what would be the best day to plan my wedding?
what is the best day to plan your wedding?
It depends. That is the honest answer, and it is worth unpacking. The best day for your wedding is not a universal truth printed in a planner somewhere. It is the intersection of your priorities, your guest list, your budget, and the kind of experience you want to create. Some couples want a Saturday in June with 120 people and a long dinner. Others want a Tuesday in October with 30 close friends and no speeches. Both are correct.
What follows is a practical guide to help you think it through, from the logic of weekdays versus weekends to seasonal considerations, venue availability, and the one question most couples forget to ask until it is too late.
saturday is popular for a reason
Saturday is the most requested wedding day in the Netherlands and across most of Europe. The logic is simple: guests do not have to take a day off work, they can travel on Friday evening, and they recover on Sunday. For couples with a large guest list, particularly one that includes people travelling from abroad, Saturday removes a practical barrier.
The downside is equally simple. Saturday is the most expensive day to get married. Venues, caterers, photographers, florists and musicians all charge a premium for Saturday, because demand is highest. In Amsterdam, a Saturday booking at a city centre venue can cost anywhere from 20 to 40 percent more than the same space on a weekday.
friday and sunday: the middle ground
Friday weddings have grown significantly in popularity over the past decade. Guests can take a single day off work, the atmosphere tends to be slightly more relaxed than a Saturday, and pricing is usually lower. A Friday evening ceremony followed by a dinner and dancing works well logistically: no pressure to wrap up because the weekend is just beginning.
Sunday weddings work best when the guest list is local. A Sunday afternoon ceremony with a long lunch, ending by early evening, is a format that suits an intimate group well. The risk is that guests with a commute or an early Monday morning will feel time pressure as the evening progresses. For a small, close gathering, that pressure rarely materialises. For a large group with mixed circumstances, it can shorten the night.
weekday weddings: the underrated option
Wednesday and Thursday weddings are increasingly common among couples who prioritise budget flexibility and venue availability over convenience for guests. The savings can be substantial. A weekday booking often frees up budget for better catering, a longer venue hire window, or simply a less stressful planning process.
The trade-off is real: some guests will not be able to attend. If your guest list includes people with inflexible work schedules, young children, or long travel times, a weekday may mean a smaller celebration than you originally imagined. For some couples, that is exactly what they wanted.
what month should you get married?
In the Netherlands, June, July and September are the most requested months for weddings. The reasons are practical: daylight is long, the weather is reasonable, and outdoor elements become possible. August can be beautiful but it is also peak holiday season, which means guests may already have travel plans and accommodation in Amsterdam fills up fast.
May and early October are increasingly popular alternatives. Mild temperatures, fewer competing events, and better venue availability at lower rates. A wedding in October in Amsterdam, with the canal light changing colour in the late afternoon, is not a compromise. It is a choice.
Winter weddings, from November through February, are the least common and often the most affordable. They require a venue that carries itself indoors without depending on outdoor space or natural light. Not every venue can do that. Some can do it exceptionally well.
the venue shapes the day
Before you settle on a date, settle on a venue. Or at least narrow it down. The venue’s availability will define your options more than any other single factor. A venue that is only available on Sundays in your preferred month changes the calculation entirely. A venue that is closed for private hire during the summer changes it again.
At @droog, the building itself is worth understanding before you plan around it. The space dates from 1641, originally built for the Drapers’ Guild. It is in the centre of Amsterdam, on the Staalstraat, a few minutes from the Rembrandtplein. It is not a traditional wedding venue. It is a design space that happens to be available for weddings, which means the experience it creates is quite different from a hotel ballroom or a converted warehouse.
the white space is the room most couples use for ceremonies and seated dinners. It sits upstairs, with large white-framed windows looking out over the old Amsterdam canal houses and the garden below. It fits up to 70 in a theatre setting, or 50 seated with tables, depending on configuration. A PhD promotion has taken place there. So has a book launch and a small concert. A wedding fits easily.
For the reception or drinks, the grand space on the ground floor opens up to 160 people standing, with a sliding door that connects directly to the garden. For an intimate dinner after the ceremony, the library seats up to 10 around a long table, surrounded by flowered wallpaper based on a painting in the Rijksmuseum and yellow chairs under a flat chandelier.
