Having your wedding on holiday 101

Tis the season for holidays! Coincidental, it may be the day you want for your wedding. Having a wedding on a holiday, national or religious, is a bit tricky but not impossible or unheard of. But there is LOTS to consider. Here are some pluses and minuses to having your wedding be on a holiday. The first (and most obvious) plus is that you will never forget your anniversary! You could.... but you'd have to try REALLY hard. Next, the majority of your guests may already have the day off. So no time off requests needed. Lastly, you are essentially killing two birds with one stone. By having a reception there is no need for the 4th of July barbecue, New Years Eve bash, or whatever celebration you would typically have for what holiday you chose.

There can be, of course, some logistical complications. Going over details and planning ahead is crucial.  Although your guests may already have the day off they may already have plans as well. It may be hard for them to choose your wedding over Easter dinner with their entire family at their grandmother's house. There may also be increased costs in many areas. Florist prices are at some of their highest on Valentines Day. So those red roses you want are going to cost you. Vendors may have to pay their employees overtime or "holiday pay" to work on a holiday. Which translates into YOU paying them more than you normally would for their services. Hotel prices and airfare are always higher on or around holidays. So you will have to pay extra attention to your budget when planning a holiday wedding.

Now here are some tips that will help you have successful holiday wedding: First, give your guests as much notice as you can. Send out Save The Date cards ASAP. Family vacations and out of town trips are typically planned far in advance so you should too! Be prepared for for a higher 
Decline than RSVP count. For any given wedding one should expect a 10%-15% Decline rate. For holidays expect this to be higher. One thing you can do is keep the guest list small. Invite the people who are closest to you and that you know will come. Forget your half cousin in Minnesota. Next, You should acknowledge the holiday you are having your wedding on with out going overboard. A few examples: You can use great spring colors and flowers in your fashion and decor without having to bring in the Easter Bunny. Or have a desert bar with candied apples and candy corn instead of having a carved Jack-o-lantern on every table. Use holiday colors strategically. You don't want it to look like the American flag threw up all over your reception space. Use white table cloths with blue napkins and accents of red in your centerpieces. 
Next, be sure to check with the venue you are using to see if they are having a holiday party of their own during the time of the wedding or reception. Some venues, such as country clubs, open there doors to their members for holidays like New Year's Eve. You don't want anyone crashing your party. 

And remember, just because you don't typically celebrate it doesn't mean it's not a holiday. A few good examples are: Cinco de Mayo, Chinese New Year, Columbus Day, President's Day, St. Patrick's Day, and Earth Day. And even though things don't necessarily close on those days. If you are planning to have your wedding in New Orleans on or around Mardi Gras you are going to have transportation and accommodation issues. But you will probably have a great time too! 
So, I hope this was helpful and gave you a good idea of what to expect if you are planning a holiday wedding. But if you are on the fence about the idea consider this: Shouldn't your wedding be a holiday all to itself? It is the celebration of love and commitment you have with your partner. After all, everyone keeps telling you it's your day. So why not make it your own?