-by Erica
If you haven't received an invitation to a Friday wedding yet, you probably will.
Friday weddings are catching on- for good reason! Some wedding planners say Friday may eventually become almost as popular for weddings as Saturday. Imagine that. That might sound far-fetched right now. But think about it- there are some serious advantages to holding your wedding on the last workday of the week.
* Saving money. The biggest advantage to you is the cost savings. Many vendors offer big discounts for Friday weddings. Venues, caterers, and photographers that were out of your price range for Saturday might be right on the mark for Friday. With Saturday being such a popular day for weddings, many vendors HAVE to have a lower price for Friday events to ensure they get business that day.
* Less competition. Let's say you're determined to have a June wedding. With June being the most popular wedding month, the venues you want are booked up for every single weekend. But, wait. Did you ask them about Friday? There's much less competition for weekdays than for weekends.
*A later ceremony. On a Friday, you can have a ceremony later in the afternoon. That would make it easier for your guests to get off work early. In fact, some of them may nott have to leave work early at all.
* Honeymoon preps. If you're going on a honeymoon, having Saturday as an extra day to pack is a huge advantage. (Take it from the girl who had to wake up at 4 ayem to catch a flight to Saint Lucia on a Sunday morning.) Wouldn't it be nice to have an extra day to get ready, open wedding gifts or simply relax before the trip?
* Your guests might appreciate it. With a Friday wedding your guests can sleep in on Saturday morning and still have the rest of their weekend for other things.
What do you think? Is the idea of having a Friday wedding just too weird for you? Would you even consider it? Or maybe you've already had or attended a Friday wedding. Tell us all about it in our comments section.
A Wedding on Friday? Yes!
Dressing Your Best- As a Wedding Guest
Most brides and grooms spend months figuring out the perfect attire for the big day. So, wedding guests should put at least a few minutes of thought into what they're going to wear to the nuptials, as well. But it's not as complicated as you might think.
The good news is that most invitations will designate the dress code. There are four main categories. Any others (like country casual or easy elegance or festive) are made up. They might still be relevant, but for the sake of simplicity most people stick to the four they know for sure. Expert Cynthia Nellis does a pretty good job of fleshing them out. Click HERE for more tips from her.
Among our favorite tips:
1) Don't try to upstage the bride. Why we agree: It won't work, everyone will see what you're trying to do, and it's bad karma.
2) If you have to ask whether it's appropriate, it probably isn't. Why we agree: Clubwear belongs in the club. And since many weddings take place in a church, a wedding is probably not a place to flash bits of skin you wouldn't show at the office.
3) This goes along with number 1. WHYYYYYYY wear white? Why? There are dozens of other colors and shades to choose from. Please tell us why on earth you would choose the day of another woman's wedding to wear white. Yes, your cousin will probably understand that you are a little "extra", but honestly. Unless you own only one dress, just don't do it.
4) If the invitation doesn't specify, it's OK to assume the wedding is semi-formal. Why we agree: Most weddings these days are semi-formal. As Nina Calloway of About.com says, semi-formal means a short dress or pants with a nice shirt for daytime and a cocktail dress for evening.
Since the heat is on already, here are some suggestions for the Spring and Summer:
Did we get it right? Or oh-so-wrong? If you have any comments or tips you want to add, please click on comments.
