Memorial Day Weekend? What Do You Think???

[teebee]

Okay, this should probably go in the Bride World Wide thread... But we get so much traffic in here and you ladies are always so responsive...

So, we''ve pretty much settled on May of 2006 for our wedding. Now, at first I thought May 6th would be good ~ but, I''ll still be in school and so finals week will probably be May 1-5, making my wedding day the day after, not that I will have any finals on that Friday or even Thursday, but hard to concentrate on studying when you''re getting married in just a few days. Plus, I''d want a few days to wrap up any last minute details and relax, if possible.

So, the next Saturday is the 13th, which I just didn''t really like the sound of... Is that weird?

So, now it''s down to the 20th, which sounds great to me, or the 27th, which is Memorial Day weekend. At first I thought no way would I want to do it Memorial weekend ~ don''t want to interfere with people''s holiday, etc. But then I thought it may be a good idea because I still want the wedding to have a destination wedding kind of feel (everyone get together on Friday night, girls do spa stuff on Saturday morning, guys do fishing or golf, then the wedding & reception Saturday evening) with the convenience for most people of only having to travel a couple/few hours. And, that would still leave them with Sunday and Monday to travel back home or do their own thing for the holiday weekend ~ still plenty of time to go hang out at the lake or whatever...

And, if it does turn out to be inconvenient for some people... Well, hate to say it but that might give us a little breathing room in our budget...

So, if you were invited to a wedding on Memorial Day weekend, would it bug you or tick you off???

 

[blueroses]

I''d probably be happy to a) have something to do (if local wedding) or b) have somewhere to travel for the holiday weekend.

My only thought was: what about doing the wedding on Sunday? The Monday is a holiday and Sunday weddings are like 40% cheaper, I hear.

YAY Almost a date!!

 

[teebee]

Thanks for the input blueroses!!

I''ve thought about having it that Sunday... I''m still considering it but:

1) the chapel would be the same price, regardless.

2) the chapel''s musician (not sure if I will use her or not) will actually charge more for a Sunday wedding.

3) we will most likely have the reception at a historic hotel in the area and I don''t know if there will be any sort of price break for a Sunday reception since (I think?) most of the cost will be food/alcohol rather than room rental. Their banquet menus & prices do not say anything about that, but who knows. I''m clueless on a lot of this stuff...

I''m going to run it by my family this coming weekend (YAY!!!

) when we see them & give them the good news, and I''ll also have a better idea of budget by then since my stepdad will most likely want to make a considerable contribution... So then I will be able to start contacting vendors and asking more than hypothetical questions.

 

[Blue824]

A wedding over Memorial Day weekend sounds perfect to me! And that gives you enough time to finish up last minute things that pop up.


The only thing is, I''d just double check with the guests that you most DEFINITELY want there, esp if they have kids, if its doable for them. Recently my aunt had to go to her niece''s wedding in Hilton Head and she went on and on about how exp. the airfare got for that weekend and how exp. and booked the hotels were for that weekend. So it was a huge inconvenience and they had to go since it was her niece and one of her daughters was a bridesmaid. To be honest, I don''t think the niece did a good job giving guests information and that was a huge part of the problem but, the rate hikes are definitely something to be cautious of. But like you said, a little breathing room in the budget isn''t a horrible thing either

And yes, sometimes Sunday weddings can be cheaper, but at least from waht I''ve picked up from work that doesnt apply to holiday weekends, but I guess it depends on the location. Bleh. Most of the places I''ve looked at or heard about around me don''t discount on Sundays during the summers anyway since they''re usually booked both days Saturdays and Sundays of every weekend through the summer.

Sorry, I totally didn''t mean that all to come out sounding so negative! I''m all for destination weddings, that''s what I want too...just a lot to consider!

 

[teebee]

Thanks Blue ~ the airfare & hotel rates/being full are things I hadn''t considered... I''m thinking... that there are only a handful of people, or less, that are far enough away to need to fly... One couple is in Seattle and I know they would be there come hell or highwater. Most everyone else is in Oklahoma or Texas and so Arkansas is a comfortably short mini road trip away.

