Mid-Week Weddings: Affordable Maine Wedding Ideas

There has been a lot of buzz lately about couples bucking the longest-lasting wedding trend and hosting weddings in the middle of the week. The New England Destination Wedding tradition has always been Friday rehearsal dinner, Saturday afternoon ceremonies and evening receptions with a Sunday morning farewell brunch. But as weddings get more expensive, couples are getting more creative at stretching their dollars to create the experience they are seeking for their guests with their celebration.

The savings most couples get when booking their wedding on a Tuesday instead of a Friday, Saturday or Sunday is reported as being between 35-50%. This is not just a savings on the venue rental, it is overall costs, considering photographers, DJ’s, florists, caterers and other vendors. Many vendors have incredible flexibility during the week and will give great pricing options to fit you into their schedule. It’s a win-win for vendors and couples.

The trend began as couples have started realizing cost and time are the biggest barriers between their dream wedding and their actual wedding. Many of the best venues and vendors are booked months or years in advance and couples were not happy settling for their second or third choices. When they booked their wedding in the middle of the week, most vendors are free and couples are able to put together their dream team at a much lower cost.

This is not just for budget weddings and DIY couples. Having flexibility with costs, especially on venue rentals allows you to invest in the smaller details that create a personalized and lavish wedding. Reinvesting in food, your favorite band, more guests, and creative favors makes the couple and guest experience one to remember.

Many people worry that friends and family won’t be able to make the trip during the week, but surprisingly, many couples planning a Tuesday wedding have little trouble convincing guests it was worth the trip. Most of our guests enjoy these celebrations with check-in at our Beach Rose Farm accommodations on Monday with a lobster bake rehearsal dinner that evening, the wedding celebration on Tuesday afternoon at French’s Point Estate and a farewell brunch on Wednesday morning.  After the wedding and departure of French’s Point, guests will continue to travel around the coastline for an extended vacation visiting other Maine points of interest like Acadia National Park and Boothbay Harbor.  Maine has such a vast and beautiful coastline full of beautiful places to explore.  Conversely, if you are having difficulty trimming a slightly-to-large guests list, the mid-week wedding will trim the less enthusiastic guests allowing you to focus on those who make the extra effort to join you for your event.  With changing work practices, the concept of Monday-Friday work weeks are not always the standard and many guests have increased flexibility. The best thing to do if you are considering a mid-week wedding is to send a quick email to your friends and family and gauge their response. It’s always worth asking!

If you are interested in a mid-week wedding and want to hear more about planning options – contact Jessika at French’s Point at 207-567-3650 or info@fpmaine.com.