For the Bride & Groom
Essential tips to planning the perfect wedding

SETTING THE DAY AND DATE

 

Which day of the week?

Saturdays in summer are most popular and for some venues you will need to book these popular dates two years or more in advance. Fridays are less popular but, in many ways they are more suitable as guests can then make it into a 'long weekend'.  You will always get a much wider choice of dates with Fridays, at any venue.

Always find out from the venue when you will be able to enter the room to decorate your tables.  This should be considered when deciding what DAY of the week you wish to get married.


Friday Weddings  give you more flexibility.  Because there will not have been a wedding before yours, and providing there is no other major function on the Thursday, the tables and function room can usually be set up leisurely by the staff and Bride and Groom the day before the wedding. You can even stay the night on the Thursday, relax in the Patti Bar and enjoy some live music (there is live music most Thursdays), and go to bed knowing everything is set up for you.  With a Friday wedding you virtually have the use of the function room for the Thursday as well, completely free, giving you plenty of time to prepare, to make final adjustments and to see the room exactly as it will be on the day.

A Saturday Wedding will not have this benefit.  If as is quite common, there is a wedding on the Friday before yours, the room can only be partly cleaned in the early hours of the morning, immediately after the last of the guests have left the Friday wedding.  As the morning cleaners arrive at 07.30/8.00am, the function room may not be fully cleaned until 9.00am.  The tables would then be arranged to your plan and dressed by 9.30am.

While this may be fine for a wedding starting around midday or later, you do need to allow yourself enough time to add the final touches to your tables.  You personally, or a close relative, should be arranging your favours and your personal colours and decorations.  You will certainly want to make some final, last minute touches and do a final check of the table settings.  This is something you do not want to leave to anyone else.  You will then need time to get changed ready for the start of your day.

 

 

Our advice is to avoid having an 'early' wedding on the Saturday.  Having your ceremony commence at or after 1.00pm will allow you plenty of time to get your reception venue set up and yourself ready.

 

Sunday Weddings should be 'late' weddings as guests expect a later start on a Sunday.  Sundays are unusual but not uncommon.  Sundays before Bank Holidays are worth considering though most venues will not be able to take a booking on prime bank holiday weekends.

We have had some couples have an early ceremony and Reception on Sunday to allow the 'Wedding Breakfast' to coincide with the time you'd normally have a Sunday lunch.   Also presumably, such couples want to allow their guests the opportunity to leave early for work on Monday.  We would not however recommend an early wedding on a Sunday as we have found it is difficult to get the 'turnaround' right and everyone is just too rushed.  The 'feel' then becomes pressured and hurried, which you certainly do not want.

 

Scheduling is very important for a wedding and you need to consider not just your own scheduling but the scheduling of your suppliers - Photographers, Caterers and the Venue itself.

There will certainly have been a wedding on the Saturday before yours so the same stipulation regarding availability of the room for cleaning, preparing and setting up of tables applies.

For Sundays we have found an early afternoon ceremony, with the reception and Wedding Breakfast at say 3.00pm, works very well indeed.  Everyone, Bride & Groom and guests alike, is more relaxed and at ease with the later start.  You'll find there is so much more time to prepare and get ready.

With a Sunday wedding you may not be able to stay the night before (which you generally can do with a Friday or a Saturday wedding).  A later start is better for you if you have to travel up in the morning.  Also your own guests will want to have space to change and if they are intending to stay the night of your wedding, they will want to be able to book in to their rooms upon arrival.

With a Sunday wedding you have less choice of accommodation the night before, as priority has to be given to the Saturday couple for their day.  There will of course be plenty of accommodation for your guests on the Sunday night - the night of your wedding.

As we find the Saturday weddings last well into the night (and the Bride & Groom will generally book everything up for their guests) it will take until around 11.00am to book the previous night's guests out.  This means the rooms will not be available for your guests to book in and change until around 11.30/12.00.

All these factors combine to make an afternoon ceremony desirable both for you and your guests.

To conclude, most couples will initially prefer a Saturday.  However there are considerable advantages to opting for a Friday wedding, with greater availability of accommodation the night before, plenty of access to the function room the day before, and more time to prepare.  As for Sunday weddings, our advice is for the ceremony not to commence till  1.00pm or 2.00pm, making it a late starting but relaxing, unhurried day.

 

Which Season of the year?

Winter weddings are becoming more common.  Also travel costs and venue costs may be lower 'off-season'


Mid-week weddings are unusual (Craig Y Nos has had only 3 mid-week weddings out of over 100 in the last 3 years) but a mid-week date will afford you maximum flexibility on dates and probably afford you substantial discounts as well.

An issue not to be skirted...

There is one issue that should not be skirted.  Brides may not be inclined to give their menstrual cycle a second thought, however, to be sure of feeling and looking ones best on the wedding day and honeymoon, this should not be overlooked when setting the day.

Your day and date is likely to be governed primarily by availability of the venue, unless you are booking sufficiently far in advance to afford yourself greater choice.

Once you have confirmed the date, ensure all your primary suppliers are also booked in for this date - e.g. Limousine hire, Photographer, Entertainment (DJ or Live Band or both), Florist, Wedding Cake (to be ready by the date), Registrar, Toastmaster, and of course, your Best Man!

Some of these, such as Photographers, will often need to be booked at least a year ahead.

 

 Select Another Tips & Ideas Page

Budget

Ceremony
&
Venues

Wedding
Organiser

Wedding
Day
Schedule
<<< Return to Wedding Page