And FI''s mother would have to fly from Ohio... Oh, if she couldn''t make it I would be thrilled. Seriously, I would praise God to the end of time if she didn''t come... I know that sounds horrible but she is the most completely awful, immature, selfish, and innapropriate woman I''ve ever met. She''s an alcoholic and the first time I met her she was getting high, then continued her good impression by making really innapropriate remarks for the rest of the weekend (like handing me something phallic shaped and telling me I should take it home with me for when her son is out of town)

. She is a separate thread all her own, but I''m terrified of having her at the reception...

Anyhow, enough of that... I''m going to check into the Sunday thing to see if it will make enough of a difference, if not, guess I''ll stick with Saturday. But I''m starting to think that the Memorial Day thing would be great fun!!! As long as no one insists that my colors be red whit & blue!!!

Oh, and I FINALLY figured out some of my songs today so that is fun!!!

 

[KBerly]

i think a memorial day weekend wedding would be perfect...saturday or sunday. i have been to 2 and both were great. i love may weddings

 

[goldengirl]

Besides what Blue824 said, I think a Memorial Day Weekend wedding sounds great! Course, I never do "stuff" on those three-day weekends, so it wouldn''t prevent me from camping or boating or anything... you''ll know your guests better, to say if it would put a kink in their weekend plans.

 

[Jennifer5973]

I am going to be the heavy here--I personally hate holiday weekend weddings--it screws up my whole long weekend. But that's just me.

I think you'll get a wide variety of opinions on this. I suggest thinking about the most important pple you want to have at your wedding and how they'd feel/what their schedules are like, and then make your decision. When it came to our guest list, that's what we did--the "A" pple were our closest friends and family members without whom the wedding wouldn't be as special... and the B List was obligatory invititees, like relatives we never saw/didn't really have close relationships with and those obligatory work invitiees. We made decisions around what was best for us and the A List pple. I know it sounds harsh but unless money, time and other resources are unlimited, compromises must be made

ETA: Come to think of it, all the long holiday weekend weddings I have gone to were situations where I/we were on the B List--obligatory both ways (we were invited/we felt we had to go). I am sure I'd feel differently if it was a good friend/family member.

 

[MelissaSue]

My wedding is may 27th 2006!!!!!!!!!!!! We can be date twins..

Its your wedding.. have it when YOU WANT TO HAVE IT! I really like that it is a holiday weekend.. it gives people extra travel time.

 

[Jennifer5973]

Date: 1/22/2005 10:28:10 PM
Author: MelissaSue
My wedding is may 27th 2006!!!!!!!!!!!! We can be date twins..

Its your wedding.. have it when YOU WANT TO HAVE IT! I really like that it is a holiday weekend.. it gives people extra travel time.

This is really the overriding "rule" when it comes to your wedding--the date, food, music, etc. It's nice to worry about other pple, especially close family/friends, but it's YOUR day. Do what feels right for you and ENJOY.

PS I am a pill anyway.

 

[Libster]

Congrats on your upcoming wedding!! One thing to consider is that normally if you travel by air on a Holiday weekend the airfare is never discounted and that goes for hotel room rates as well. Memorial Day is the first Holiday after a long stretch and a lot of people like to travel then, so not many places discount.

If you can, maybe try to find a hotel that you can work with that would give you a discount on a block of rooms at a certain rate. We were able to do that for our out of town guests and it saved them loads of money and they all enjoyed being at the same hotel. If your guests are going to stay after the wedding and enjoy Memorial Day you could have a family member plan an outing or something fun for them to end their weekend with. Think about what you would enjoy if you were attending a wedding over a long weekend and go from there. Enjoy this special time

 

[teebee]

Cool ~ thanks for all of the input, I think it helps to hear the negs along with the positives!!

MS ~ Yay, my potential wedding date twin!!! I''m glad your wedding is the 27th ~ now if anyone gives me crap about the holiday weekend I''ll just say "well, MelissaSue is having her wedding on the 27th too" and they''ll all look at me like I just sprouted another head out of my shoulder!!!!

Holiday weekend weddings... I really don''t mind them as long as they are not one of the "big" holidays ~ I mean, I do think it''s inconsiderate to ask people to sacrifice part of their Thanksgiving or Christmas... But I guess I think of Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends as holidays that I would normally spend with friends and family anyhow. And usually I find weddings on regular weekend more exhausting because there''s all of the wedding stuff and there''s never enough time for all the other stuff I need to get done (clean, laundry, etc.) and relax before Monday.

