that.
The Case for a Sunday Wedding in Virginia
Photo by Manor on High
There is a charisma to Sunday weddings. To begin with, should you be having a full weekend celebration, a Sunday ceremony would be the climax to what might have been a gorgeous two-day celebration. On Saturday, guests come and have a welcome dinner or a rehearsal party, and then party with you on Sunday and head home.
Advantages
- Budget-wise, the Sunday venues are usually the cheapest. The country estates, mountain lodges, and old manor houses around Virginia, many of which are usually pricier on weekdays, are more affordable on Sundays and mean that a couple will be able to rent out a venue that may otherwise be a stretch financially.
In case you have been coveting a specific breathtaking hilltop venue or elevated event space that is usually occupied during high seasons, a Sunday inquiry would score you a spot dead right in the middle of what you’ve been yearning to have.
- Sunday services are also relaxed. Brunch-style events are in fashion, and a Sunday morning or early afternoon service with a fancy brunch buffet afterward is automatically cool. Imagine mimosas, local Virginia foods, and a more relaxed, airy theme that would match the natural beauty of the Commonwealth.
Disadvantages
- The problem of Sunday weddings is the time of leaving early. Visitors who commute or have to be at work on Monday might be forced to leave before the evening is over. When you are determined to have a late-night dance floor experience, a Sunday schedule needs to be planned accordingly.
You need to think of beginning your ceremony later, a 2 PM wedding on Sundays, which ends at 8 PM, leaves a possibility to drive home or get settled before the work week.
What Virginia Venues and Vendors Are Saying
In the city and the countryside, in the urban venues of Richmond and the rural Shenandoah Valley, venue planners confirm the booking trend of Friday and Sunday as a growing trend and not a desperate measure. The couples are tactically going to the off-peak days, not apologetically, but it’s yielding them unprecedented results.
This has become proactively requested by many vendors who entice more, but not as often, weekday and Sunday bookings, as it enables them to undertake more work that they enjoy doing without having to work back-to-back Saturdays. The result of that enthusiasm is vendors who are well rested, fully awake, and tend to do whatever you need during your day.
Making the Decision
Is a Friday or a Sunday wedding, then, worth it? Yes, with many couples in Virginia. The trick is to ensure that you are clear-eyed on what you want.
Should maintaining manageability in costs, acquiring your dream vendors, or getting into your dream venue be of utmost importance to you, one of the best things you can do currently is to step out of the Saturday track.
Early and frequent communication with your guests, much travel information and accommodation advice, and a tilt towards the non-Saturday wedding personality it brings, will do wonders.
Your guests can simply say that it was the most relaxed, the most memorable wedding they have ever been to in years.
Photo by Lavender Dreams Photography
If you are planning a wedding in Roanoke, Richmond, Fredericksburg/Northern Virginia, The Shenandoah Valley, Coastal Virginia, or Charlottesville/ Lynchburg, Virginia, we can help with your wedding planning and ideas.
