As we enter the winter wedding season, we often get asked about the pros and cons for hosting a holiday weekend wedding. While we here at the Tiffany Ballroom love a romantic winter wedding, full of twinkling lights, sparkling décor and if you’re lucky – a bit of snow. Here are some things you need to consider when hosting a holiday weekend wedding.
SAVE THE DATES: When planning a holiday wedding, ensuring that your guests have ample time to plan is key. On weekends like Fourth of July, Memorial Day & Labor Day, some guests may have annual events they usually attend, so the more notice, the better. Plan on sending your Save the Dates out early-even up to a year in advance. If possible, include accommodation arrangements on the cards as well. Creating a wedding website with local attractions may be a good way to entice guests to travel for your holiday weekend wedding.
ACCOMMODATIONS: With many holidays being a busy time for travel, you’ll want to make sure you select a venue that has easily accessible accommodations and is near airports for those flying in. Make sure to negotiate a hotel room block early on, as prices tend to increase as rooms fill up. At the Tiffany Ballroom, your holiday weekend wedding guests will enjoy onsite hotel accommodations at a discounted rate. Keep in mind that Thanksgiving and Christmas are the busiest times of year for long distance travel, so some guests may not be able to afford to attend the wedding or may be unavailable due to family obligations. Check through your guest list of those who are most important to you to make sure you won’t run into this conflict before booking a space.
DATES: While it is poor etiquette to schedule your wedding on the actual holiday, booking a day or two before or after the holiday, allows guests to extend their weekend. Booking the Sunday of a long weekend allows for an extra travel day for guests. Make sure to ask your venue, these are often considered peak dates.
ATTENDANCE: While the rule of thumb is to typically plan for a 10-15% decline in attendance once you get your RSVP’s back, holiday weddings are in a category of their own. It is often hard to judge who will attend a wedding on a holiday. If a large group of your friends and family always go away for Memorial Day weekend, they may decline the invitation to celebrate with you. Or, if most of your invite list is local, a winter holiday wedding between Christmas and New Year’s may give you a higher attendance than normal as people may be off work and looking for something to do!
ADDITIONAL EVENTS: When asking guests to travel on a holiday weekend, you should consider trying to make it a vacation for them! If inviting all your out-of-town guests to the rehearsal dinner isn’t an option, meeting up with out-of-town guests for an informal welcome reception is a great way to kick off the celebrations. At the Four Points by Sheraton Norwood, the One Bistro bar is the perfect gathering place for a late night gathering. Hosting a breakfast or brunch after the wedding reception is another way to thank guests for coming to the wedding and allows you to spend more time with those who traveled to be with you. We have two great options for post wedding breakfasts, with private events for 50 or more, or having reserved tables in our hotel Zachariah’s breakfast buffet.
WEATHER: While you won’t run into blizzards on Fourth of July, Memorial Day or Labor Day, when planning a wedding around a winter holiday you’ll want to take into consideration a backup plan for a snowstorm. Selecting a venue like the Tiffany Ballroom at the Four Points by Sheraton Norwood can help ease the worry a bit. With on-site accommodations and an indoor on-site ceremony location, guests can often alter travel arrangements to come in early if the weather forecast looks bad and stay put for the entire celebration!
A few holiday weekend wedding dates are still available for 2022, contact us today to start planning!
Tel: 781-255-3159 or email Tiffanyballroom@hobbsbrook.com