Um, and in Oklahoma, well... let''s just say it''s not a smorgasboard of entertainment options... most of my Memorial weekends have been spent hanging out at the lake, on a boat, drinking beer, and getting sunburned with a bunch of other drunk idiots on other boats...

Plus, the wedding will be just a few miles away from a really beautiful lake (also the reason I suggested the guys could go fishing or whatever on the morning before the wedding).

The A/B list ~ the chapel only seats 100 people, so that helps right there. I don''t think we''ll have that many B listers... and I think most of them are elderly and would feel comfortable declining if they weren''t up to it. I think we''ll only be inviting close friends, which, for me, I can count on one hand and our close family... Bryan does have a lot of friends but they are all really awesome ~ as long as it''s not deer season, they''ll be there. One of his friends even flew from Seattle to New Orleans in the middle of the night to come hang out with us for a day and then flew back the next afternoon. They''ve all been hassling him to hurry up and buy a ring and get married a lot more than I have. Coolest thing is that everyone that he has called has been totally ecstatic & excited for us ~ I think they''d travel the ends of the earth no matter what day.

Airfare ~ I''m just not going to worry about that since, like I said, there will be no more than 8 people/4 couples invited that live far enough away to get on a plane. One of those couples is FHs mom/stepdad (who I''d rather not have there anyhow & will find something to bitch about so it might as well be the airfare). Another of the couples is quite wealthy. And another is a couple that lives in Salt Lake City but they return to Tulsa every May for 2 or 3 weeks to see family. The other couple may be a B lister but they also visit Tulsa often because their daughter lives there...

I''m planning (regardless of the date) on getting a block of rooms at several different hotels so people can find something in their price range. Eureka Springs has an abundance of places to stay, that''s half the fun. There are historic hotels (www.crescent-hotel.com & www.basinpark.com room rates start at $89, which is just $10 more than what we paid at a crappy Amerisuites in Tusla a couple of weeks ago), a huge amount of historic registered Victorian B&Bs, rustic cabins on the lake, then your standard motor lodges and budget inns. Eureka is really an interesting (and beautiful) area of the country.

Actually, I think even the negatives mentioned have convinced me that this may be the best way to do it for us ~ if we were having 200 guests, or had a lot of family & friends spread out all over the country it probably wouldn''t be the best option... But since it will be fairly small and most everyone is within a short driving distance, I think it might work out really well.

And I agree, ultimately it should come down to what I want, but part of what I want most is for it to be FUN!!! Since I can''t have my Mexico destination wedding, I want it to feel like a mini vacation as much as possible so I really hope that we can accomplish that.

Thanks all!!

 

[teebee]

Crap!! Why do my posts keep doubling??? I swear I only hit submit once!!!

 

[allycat0303]

Teebee,

I think Memorial day sounds great. I wouldn''t get married on the 13 th, my mom says 13 is a major BAD BAD luck number so she would never do it. In any case, I think that Memorial day might actually be easier for the out of town people. They have the Monday off so I think that makes travel plans a lot easier.

Oh and why would deer season affect if someone would come to the wedding?

 

[MelissaSue]

lol.. yeah teebee.. tell them *I''m* having my wedding that day.. don''t worry that I''m just a random girl on the internet.. But no.. I think its a good idea.. I don''t know. I dont'' really have any guests that would be doing anything else on that weekend..

and.. seriously.. if they would be THAT annoyed that I scheduled my wedding on a holday weekend.. DO I REALLY WANT TO
HAVE THEM THERE? I don''t really think so.. I want people at my wedding who WANT to be there and who I want to have there (of course there are always those few relatives that I''d rather not have.. but for the most part).

 

[teebee]

Date: 1/23/2005 1:28:45 PM
Author: allycat0303
Teebee,

I think Memorial day sounds great. I wouldn''t get married on the 13 th, my mom says 13 is a major BAD BAD luck number so she would never do it. In any case, I think that Memorial day might actually be easier for the out of town people. They have the Monday off so I think that makes travel plans a lot easier.

Oh and why would deer season affect if someone would come to the wedding?