If you want something more theatrical, the red space is the venue’s theatre room: completely red, pink, orange and purple, with a u-shaped tribune that seats up to 80. Nobody has ever described it as neutral.
And at the top of the yellow hallway staircase, the cafe restaurant looks out over the Groenburgwal canal. Blue butterfly lamp, a fireplace, white curved tiles, and a kitchen that treats lunch as something worth sitting down for. It fits up to 70 seated and 180 standing. It is also the room most people remember longest.
Rooms can be combined. A ceremony in the white space, drinks in the grand space and garden, dinner in the cafe restaurant. Or something else entirely. The building has enough rooms and enough flexibility to build a day with a real sequence to it, not just a single room you enter and leave.
how far in advance should you book?
For a Saturday in June or September, 12 to 18 months is a reasonable planning window in Amsterdam. Popular venues in the city centre are booked that far in advance, sometimes further. If you have a specific date in mind, start with the venue enquiry before anything else. Before the florist, before the photographer, before the caterer.
For a weekday, or a month outside peak season, 6 to 9 months is usually sufficient. That said, earlier is always better. Availability does not improve as your preferred date approaches.
the question most couples forget
What do you want guests to feel when they leave?
Not what they should see or eat or hear. What they should feel. That question shapes every other decision, including the day of the week and the time of year. A high-energy Saturday evening celebration creates one kind of memory. A long Sunday lunch in a space full of design and natural light creates another. Neither is better. They are just different experiences, and the day you choose is part of how you build that experience.
At @droog, the working assumption is that a wedding should do something. Not just happen. The design of the space, the history of the building, the quality of the food, and the way rooms connect to each other are all part of that. Guests tend to notice. They also tend to ask about the chair, the lamp, or the wallpaper, which is not an accident.
practical checklist: choosing your date
- Check venue availability first, before any other supplier
- Consider your guest list: how many people need to travel, and from where?
- Set a realistic budget before you choose a day of the week, Saturday costs more
- Think about the time of year in terms of light and temperature, not just tradition
- Check for public holidays, local events, and school holidays on or near your preferred date
- Build in time: a minimum of 6 months for weekdays, 12 to 18 months for peak Saturdays
- Ask the venue what works best in their space, some venues genuinely shine in specific seasons or configurations
frequently asked questions
is saturday always the most expensive day for a wedding?
In almost every case, yes. Saturday commands the highest rates from venues, caterers, and suppliers because demand is highest. Friday and Sunday usually sit in the middle range. Weekdays offer the most flexibility on price.
how many guests is considered a small wedding?
Definitions vary, but anything under 40 guests is generally considered a small or intimate wedding. Under 20 is micro. The room you choose should match the number: a space designed for 120 feels cold with 20 people in it, and a room that fits 10 creates a different kind of occasion entirely.
can you get married on a monday or tuesday in amsterdam?
Yes. The municipality of Amsterdam registers civil marriages on weekdays. If you want a civil ceremony followed by a private celebration, a Monday or Tuesday is legally straightforward. Some couples hold the legal ceremony midweek and the celebration on the nearest weekend.
what is the least busy wedding month in the netherlands?
January and February see the fewest weddings. November and March are also quieter than average. Budget and availability are generally more favourable in these months, and venues that work well indoors can offer an experience that summer weddings cannot.
is it possible to hold a wedding ceremony and reception in the same venue in amsterdam?
Yes, and it is often the more seamless approach. When ceremony, drinks, and dinner all take place in the same building, guests are not managing transport between locations. The flow of the day is easier to control, and the experience feels more coherent. At @droog, the building has enough distinct rooms to host each part of the day in a different space without anyone needing to leave.
does @droog host weddings?
Yes. The white space is well suited for ceremonies and seated dinners. The grand space and garden work for receptions and drinks. The library is available for a private dinner. The cafe restaurant seats up to 70. Rooms can be combined depending on the scale and format of the day. @droog is a design space first, which means the rooms carry character without requiring decoration to fill them.
thinking about @droog for your wedding?
Tell us what you have in mind. The building has been here since 1641. It has seen a lot. A wedding fits well.