Consider a Thanksgiving Wedding

Sure, it might seem a bit unconventional. But tying the knot on Thanksgiving can present a beautiful and unique occasion for you and all of your loved ones to experience together. So, let’s talk about why you and your better half should consider having a Thanksgiving wedding.

Similarities between weddings and the celebrated Turkey Day

A Thanksgiving feast and the day you say “I do” may seem like two very different events at first glance. After all, stuffing your face with mashed potatoes and gravy and tossing a bouquet behind your back to your single girlfriends are very different scenarios. But those are only specific aspects of the events. The overall theme of these two special days actually has much more in common than you might think. 

Consider what you do at a wedding. You tell loved ones how much they mean to you, you tell your new family members how grateful you are to welcome them, and you catch up with your near and dear ones whom you don’t get to see that often. Plus, you clink your drinks together and overindulge in delicious food. Sounds an awful lot like a Thanksgiving dinner, right?

The biggest similarity between these two occasions is that they’re both all about family. Think about it– most, if not all, of the people who sit around a table on Thanksgiving are related to one another, and many of the guests at weddings are related to the newlyweds.

Marriage signifies the coming together of two families. Your family gains new members that will participate in the holidays to come. Not only do you gain a spouse, but your mom gains a new son-in-law, you gain a new sister-in-law, new nephews and nieces, and so on. Thus, a Thanksgiving wedding is a great way to kill two birds with one stone, as you get to leverage the time spent together on Thanksgiving while exchanging vows at the same time. It’s the perfect strategy for maximizing the time you get off work and having the whole family together.

Votes for a Thanksgiving wedding

There’s no doubt that Thanksgiving–themed wedding favors aren’t super charming and fun. But there are other benefits to getting married on Turkey Day as well. So, below are a few perks of walking down the aisle on Thanksgiving.

Your guests already have work off

Most employers give time off on Thanksgiving day and the following weekend. Thus, your guests won’t have to stress over asking for work off to attend your Thanksgiving wedding. Likewise, if you want to have a destination wedding, your loved ones can take advantage of the guaranteed vacation days they’ve already been given during this time.

Locking in a venue won’t break the bank

You don’t need to worry about having to pay top dollar for your dream venue if you get married on Thanksgiving. May through September are the most popular months to tie the knot, so saying “I do” in late November– especially on Thanksgiving Day– is very unlikely to come with a large venue payment. You should be able to find a great deal on the venue of your choice since the demand will be so low. Plus, you can pocket any leftover cash in your budget for your honeymoon! 

You don’t have to fret over the perfect theme

Every bride-to-be knows that one of the toughest jobs of planning a wedding is nailing down the perfect theme. Luckily, getting married on the turkey holiday has its own built-in theme. Plus, there are so many Thanksgiving-themed wedding party favors you and/or your wedding stylist can choose from that you’ll never have to worry about running out of Thanksgiving decoration ideas.

Also, let’s be honest– the intimate vibe that goes with the day of giving thanks rivals pretty much any other wedding day theme. Fall is undoubtedly the season of romance that symbolizes change, as this harvest season is when leaves begin to turn colors. So, you can trust that the crisp air, enchanting colors, and overall ambiance this time of year brings will give you a beautiful and unique wedding.

The best autumn-inspired decor

Although you can’t go wrong with any decor that falls into an autumn-inspired theme, we’ll give you a few of our favorite ideas.

• Incorporate rustic elements into your wedding table decorations, such as pine cones, twisted branches, and baskets filled with wheat and berries to add romantic warmth to the atmosphere.
• Choose a few colors from an autumn color palette to use for your table linens, floral arrangements, and chair covers. If you want to invoke a dark and elegant mood, try darker fall colors like burnt orange, forest green, and velvet. If you want to achieve a lighter, more whimsical feel, go for softer and brighter fall colors such as pale yellow, crimson red, lavender, and mint green.
• Place decorative gourds on the dinner tables and experiment with gold and white pumpkin decorations if you want a contemporary, Thanksgiving essence.

Who should you invite to a Thanksgiving wedding?

Before you purchase your Thanksgiving-themed wedding invitations, you need to figure out who you’ll invite to your big day.

Because Thanksgiving is a day that people normally spend time with their families, you should be super inclusive with your invites. Inviting children and letting guests bring plus ones is a good way to boost the chances of them attending.

Now, for all you brides who value a much smaller, intimate setting for your wedding, you might not want to include peripheral parties in your guest list. But, there’s a high chance that many of the people you invite will politely decline as Thanksgiving is the second busiest holiday weekend of the year.

A sneaky way to avoid too many attendees

Even though your guests will likely have work off during this holiday, they’ll also likely feel obligated to spend time with their families. This means that you’ll see more than the usual amount of “Can’t Attend” in your RSVP envelopes. 

What’s nice about this is that you can invite everyone and their mother without having to spend the money feeding all of them on your wedding day or breaking your venue’s maximum capacity. So, a wedding over this holiday weekend is a clever way to reduce your guest list without excluding people from your invites.

What should you and your guests feast on?

Consider sticking to the classic Turkey Day treats for your Thanksgiving wedding dinner. It’s important to remember that your guests may be missing their favorite dishes, like their famous sweet potato casserole or the savory stuffing that their mom makes every year. So, think about including at least a few Thanksgiving-inspired dishes like warm mashed potatoes, roasted turkey, and a variety of gravy sauces.

Once you nail down your dinner choices, you can start thinking about what you’ll serve your guests for dessert.

Dessert, anyone?

Everyone loves a good pumpkin spice latte coupled with a maple cranberry scone. I mean, it’s no joke that the fall season poses some of the yummiest treats. So, who wouldn’t enjoy a delicious Thanksgiving cake? Here are a few ideas for autumn-esque wedding cakes.

• A wedding cake in the shape of stacked pumpkins.
• A pumpkin-flavored cake with cream cheese frosting.
• A naked cake with fall berries and edible twigs.
• An apple cider spice cake with sugar-paper leaves.

A day that you and your guests will talk about forever

Now that you know all of the upsides of having your wedding on the turkey-eating holiday, what’s stopping you from toasting to both events at the same dinner? A Thanksgiving wedding presents a beautiful backdrop to walk down the aisle to and say, “I do”!