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Picking your wedding day Weekdays easier to book, lower cost than Saturdays Return to articles index | Destination weddings | Beach weddings | Historic sites Many a bride with dreams of a storybook wedding on the beach has faced this cold reality: the demand for space often exceeds the supply. There are only so many oceanfront hotels, ballrooms and restaurants. And a finite number of historic mansions, plantations, and romantic riverside venues. Add to that a steady demand from vacationers, conventions and business meetings; it’s no surprise the most popular spots book up a year or more in advance. The tightest competition, of course, is for weekends: Saturdays and Sundays. This guarantees that some reception facilities are booked as much as 18 months in advance for Saturdays in the summertime. Fridays and Sundays Fridays and Sundays, while still busy during the main tourist season, may be easier to book than Saturdays. Some restaurants will close down exclusively for your reception on a Sunday afternoon or evening, with special rates or packages. Don’t expect this on a Friday night, though, at least during the warmer half of the year. Your favorite DJ or band is more likely to be free Sunday than on a Friday or Saturday night, especially in a town with as lively a nightlife scene as Wilmington. During prom season, a Friday or Sunday may be the only time you can hire a limousine. Your first choice of other professionals may be unavailable. Check with your clergy to see if they perform Sunday weddings. Many prefer to devote Sundays exclusively to regular worship services and family. Weekday weddings One solution to cost and availability dilemmas is to get married on a weekday. Banquet rooms, hotel rooms, and professionals are much more likely to be available -- and to charge less -- on an off-peak day like a Wednesday or Thursday. For example, one large Wilmington hotel sets a minimum of $8,000 to $11,000 for a Saturday night wedding reception. On a Thursday, that minimum is cut in half. Blocks of hotel rooms for guests will cost significantly less on, say, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights than on Friday through Sunday. A photographer who can choose from three or four Saturday weddings may charge less to work on a weekday, when demand is lower. If you and your guests are coming from out of town, a weekday wedding can make a good excuse for everyone to enjoy a mini-vacation on the coast, at bargain rates compared to a weekend. Return to articles index |
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