Off-Peak Weddings: 6 Compelling Reasons You Should Have One
— By Luke Ellery
19 February 2019
Let’s face it, it's impossible to plan a wedding without budgeting, and many of us have a few restrictions when it comes to the budget plan.
You may shoot down your dream wedding venue at first glance, assuming that you’re not able to afford it. Mudbrick Vineyard & Restaurant on Waiheke Island has come to the rescue, showing us how you can have an affordable and picturesque wedding at almost any venue in Auckland. Having your wedding on a day that a venue considers ‘off-peak’ is a great way to maintain that picturesque, lush-life aesthetic without having to spend an arm and a leg. An 'off-peak' day may either be on a quiet day of the week, or in a less popular month of the year. Here are our six great reasons to choose an off-peak day for your wedding.
Off-Peak Season Weddings
A lot of kiwis dream of a perfect summer wedding. But the reality is, they can often be less magical than we expect – sunburnt shoulders for the girls and sweaty suits for the boys. Getting married in the colder months can definitely be a blessing - you’ll not only be cooler, but it could save you from burning a hole in your pocket too.
1/ Venue Benefits
Image by Waitakere Estate
Most venues term April through to October as their ‘off-peak’ season and, as such, some offer a discount to encourage winter weddings. Often this will be a discounted venue fee with some venues offering up to a 50% discount on the cost. Alternatively, a lot of venues offer a cheaper menu price, and some venues offer a cheaper drinks package as well. You may find some venues even allow you flexibility as to when in the day you can start since they aren’t as busy.
2/ Ambience
Image by Samatha Donaldson Photography
There are many additional benefits of an off-peak wedding you may not have thought of. For example, most brides spend a lot of money on candles and lights, but with it not getting dark till after 9pm in the summer, they often aren’t fully appreciated. In the winter though, having candles will really help to create a romantic atmosphere. Winter weddings tend to have a more intimate feel to them – the mulled wine, throws, candles, and roaring fires bring people together and amplify the romantic ambience of the event. Not to say that summer weddings, aren't romantic, but it is hard to deny the epic romance that cold winter nights invoke.
3/ Easy to book vendors
Image by Perspectives Photo + Cinema
'Off-peak' for wedding venues generally means 'off-peak' for the rest of the wedding industry. That means your dream vendors will likely be free on your wedding date. The amazing photographer that you've been stalking on Instagram who is usually booked up all throughout summer, might just be available to you after all. With 2/3 couples getting married in the summer months, there tends to be some competition for vendors on certain dates. An 'off-peak' wedding makes that a non-issue.
'Off-peak' Weekday Weddings
Most people think that you have to get married on a Saturday, but there are a lot of other days of the week that are available to you. It does mean people have to take a day off work, but particularly when you’re getting married out of town, a lot of people love the excuse to make your wedding a mini-getaway! It may also mean that those 3rd cousins that you felt obliged to invite may find that they aren’t actually able to make it.
4/ Manageable Guest Numbers
Image by Proshot Photography
Having a wedding on a weekday will often mean it is a more intimate affair – with only the people that you really want at your wedding. It will feel more special emotionally, but it will also be so much easier to get around everyone and make sure everyone has food, drinks, etc.
5/ Cutting Costs
Image by LittleWolf
Similar to in winter, a lot of venues offer a lower rate for weekday weddings. For venues that require a minimum spend on food and beverages, this is often much lower during the week and can mean that it is more financially viable for you to have a smaller wedding there.
6/ Privacy
Image by Peach Perfect Weddings
On weekdays the world feels less busy than on the weekend. So, not only are your vendors going to be freed up but those dreamy shoot locations, like the Auckland Domain, are likely to be empty which will give you a bit more privacy, and hopefully make you feel more comfortable. Traffic will be freed up too, so you won't have guests (or worse, brides/grooms) late to the party.
Edited from an article by Lydia Martin