Which is preferable - weekday wedding or child free wedding?

You can't afford it. So stop, think about what it all actually means and what the fuck you are doing to your finances and make wise decisions.

Weekend wedding. Mid week wedding risks being quite boring, everyone will want to go to bed early, not drink etc. Plus people will remember you had a Tuesday wedding and resent and comment on it forever more.

This. I don't have children so I haven't voted, but something else to think about is that for any non-teacher childfree guests it's not always easy/possible to get leave in school holidays because the parents in the team book so far in advance.

Also, from a recent bride, really think hard about your compromises. Weekday weddings are usually really rubbish, people who've had one will argue otherwise, but they're crap. Lots of guests leave earlier than they would at the weekend because they don't want to take two days leave. It's just a different vibe on a Wednesday. Also under 12s didn't add anything to our cost, so consider that when choosing your venue. A CF wedding might not save you much money (but as a CF guest, would be my preference!).

Weekend without kids.

I also think I’m odd because the idea of bringing my dc to a wedding just means no fun for me to be honest, I love them but the idea of sitting through all of that whilst trying to keep them semi entertained and happy is torture. I love my dc but I’d rather be able to attend the wedding and relax for the day and mingle etc. plus it’s an added cost trying to find suitable clothing for a child that they will probably only wear once. So unless it close close family…no dc for me. A weekend would actually be preferable for me but a weekday of you are close family/close friend wouldn’t bother me in the slightest. To be honest i can’t think of any wedding I’ve been invited to that wasn’t someone I’m very close to.

@brainded I was just going to post this exact point.

It is also harder to get holiday at a weekend if you do not get given enough notice of the date, and being in school holidays it is even more complicated.

@overgrowngrass

Personally I would prefer a wedding with children involved, whatever day of the week, as I have a child with Disabilities and no one to look after them.

Ultimately it is you r choice and if people cannot attend so be it, you will have a great day whatever.

Weekend without kids but probably means only me OR DH would attend die to childcare. Weekday if local id bring kids but DH wouldn't book day off unless you were close to him. Weekday away is a nightmare. I did it for nephew because I love him. Night in a hotel, nightmare with taxis to hotel. DH had to take a day off to do school pick up day one and I had to rush back to do pick up day two. I love my nephew, I'd have done most anything to be there but it was still a PITA

I find weekday weddings a pain, I don't want to take annual leave for one, especially if it involves travelling. I'd go if I loved you though but I'd be miffed.

You might need to rethink your plans - can you have a weekend wedding with kids but cut your cloth a little better....

What are you spending money on - if it's tablecloths, chair swagging and photo booths and harp players then I'm unlikely to be impressed.

Decide what you want - a certain type of wedding or your friends there and comfortable with or without their kids....(but their choice).

What kind of wedding are you thinking of? We had a weekend wedding with children allowed, but honestly the children really didn't add that much to the overall cost and it meant that everyone we wanted came as it was easy for them

But we did have the mumsnet hated barn wedding with a bbq so obviously it depends what type of thing you are going for

Child free at the weekend. Like 90% of weddings I’ve been to. I’d never expect my children to be invited unless it was very close family - it would double the guest list and you wouldn’t be able to invite most of your actual friends!

Not weekday.
We wouldn’t come to either I’m afraid. I wouldn’t take two weekdays off for a wedding, and I wouldn’t go to a wedding Ds wasn’t invited to as we don’t have any childcare and Ds wouldn’t want to be left with unknown babysitter (at a huge cost to us also).

We are actually going to two overseas weddings this year. But Ds is invited to both, and we will use as our actual holiday either Side of weddings (both 2-3 day long events)

Depends on your social group. For me, 95% of my friends and family work Monday to Friday. Also the OP asked what I prefer and I’d have to take A/L so that’s how I answered.

I find it really odd that ppl think that nobody has to take annual leave to attend a wedding on a weekend…loads of people work weekends and/or shift patterns that land on weekends. Not everyone works 9-5…🙄

I've attended weekday weddings and it really irritated me that I've had to use up my annual leave just so the bride and groom can save money. I had to go because it was family, but I wouldn't go if it was imperative for me to attend.

Weekend wedding is preferable imo. I don't want to use annual leave to go to someone's wedding. It's worse if you have to travel and have to take more than one day. I've had some years where there's been 5 weddings, if all of them had weekday weddings that would be a lot of annual leave!

A weekday wedding will exclude all your friends with children too, unless you are having it in the school holidays. So might as well go for childfree on the weekend.

do whatever works best for you and is your preference. It’s your day.
people will with attend or not, it’s up to them.

Honestly @overgrowngrass you can’t please everyone so don’t even attempt it. I know plenty of ppl who would need to take A/L even if it was on a Saturday. Have it however and whenever you want. If they want to they will make it happen.

Weekday. No children😄

My preference would be weekend late afternoon wedding, with no sit down meal just going straight into the evening party with a buffet and children welcome.

It is going to depend who your guests are, teachers with dc then a weekday wedding is going to work best.
Mostly working people without dc then a childfree Saturday one.
Both options are likely to require significant compromise from your guests.
The other option is fewer guests or a private ceremony and then a more general evening party which everyone can attend.

Rethink your plans. You can't afford the wedding you want so you're pushing the costs onto your guests via babysitters or annual leave. Have a cheaper wedding and stop being so selfish.

I've gone for weekday with children but then I really like weddings and am. happy to use some AL for one. As it's in the school holidays probably one of us would already be on leave anyway and we'd probably make a week of it as a holiday.