Pros and Cons of a Weekend Wedding

Do you love weddings? So do we!

When we discovered you could turn the single day into a wedding weekend we were instantly sold. I mean who could refuse a party celebrating love for an entire weekend sipping champagne, dancing and being with friends and family!?

However! We soon realised the less glamorous side to weekend weddings. Lots of planning, extra costs and a killer hangover when it all wraps up. You might want to prepare the Berocca now.

Here, we unpack all of the pros and cons of hosting a wedding weekend so you can make sure you're making the right decision for you and your partner.

The Pros

Thinking about a holiday wedding? A weekend extravaganza? Or, a cocktail hour that runs over a whole weekend? If you answered yes to one of these, a weekend of wedding celebrations has your name all over it.

More time to celebrate

You can't deny the excitement at the thought of having an entire weekend to celebrate your holy matrimony! It's rare that you get to celebrate a wedding so it makes sense that you want to make it go for as long as possible. Plus, you can fill the weekend wedding up with fun activities that represent you and your partner.

Many couples get creative with their weekend wedding celebrations, turning it into a mini vacation! Offer an itinerary for guests with opportunities to attend activities to explore the local area. Step it up a notch by making the activities romantic for the occasion such as a couple canoe ride, beach walk or wine tasting.

Perfect for holiday season

During the holiday season it's only suiting to have a holiday wedding! The sun is out, everyone's in a good mood and guests will be on the hunt for weekend celebrations. It's the perfect time to dedicate a weekend to saying "I do."

Just imagine a magical new year's eve wedding with fireworks lighting up the sky as you get lost in your new husband/wife's eyes. Or perhaps a Christmas wedding, with beautiful red drapes, poinsettias and holy. Or even a destination wedding over in Bali! Holiday weddings open up exciting and fun opportunities for the wedding planner.

With plenty of people on holidays from work, you won't need to be concerned of wedding guests RSVPs either! We couldn't think of a more exciting way to celebrate a wedding day.

Spoil your guests

To put it simply - your guests will love you forever.

With a whole weekend of celebrations sorted, all your wedding guests need to do is glam up and rock up. Your wedding plans will deliver fun festivities from the morning to the evening. Without a doubt, it will be the event of the year that no one will forget!

Unite close friends and family

With a whole weekend to party with your friends and family, it gives the perfect opportunity to unite and connect with all of your wedding guests.

A single wedding day really isn't enough time for everyone to get to know each other. A wedding weekend however with the multiple days offers quality time for all guests to spend time together. Even after the wedding weekend, your guest list will be asking for another excuse for a celebration!

Unite all of your loved ones and enjoy the wonderful event spread across the weekend.

The Cons

If you're planning a wedding, it's important to keep in mind the less exciting aspects of a weekend of partying. Otherwise, you might find out too little too late! We're here to fill you in on the cons of hosting a weekend wedding.

Too much time to celebrate

Don't get us wrong, an entire weekend of spending time with friends and family sounds like a blast! But, it might not offer enough down time for guests to really enjoy the moment.

Guests coming might feel as if they don't have enough free time and it could be over the top for some of your guest list! It's important to keep in mind the scheduled events of the wedding to make sure all guests feel comfortable and excited by the weekend events.

Guest availability

Life is busy! Sometimes it's hard enough just planning a drink with your friend group let alone a whole weekend. If you're considering planning a wedding over the weekend then you might find it tricky to get all of your guests for the long weekend.

We advise you give your guests as much notice as possible so they can book time off work. Consider opting for a weekday wedding on a Friday that then spans over to the weekend. This way, busy guests only need to book off the one day and also have the Sunday to recover from the extended celebration.

Higher cost

We hate to be the party poopers here but big weddings come with a big cost.

Weddings are already expensive, if you're considering an extended celebration this price is going to increase. If you're trying to stick to a budget, work with a wedding planner to help you meet your target.

To decrease costs, consider hosting your special day as a weekday wedding (as weekday weddings tend to be cheaper), invite fewer guests or choose a more affordable wedding venue. If you're hosting a wedding in the holidays it will make cost and availability less than desirable. Our tip is to plan ahead as much as possible!

More planning

You might want to get an Excel sheet open and a coffee ready - you're going to have a lot of planning to do for your wedding events!

You'll need to organise the wedding date and venue, the ceremony and reception, rehearsal dinner and catering, the wedding cake and wedding party... and so on. Plus, if you're planning a holiday wedding you'll need to organise transportation and accomodation for your wedding guests. It's a lot to plan for your big day!

If you're wanting a wedding weekend but unsure where to start, we recommend investing in a wedding planner. Your personal planner will be able to help you in planning your ceremony, after party and everything in-between! Ease your load, you've got enough on your plate.

Yes or no?

The million dollar question - which do you decide, a weekend wedding or traditional wedding day? If you're unsure what should be your final decision not to worry, give it some time to decide.

Talk with your family, loved ones and your partner on how they would like to spend the wedding day. Always remember, this is your big day! If you're dreaming of a holiday wedding, a weekday wedding or an adventure over in Bali - go for it. This event is all about celebrating you and your partner.