A Good Friday for a wedding

The Christian calendar may have Good Friday down as one of sadness but, if you’re planning a wedding, it could be the happiest of choices.

Think about it. Because it’s a bank holiday, many of your guests already have the day off. And there’s every chance they have Easter Monday off as well. So you can party on Friday, decompress over the weekend and, if necessary, travel on Monday, before hitting the office again on Tuesday. Your guests will thank you for the perfect mini-break.

The excitement and planned events of the Big Day means it can pass in a bit of a blur. I often hear couples – and their guests – regretting that they didn’t get time to spend with everyone. There was no time for a proper chat, they say, even with people they might not have seen in a while, or who had travelled long distances.

Marrying on Good Friday means you can follow it with a day or two of relaxation with all of those people still around you.

Perhaps you can meet for a leisurely brunch and a long walk. Or lunchtime drinks that morph into afternoon tea. When my niece married, a large group of us met the following day for a boat trip on the Thames. Fabulous though the day of the wedding had been, that boat trip was almost as memorable and was certainly a lot more relaxing.

The other benefit of a spring wedding is the weather. Yes, it can be cold, particularly if Easter is in March. Probably best not to plan a Good Friday wedding celebration in England on a beach unless you’re a particularly hardy family!

But, on the plus side, you and your guests are less likely to spend the day just wishing you could get out of your formal clothes and take a cold shower.

The pastel colours associated with spring are another reason to choose an Easter wedding celebration. The gentle blue of forget-me-knots, the pale green of unfurling leaves, the yellow of narcissus make a wonderfully delicate palette for your bouquet, decorations and bridesmaid dresses. And imagine how pretty your flower girl will look, scattering yellow and lilac-coloured primroses from a basket.

The cost implications of a Good Friday wedding celebration are more difficult to predict. A weekday wedding is generally cheaper than one on a Saturday. But, because it’s a bank holiday, some venue and suppliers’ costs may have to include higher wages. You’ll be shopping around anyway though, so you can ask for comparisons.

Spring is a time of renewal and a Good Friday wedding celebration does have a deeper additional meaning as an appropriate time to start your new life as a couple. But practically, as well, there are many benefits.

Next year, Good Friday is on 7th April, in 2024 it’s 29th March and in 2025 it’s 18th April.

Start planning now because, as the saying goes, Easter is the only time when it’s safe to put all your eggs in one basket.