He just popped the question and of course you said yes! Now, comes the all-important question: when’s the wedding? If you’re like so many brides, the idea of setting a date can seem daunting. But recently, a popular idea has been trending, holiday weddings. More and more brides are choosing to have their weddings over holiday weekends for lots of reasons. In fact, some holidays, like the Fourth of July or Labor Day, make for the kind of long weekends that are perfect for getting hitched. But, there is still a lot to consider, especially when it comes to Christmas and New Years.
So you want to throw a holiday wedding? OK great! But before you put that deposit down, there are four major factors to consider.
Cost
Cost is a major factor in any wedding, no matter the date. But if you want to have your wedding on Christmas or New Years, you have to be prepared for a bit of sticker shock. Premium prices will apply to almost every aspect of the wedding if you choose to have your wedding on a holiday – regardless of what day of the week it falls on. One major reason, staffing. Premium prices are something your guests can expect, too, especially if they will be flying in — airline tickets typically skyrocket during the holidays, and need we mention the inflated cost of hotel accommodations?
Attendance
Which brings us to our next point, attendance. Typically, the holidays are spent with family, so depending on the size and guest list, might not be a bad thing. Usually you can expect about 10% of your guests to decline the invitation, but for a wedding on Christmas or New Years, that number will jump. You’re asking people to spend time away from family and hometowns on that weekend, so if you’re a bride who wants all her friends to attend, a holiday wedding might not be for you. You’ll want to let your guests know pretty far in advance if you plan on having a holiday wedding so they can plan accordingly.
Availability
One of the biggest choices you’ll have to make when planning your wedding is the venue. Just know that if you want a Christmas wedding, most venues won’t be open. The same can be said for New Years. Typically, venues book up pretty quickly so expect to have a couple great venues already booked or out of your price range on that date. Other vendors like caterers and photographers might not be available either depending on what their holiday plans are.
Theme
So you’ve decided that a holiday wedding is for you. Now comes the decoration! You might be the sort of bride who wants an explosion of reds, greens, and golds for her Christmas celebration, or you might be the bride who doesn’t want Santa’s workshop at her wedding. Either way, it is important to remember your wedding day is about you as a couple, and should represent that, not just the holiday it falls on. That being said, having a New Year’s Eve wedding could be a majorly fun. Ringing in the new year with a celebration of your life together as a married couple may just be the celebration you and your guests are looking for. Of course, if you want guests to come to your New Year’s Eve nuptials, you better throw a party worth coming to. Go big and give your guests a night to they won’t soon forget!