Yeah, I kinda thought the 13th sounded creepy, even if it''s not a Friday & I''m not superstitious (or at least I didn''t think so)... But, I am kind of a weirdo about numbers ~ I really prefer even numbers for some reason which is why the 20th sounded good to me. I can live with the 27th though since it will give people some additional time to have fun/relax/travel/etc.

Oh, and the deer season thing... really kind of a joke, but my fiance and is an avid outdoorsman and loves to hunt and fish, as do many of his friends. We never lack for meat or fish in our house... Anyhow, rifle season is a big deal every year & it only lasts for a week and most of our men disappear for that week so the joke/recommendation is that girlfriends/wives should not plan anything really important during deer season because you may or may not be able to get your boyfriend/husband to show up. And if they do show up, they will do it grumbling and begrudgingly.

Asking them to sacrifice that is like... well, I honestly can''t come up with a reasonable female equivalent... Ummm, okay: Let''s say, every year, and only once a year, you and your best girlfriends take a week long spa trip for complete and total pampering and relaxation. But, all of these things (manis, pedis, facials, massages, etc.) can only be enjoyed on this trip once a year ~ no weekly manicures or massages ~ once a year only!!! And you live for this spa trip all year long... And then you''re boyfriend tells you that his cousin''s college graduation is the same week as your annual spa trip and you can''t go on your trip. So, that''s the best analogy I can come up with on scheduling a wedding during deer season...

 

[blueroses]

Teebee, isn''t it funny how we can all be about numbers? I''m the same (just opposite) from you: I LOVE odd numbers. My b-day is a 21st, bf''s is 25th, our anni is 25th, and I tend to only look at odd numbers on the calendar for a wedding. I have NO idea why--I just really dig prime numbers--my favorite number has always been 43 since I was a kid, which i recognize is totally bizarre

Back when I thought we''d actually be getting engaged this past fall, we had talked about Sep. 17, 2005...which I suppose is still possible, but is pretty soon, and even if we got engaged tomorrow, things might be booked! I just love the sound of that date! I can be a dork with these things

It might be helpful to actually get ENGAGED first!!

 

[teebee]

Date: 1/23/2005 2:20:48 PM
Author: blueroses
Teebee, isn''t it funny how we can all be about numbers? I''m the same (just opposite) from you: I LOVE odd numbers. My b-day is a 21st, bf''s is 25th, our anni is 25th, and I tend to only look at odd numbers on the calendar for a wedding. I have NO idea why--I just really dig prime numbers--my favorite number has always been 43 since I was a kid, which i recognize is totally bizarre

Back when I thought we''d actually be getting engaged this past fall, we had talked about Sep. 17, 2005...which I suppose is still possible, but is pretty soon, and even if we got engaged tomorrow, things might be booked! I just love the sound of that date! I can be a dork with these things

It might be helpful to actually get ENGAGED first!!

Blueroses, that''s funny ~ I''ve always wondered if other people have some sort of strange thing with number preference and all or if I was completely neurotic. Honestly, I do think I''m somewhat neurotic regardless... Like, one thing I can''t do is set my alarm clock for an odd numbered minute: I have to set it for something like 6:42 or 7:18, not 6:45 or 7:15.

I think part of it is that I like the balance & "evenness" of numbers that are divisible by 2. I think my favorite number has always been 8, no idea why ~ although part of could have something to do w/ former Dallas Cowboy quarterback Troy Aikman, who was supposed to marry me but I guess he forgot or something...

but his jersey number was 8.

That''s too funny about your wedding date ~ mine, back in 1999 when I was dating my last serious boyfriend before Bryan, I''d decided that November 11, 2002 would have to be our wedding date if things worked out (didn''t...) because I liked the idea of 11/11 added up like 1+1=2 & 1+1=2 and there were 2 "2"s in the year... and all the symbolism of two individuals becoming one family and all other assorted cheezy crap like that...

But, yeah, the engagement part it helpful when you''ve already got the wedding date in mind. I like September, but sometimes it is still really hot here in OK so I had to rule that out a long time ago because I can''t stand to be hot and dressed up trying to look nice!!

 

[blueroses]

Teebee, I''ll be right there w/ you with the neurosis!! Sept. in the San Diego area is kind of wonderful weather-wise....not as many extremes

But I think May in OK will be perfect!

