Many couples get engaged and immediately start the planning process, especially when they are planning a destination wedding in Charleston SC.  Venues and wedding vendors in Charleston start booking wedding dates 12-18 months in advance, so there is definitely a sense of urgency when it comes to planning a Charleston wedding.  Although the majority of weddings take place on a Saturday, there are many reasons why couples should consider a non-Saturday wedding date – so I wanted to write a blog post highlighting those reasons:

• Booking a non-Saturday wedding date will give you a better chance at booking your dream venue, especially during peak months
• Booking a non-Saturday wedding date will give you a better chance at booking the wedding vendors of your dreams
• You may be able to save money by booking a non-Saturday wedding date
• You get to prolong your celebration with a non-Saturday wedding date because you have multiple days to host events for guests
• You and your guests can save on airfare, hotel accommodations, etc. since you’ll be traveling on non-peak days
• You will have time to relax and refresh before leaving for your honeymoon or heading back to work

While having a Saturday wedding may be your first instinct, there are definitely advantages to choosing a non-Saturday date for your destination wedding celebration in Charleston SC.  Not convinced?  Take it from some of my couples who chose to get married on a non-Saturday date:

Caitlin + Joseph: “We got married on a Friday instead of Saturday and saved $8k!!! We also loved being able to spend the weekend with our family afterwards instead of jetting off to our honeymoon the next morning- it gave us some time to decompress, take in the moment, instead of feeling like everything was such a whirlwind. Our family also saved money on flights because they came in a Wednesday or Thursday vs. Friday, and then they had the weekend to explore Charleston! ❤️“

Emily + Ryan: “We got married on a Friday. It was honestly one of the only dates our venue had available for like a couple of years haha. But it was not a big deal at all. For us the wedding was a destination wedding and all of our family and friends were coming in from out of state anyway. Nobody minded taking one extra day off work, and then they enjoyed that they had the rest of the weekend to enjoy Charleston. The funny thing is… I have now met and become close friends with two other couples who got married on our exact same date, and every time we talk about the fact it was a Friday and nobody cared.”

Kristin + Rob: “We got married on a Friday as well due to venue availability. But we loved it because it was a destination wedding for us and all of our family and friends in attendance. We got to spend the rest of the weekend with friends and family to extend the celebration and they all got to spend the weekend in Charleston. Or if they couldn’t stay the whole weekend for some reason, it gave them a day to get their life back in order before heading back to work that Monday.”

Robyn + Andy: “My destination wedding in Pawley’s Island was on a Thursday. It worked out incredibly as far as vendors were concerned. When the photographer I first hired could no longer cover my wedding because her military husband got orders to Italy, you were available and stepped right in. I was also able to book {my hair and makeup team} last minute…because who is working on a Thursday?”

Alyssa + Tyler: “We are choosing to get married on a Thursday for a couple of reasons. 1. Save a little extra money. 2. Our wedding is a destination for all of our guests so the day doesn’t really matter (and if you’re late to the planning game or want to get married quickly, you have a better choice at preferred vendors). 3. We plan on using the same idea as my sister which is: have wedding Thursday, plan a day time activity with family and friends Friday, grab dinner and watch the sunset with family and friends Friday evening, and go out to local bars Friday night! It gives everyone enough time to see everyone (my family lives all over the US) and hang out outside the wedding before people fly back home!”

Ashley + Channing: “We got married on a Sunday and themed it around my favorite meal ever— Sunday Brunch! It was nice for people who could come to Charleston from out of town and explore all weekend and end the weekend with the wedding and head home.”

Lindsay + Allen: “We’re planning a Thursday. Most of our guests will be coming from out of town. We have a small wedding but knew the important people we wanted would make the trip. Because most haven’t been to Charleston this is giving them the weekend to explore. I’ve been in Saturday weddings where the rehearsal was on Thursday so regardless I had to travel to the destination and take that time off work so we sort of saw this as the same.  Every vendor I’ve chosen with the help of our planner and you, has been available. I haven’t felt pressure to pick someone just to pick someone because chances are they’re not busy on a Thursday in December. Photographer, florist, hair and makeup, DJ, all my top choices were available and I’m so excited about the team we have.  Cost is a huge piece of course. I believe we’re getting Lowndes for about 1/3 the price of what it would cost 48 hours later. When we got the numbers for the first quote we were in shock especially since they provide all the catering too.  Bottom line for us is that this is basically a “destination wedding” for the guests and we’re trying to make it worth their while. Hoping to have an oyster roast the day after and really be able to hang out with our guests and let them explore charleston the next two days. But as a bride it has been such a calm decision making process knowing it was likely that everyone we wanted to hire would be available.”

