Wedding Scheduling Savings - Are They Worth It?

There are a lot of ways to save money on your wedding - including savings based on how you schedule your wedding. Some of them will save you a lot of money. But the question that must be asked of every opportunity is, "At what cost?" Like everything in life, there is no such thing as a freebie. There is a cost to any decision we make in the scheduling of a wedding the important thing is that we think it through before we make the choice so that we won't have the rude awakening of a ill informed decision.

One such option to save money - sometimes big money - presents itself when a bride chooses a wedding date other than on Saturday. The reason is simple. Saturday is the most popular day for weddings so wedding professionals are busiest on Saturdays. Choosing another wedding day often rewards you with lower prices.

But... the cost of these savings based on when you schedule your wedding can be staggering. There is a reason, after all, that Saturday's became the preferred choice to schedule a wedding in our culture so we discard that option at our own peril if we don't think through the decision first.

• The cost in Guests: Imagine a couple who saves huge money on their facility rental by choosing a date other than Saturday. They send out their invitations and receive their RSVP's. Only a couple of potential guests indicate that they might have been able to come if the ceremony had been on Saturday. But what about the other's who simply RSVP'd in the negative?
• The Cost in Family Relations: Think about the extended family - people who genuinely want to come to your wedding, but through whatever circumstances don't have vacation time to spare. If you wedding was on Saturday they could have jumped in the car Friday night and driven hard to make it to your wedding and done the same on Sunday and not had to miss work. This is a recipe for family tension and resentment. Is that how you want to join each other's families?
• The Cost in Wedding Professionals: Many of the best wedding professionals are those individuals who do it as a side business just because they love weddings and they love their discipline. For them it is a labor of love, so they limit their business so they can focus on what they love without having to divide their attention with things like payroll etc. The trade off is that these men and women often have day jobs so not only might they not be able to offer you a lower price... they might have to charge you a higher price to compensate for the income lost from their day job! Yikes.

These are just a few of the costs associated with trying to save money by your wedding scheduling choices where is pertains to the days of the week. No doubt there are many more deeply hidden costs than we could cover in this space.

It is important, though, to recognize that there are some ways to save money on your wedding simply by your scheduling choices that not only don't have the same costs, but will benefit your guests at the same time.

• Check your community's calendar before you choose a date: Steer clear of dates that coincide with community parades, events, or conventions that are coming to town that might make traffic difficult and hotel rooms nearly impossible to get.
• Consider the weather patterns in your area: Avoid time periods when extreme weather is likely for the area where your wedding is to be held or you could end up paying for some elements of your wedding even when a storm has made it impossible to hold the wedding.
• Choose a date that falls outside the traditional peak season for weddings: Needless to say, your wedding professionals aren't going to be particularly inclined to give you a price break when they are already swamped, but approach them for a date when they are likely to be sitting on their hands and they might. You never know. Of course, even with this you have to be careful - peak season is peak season for a reason and whatever that reason is in your area, it could affect you.

The point is that while you can save big money on your wedding by how you schedule your wedding, to get a wedding that is a real bargain you have to think beyond the dollar signs.