The Perks of Having a Friday or Sunday Wedding

As the second half of 2015 is coming to end, available dates in 2016 are starting to dwindle.  As most of our Saturdays have been reserved, couples hoping to have their wedding at the Black Canyon Inn are starting to realize that Fridays and Sundays might be a great option for them!  For a variety of reasons (and very convincing ones I might add), more and more couples are saying, "I do" to Fridays, Sundays, and even weekday weddings! Cost savings (believe it or not) are not the only benefit they're cashing in on, too. Personally, I find it very interesting that many brides and grooms immediately disqualify the option of a Sunday wedding. While I understand many of the reservations these couples have, I think it's important to point out the many benefits that, in my humble opinion, balance out some of the negatives.  So, thinking about all of that has gotten me inspired to share some of the possible perks of hosting a Friday or Sunday wedding.

Let's start with Friday (the new Saturday in wedding world)....

You get to spend time with everyone on Saturday & Sunday
What we hope for here at the Black Canyon Inn, is that you and your guests make this a sort of vacation that's structured around your wedding as the main event.  Particularly, your out of town guests. Having a Friday wedding allows you to plan a second get together on Saturday (think brunch for example) where you can actually unwind and spend some quality time with your friends and family. The wedding couple can relax significantly more the day after and enjoy recapping the experience with their loved ones.

You can snag an earlier wedding date
Let's say you have your heart set on us here at the Black Canyon Inn for your wedding venue... Who wants to wait a whole extra year to tie the knot just so you can have your wedding on your ideal Saturday? Nobody.  Booking a Friday wedding can guarantee you'll be walking down the aisle a whole lot sooner without having to compromise on location.

Your guests have time to recover
Nowadays, weddings incorporate an entire weekend of festivities. Get hitched on a Friday though and by Saturday afternoon your guests will be home free. In other words, you're not impeding too much on their personal lives, plus they get to take a Friday off of work so what's not to love?

You can afford the extras
Or you know, just save some dough on the same things...your call. Since there's still less demand for Friday weddings, vendor prices are typically lower too. This includes the actual venue rental fee, which can be significantly more expensive for a Saturday, as opposed to a Friday. Crazy, right?

It sets the scene for (let's be honest) an epic party
Friday, Friday... gotta get down on Friday! That's exactly what your guests will be thinking as they prepare to blow off some steam after a long work week and celebrate your nuptials. It's like happy hour but better!


Now what about the Sunday weddings?

Don't have to forego the venue of your dreams
If you fall in love with a venue, but only available dates are on Sundays potentially, is that really a reason to give up the venue vision? We've had girls that come in dead-set on an early summer wedding, only to end up choosing a Sunday in November, based on availability and their decision to hold it at our venue regardless of the date.  If your desired date isn't based on sentimental reason, it's best to be flexible. Saturdays and EVEN Fridays can book up to 12-18 months out, leaving Sundays available and subject to my next point.

You can end early
Just because you have your wedding on a Sunday doesn't mean you have to end early.  But I went to a Sunday wedding one time where the bride and groom could not wait to leave.  It wasn't that they weren't having fun at their own wedding, they were enjoying every minute, but they were ready to start their honeymoon and married life.  Some brides think they'll never want the wedding to end, but the vast majority will at some point realize they're ready to go and finally have some alone time with their significant other after spending an entire day surrounded by other guests.  By having a Sunday wedding, you can easily end earlier. Whether it's having a brunch wedding that ends at 5pm or even an evening wedding over by 10pm, which isn't really that early.  Ending a little earlier than Fridays and Saturdays allows those guests that want to get home early without leaving the wedding early, to do so! Also, if you have guests that aren't ready to head home, it also allows them to head to my next point.

More time for an after party
For most Friday and Saturday weddings, after parties don't even begin until midnight or later.  Some venues close their bars by that time.  Sunday weddings will have some guests that want to go home, but other guests - those that are staying in town overnight or those that are a little younger, can go to an after party and still be in bed before 2am.

Travel for your guests
We frequently hear, "We really need a Saturday because we have a lot of guests traveling." I understand, but the thing is, most guests that will be traveling for your wedding will have to take off at least one day of work.  It's unfortunate, but the truth. Even if your wedding is on a Saturday (or especially a Friday!). They'll usually fly/drive out on Friday and leave to go back home on Sunday.  By having a Sunday wedding, they'll still be taking off only one day, they'll just be switching - instead of Friday, they'll take off Monday.  Considering that most people hate Mondays, they might even enjoy having that day off anyways!

If you would like more information about having your wedding or event at the Black Canyon Inn, call or email us today at weddings@blackcanyoninn,com or 800-897-3730