(I had a previous "date" too....there was a time there I thought maybe we''d get married 8/04/01 b/c that was the 5-year anni of the day we met. but...ah, no!)

 

[Patty]

teebee, I got married ON Memorial Day. Yup, a Monday morning, lol. The Saturdays in June were booked and I was graduating from college on May 18th, so we decided on Memorial Day weekend. My parish had scheduled their school picnic on that Saturday, so we went with Monday! Then, wouldn''t you know it, later the church wanted to change their school picnic to Memorial Day but it was too late...we had everything planned by then. We did not have a whole lot of out of town guests so it wasn''t a real problem but a few people did have to leave right after the reception (afternoon).

Are you getting married at the Thornhill Chapel in Eureka Springs? I love that! My hubby is from Ft. Smith. We love Eureka Springs and have been to that chapel as well as the Crescent Hotel, although we did not stay at the Crescent. We went to The Red Apple Inn on Greers Ferry Lake for our honeymoon. (But this was a hundred years ago, lol.)

 

[blue_chica]

If the wedding were at a nice destination where it can be a fun little vacation, I would LOVE a memorial day wedding. I did about 7 weddings the summer before last and it felt like a death march, the only 2 I really enjoyed were memorial day and labor day weekends.

 

[allycat0303]

Oh Teebee, that is too funny. I understand: deer season = sacred male bonding time. Kind of like the Superbowl. Would anyone dare schedule their wedding on Superbowl Sunday? You might end up getting married to a cardboard standup of your groom.

 

[teebee]

Date: 1/23/2005 7:33:22 PM
Author: Patty
teebee, I got married ON Memorial Day. Yup, a Monday morning, lol. The Saturdays in June were booked and I was graduating from college on May 18th, so we decided on Memorial Day weekend. My parish had scheduled their school picnic on that Saturday, so we went with Monday! Then, wouldn''t you know it, later the church wanted to change their school picnic to Memorial Day but it was too late...we had everything planned by then. We did not have a whole lot of out of town guests so it wasn''t a real problem but a few people did have to leave right after the reception (afternoon).

Are you getting married at the Thornhill Chapel in Eureka Springs? I love that! My hubby is from Ft. Smith. We love Eureka Springs and have been to that chapel as well as the Crescent Hotel, although we did not stay at the Crescent. We went to The Red Apple Inn on Greers Ferry Lake for our honeymoon. (But this was a hundred years ago, lol.)

If we were getting married THIS year, Memorial Day might be the only option left ~ that and if I thought I could deal with a morning wedding that might actually be kind of a fun way to wrap up a holiday weekend!! My mom''s birthday is on the 29th so it will be on Memorial Day in 2006.

Yes, as of right now we are planning on having the ceremony at Thornhill and the reception at either the Crescent Hotel or Basin Park Hotel in the little downtown loop area, having trouble deciding between those two locations. They''re both really cool hotels... although the Basin Park Hotel is slightly less expensive and being downtown is w/in walking distance of other restaurants, shopping, etc. We stayed at a B&B for July 4th weekend in 2003 and had a really good time, although it was really HOT...

BlueChica ~ That''s good to hear that you enjoyed the holiday weekend weddings, I think it can be a lot of fun if done right. And... with us being in our 30s... most of our friends are already married so there''s not near the number of weddings each spring/summer like there used to be.

Alleycat ~ EXACTLY, it is a sacred male bonding time!!! Funny thing is, my boyfriend doesn''t really like sports ~ We could have the wedding on Superbowl Sunday and he could care less, but I am the sports fanatic in our little family. The Red River Shootout (otherwise known as OU/Texas Weekend, or Oklahoma University v. Texas University) is practically a sacred holiday in my home and he could expect to see a cardboard cutout of me if he tried to schedule anything that did not involve a big television!!

 

[blue_chica]

Teebee -

My company holiday party this year was scheduled for Game 5 of the world series. I RSVP''d that I wouldn''t be attending if the series went to game 5, and HR got back to me saying they''d gotten so many complaints that they''d be putting TVs in the function room. Luckily for everyone but the Yankees, the series didn''t get that far.

I think your proposed wedding date sounds like a lovely time.