New Year's Eve Wedding

[Drayven]

So the fiance and I have been trying to figure out when we want to get married. The idea came up for either next new year's eve or the one after. I'm trying to gauge how people feel about giving up their new year's plans for a wedding? We'll most likely be having an evening reception starting around 8 or so and I'd like to bring in some of those casino tables so guests have something to do. What say you CoG'rs, would you be annoyed or pleased if a friend scheduled a wedding on your party night?

[Camel]

I normally just go to a friend's house on New Years. A wedding seems like the type of thing that would initially sound kind of annoying since it is falling in the holiday period when everything is already so busy, but would actually be pretty fun (and way better than any plan I would probably come up with).

Food, drinking, dancing, getting dressed up...sounds like a fun New Years to me!

[zarathstra]

I'm not sure I would care about giving up a New Year's celebration, since you also drink and celebrate at weddings, but remember that New Year's is RIGHT after Christmas, so people are going to be burned out on traveling. Plus, they'll probably be low on vacation days right around then, if any of them are coming from far away. Also, they're going to be broke, so I wouldn't expect much in the way of gifts, if you were planning on setting up a registry.

[Purple Santa]

You could always poll a small sample of your guests how they feel about a New Year's eve wedding.

[skwish]

also with the ladies a 2 for 1 christmas/anniversary gift does NOT go over so hot

[hunterx280]

I think it's a cool idea. Most of the people will want to go to some awesome New Year's party so why not make it your wedding? It'll be expensive in terms of alcohol and you'll want to make sure everyone can get home but I think it'll be a party to remember. January 1, 2011 is a Saturday so that gives people that day and the next to recover.

[Kelegacy]

Dude, wedding receptions are so fun. I would totally give up my New Years plans to party at a reception. However, I think New Years is my least favorite holiday. The tacky people go out for New Years anyway--I mean, everyone else is out too. The cool crowd stays in. So a wedding party would rock.

Make sure the ceremony is short and the reception long. I think my ceremony was like 3 minutes long.

[Drayven]

Yeah I'm hoping our ceremony consists of "Do you?" "Sure" "you?" "why not?" and done

[Kielaran]

I would fall into the 'good idea' crowd. As for people being low on vacation days, they should know about the wedding months in advance and be able to plan for it. The party would be just like any other New Years party, but probably way bigger than most people would plan on having, so cool all around.

[Serapth]

A lot, and I do mean ALOT of people go away over the Christmas holidays. This is probably the biggest gotcha. As its a two week period where kids are off school, its the most common time to travel.

So, although many people may not be doing anything on New Years, they very well may not be home.


I would generally say no if you want maximum attendance.

[Camel]

A lot, and I do mean ALOT of people go away over the Christmas holidays. This is probably the biggest gotcha. As its a two week period where kids are off school, its the most common time to travel.

So, although many people may not be doing anything on New Years, they very well may not be home.


I would generally say no if you want maximum attendance.
Well, it kind of depends on the people you know. The holidays is a time where most of the people I know actually come BACK to the same place, as opposed to spreading out from one place to many others.

If I planned a New Years wedding, almost all of the people I would be inviting would already be in Pennsylvania and it would actually be kind of convenient.

[Cactaur]

If you do have it on New Years Eve, there's going to be no excuse for forgetting the anniversary.

[ShivaX]

If you do have it on New Years Eve, there's going to be no excuse for forgetting the anniversary.

Hell it might be worth doing it just for that reason.

Screw the guests, you're making your future happiness safe.

[Serapth]

I got married on my wifes birthday.... on 7/7/7

I really have no reason to ever EVER forget.

[TheFlyingOrc]

I got married on my wifes birthday.... on 7/7/7

I really have no reason to ever EVER forget.

I got married on my parent's anniversary.

By coincidence, my wife and I's first dance was the same song my parents chose.

Mom cried.

[BigJonno]

I got married on my wifes birthday.... on 7/7/7

I really have no reason to ever EVER forget.

Holy shit! Mrs Jonno's birthday is 7/7/76.

[PathMaster]

I got married on my wifes birthday.... on 7/7/7

I really have no reason to ever EVER forget.

Did that on purpose didn't you..?

[zarathstra]

I got married on my wifes birthday.... on 7/7/7

I really have no reason to ever EVER forget.

That's why I want to get married on the 5th of November!

[Serapth]

I got married on my parent's anniversary.

By coincidence, my wife and I's first dance was the same song my parents chose.

Mom cried.
Momma's boy!

Holy shit! Mrs Jonno's birthday is 7/7/76.
Creepy, no? Different year by two though.

Did that on purpose didn't you..?
Damn straight, I have a horrid memory.

Actually 7/7/7 set a record for number of weddings. Some people at our wedding had two others to attend. We did a super small ceremony though.

Apparently, half of China got married on that date due to religious significance of the number 777 being super lucky.

[TurboKinny]

Actually 7/7/7 set a record for number of weddings. Some people at our wedding had two others to attend. We did a super small ceremony though.

Apparently, half of China got married on that date due to religious significance of the number 777 being super lucky.I did wedding planning at that time- I had no fewer than a dozen brides ask if I was available. It was sheer madness.

I think a NYE wedding is a fabulous idea, but like a PP pointed out, it'd work best if most of your guests are local.

[Generation ABXY]

Considering it's just that one day, I'd imagine a lot of people would be fine with it, even if they had to cut short some other holiday plans (I know I would, if it was a friend).

[Whunpo]

That's why I want to get married on the 5th of November!

That is damned genius. I plan on doing exactly that!

[Cactaur]

Gather everyone outside the church at night, hand out guy fawkes masks and let loose the fireworks.

[Adam Blue]

As long as there were going to be a bunch of people and there was alcohol...I'd be down. Especially if it's somewhere with bars nearby for some more after partying.

[Drayven]

The folks that would be at my wedding are mostly local so there wouldn't be much traveling involved and of those that have to travel they'd likely be traveling here rather than away already

[Inspector Fowler]

Here is my advice. Keep in mind that I'm 32 and so I'm just past the phase where almost everybody I know gets married:

If you make your wedding convenient, short, and fun, people will remember it positively for a long time. Weddings are all pretty much the same. No matter how much I like the person, I don't really care about the wedding.

If you're going to do it on New Year's, do something totally crazy and different. Do a masquerade ball where you get married right at midnight and unmask to kiss, or something. If you make people give up New Year's Eve, make it something totally fun they will talk about when people mention weddings. If it's the regular "tux and dress with a ceremony and flowers followed by a DJ and lame dancing where everybody gets super drunk" it will not be so cool.

[Expugnare]

My cousin's wedding was on NYE two years ago and it worked out fine, except for the fact that it was between Irish and Italian family: everyone on the Italian side drank a lot of wine; everyone on the Irish side drank a lot of... anything. They foresaw this and hired a trolley car to take people back to hotel rooms.

[JRR006]

If traveling isn't an issue, it sounds like a great idea. I think it would be a really good time, mixing a wedding celebration with a New Year celebration. Sort of thematically related, too, no? :)

The other issue was already mentioned - money can be tight right after Christmas, but with a year or two warning it would be all right. You could ask your families to skip Christmas gifts for you and your fiance and just focus on the wedding registry.