Midweek Weddings on the Rise to Save Money, Study Shows

When Rachael Fletcher-Beaumont got married last year, she was determined that her wedding wasn’t going to break the bank.

“There’s a perception that the word ‘wedding’ adds noughts [to the cost of services],” says the 34-year-old from Bradford.

The thing that saved Rachael and her husband Luke the most money was choosing to get married on a Thursday, which reduced the cost of their wedding package by £3,000 when compared to a Saturday wedding.

The savings they made on the venue allowed the couple to spend money on other aspects of their wedding.

“It was worth getting married on a Thursday, without a doubt,” says Rachael.

Growing trend

Rachael and Luke’s choice of day mirrors a growing shift among couples when it comes to picking a date.

Research from the Bank of England suggests that more people are choosing cheaper midweek dates to get married.

Wedding planning apps also report evidence of this trend.

According to Hitched, Monday 23 September is set to be the most popular date for weddings this year.

It says Tuesday has seen the biggest growth in popularity, up 42% in the last two years.

Similarly, Bridebook, which claims to help plan 70% of UK weddings, found that in 2023, for the first time, less than half of weddings took place on a Saturday,

It also found that couples who marry on Tuesdays or Wednesdays spend over a fifth less on their weddings than average.

“The first thought couples have is that it has to be a Saturday, then they realise they may not care if it’s not on a weekend if it puts a couple grand back in their pocket,” says Holly Poulter, wedding planner for Revelry Events.

She says the turning point was the pandemic as “general chaos” caused couples to move to weekdays, and the trend has “stuck around as couples are now more open-minded”.

‘Disgusting’ price differences

Hazel Barnes, 59, is getting married in Datchworth, Hertfordshire on a Thursday in July next year, and is saving £3,000 as a result.

She says she found the difference in price for weddings across the week “disgusting… [and] quite jaw dropping”.

Hazel has also managed to cut costs on the reception venue by providing the decorations herself.

Hazel and her husband-to-be Dannie Sanderson, 63, are planning a small wedding and although two of their guests are unable to attend due to issues with childcare, she says: “What we have been able to get as a result of saving money has outweighed that.”

Source: BBC