Liz + Thomas: “We got married on a Sunday at Magnolia Plantation. It was perfect because family and friends got into town Friday night and we were able to have a fun night out downtown. Then Saturday night was rehearsal dinner but during the day Saturday we did the rehearsal then took the wedding party to brunch downtown then us girls got pedicures and manicures afterwards. Then wedding Sunday night. This was a destination wedding as most of our family and friends are in Virginia (we live in Greenville, SC). So they had to take off Monday to travel home but if the wedding was Saturday they would have had to take Friday off. So we didn’t see much of a trade off with choosing Sunday over Saturday for the travel time aspect. We decided against a Friday because that meant the rehearsal would be Thursday night and people would have to take off Thursday and Friday instead of just Monday for a Sunday wedding. And for our guests who weren’t part of the wedding party, it allowed them time to come down to Charleston and enjoy the weekend touring around themselves and having a little mini vacation.  I never had a single issue with a vendor I wanted not being available.  We also picked the date because it was the same date we got engaged just the year before. So we thought that was kind of cool.  As for leaving for honeymoon, we went on our honeymoon like 2 months later so that wasn’t a concern of being rushed. We took time off the following week to come back home and get reorganized and settled.”

Stephanie + Jesse: “We got married on a Sunday with a destination wedding! It was great because everyone actually had time to enjoy the weekend and see and explore Charleston. We had a cocktail kickoff party on Friday night for all guests in town, then rehearsal and large brunch on Saturday, then wedding on Sunday. We were able to really spend a lot of time with different groups of people and not feel so rushed. We and everyone else was in vacation mode by the wedding on Sunday and it was absolutely the best weekend!”

Francesca + Brendan: ” We got married on Sunday of a three day weekend. No way my husband was getting married on a Saturday during football season. It was a weekend full of events for everyone coming from out of town. I’ve also been to Friday weddings and it is fun to have more casual events planned for the next day with your guests. Charleston has so many great things to do! Rent out a restaurant for football game watch, do a low country boil, beach day, oyster roast, etc.”

Mindy + Matt: “We picked a Friday for our destination wedding due to venue availability, and it worked out great. Not only was it less expensive, but a lot of our guests chose to stay the entire weekend and loved having the extra day to check out Charleston. For a Saturday wedding, most people would have taken off Friday anyways, so for us they instead flew in Thurs night or Friday am. It did put more of an ask on family/wedding party to come in for Thursday rehearsal but those were our nearest and dearest friends & family so they were happy to do it.”

Olivia + Sam: “My husband and I got married on a Sunday and it was the best decision ever! Our wedding was over Memorial weekend and it was a destination wedding so everyone was traveling which gave them that extra day off school and work. All my friends and I got together and went to dinner Friday night, Saturday night we had a huge cookout for all of our friends and family at our beach house and then the wedding was Sunday. It gave us the entire weekend to celebrate and spend with our loved ones. It was a bonus that Sunday venue prices are less expensive than Saturdays. Highly recommend a Sunday wedding!”

Brittany + Brian: “Thursday wedding here! We actually did it just to keep our pre-existing anniversary date (we met on the same date as we got engaged as we got married…), but it worked out perfectly! Venue was a little cheaper, which was a nice cost savings, but more than that, we wanted our wedding to be a big ol’ gathering of our nearest and dearest with a wedding thrown in the middle. Most of us were in town the whole week (Monday through Sunday) and having the wedding midway through allowed us to really enjoy the weekend, sharing the city we love with the people we love. Then we were also able to head off to our honeymoon fully refreshed from the wedding and able to process each event on its own. I feel like maybe we also got some extra attention from our other vendors, because we weren’t competing with a million other weddings like you do on a busy weekend. It limited our guest list (having a destination wedding on a weekday), but we never wanted our wedding to be a big affair (and then you really know the folks attending want to be there, when they’re rearranging their schedules for you). A lot of our guests also appreciated it, because they then went off on their own weekend away tacked on after the festivities (if they were already taking time off or leaving the kids at home, might as well make a vacation out of it!).”

Lindsay + Thomas: “We had a Friday wedding to give our guests the rest of the weekend to enjoy themselves in Hilton Head without the obligation of wedding festivities. We did host a beach party on Saturday for those that wanted to join, and it ended up being our favorite part of the wedding weekend! We were able to spend time with our family and friends, relax, play games, and finish off what was left in the coolers from the night before ! It ended up being such a great day we have had friends do the exact same thing, wedding Friday, beach party Saturday! We left Sunday for our honeymoon feeling so happy and relaxed!”

Kenzie + Dan: “Our wedding is scheduled for a Friday in Spring 2021.  We found cheaper rates for a lot of the vendors. It is a destination wedding for probably 90% of our guest list so it allows them to make an extended weekend vacation out of it.  Guests won’t have to be in a rush (or hungover) to travel the day after the wedding. They will have all day Saturday to enjoy Charleston.  And we like having the option to see and socialize with our guests that Saturday, since we know wedding day will be a whirlwind”