And it ends in cake and marriage, which is not so bad (plus, the wedding site you linked to is gorgeous).

The cake had better be *really good*. (Note to self: get good cake.) Oh, yeah, the place is amazing - we are desperately hoping it will be available. It will depend on a few different things working out at once.

Along which lines: Bitches, you're good at the general advice stuff. Would you go to a wedding on a Friday? We have a choice of either going with a Friday, and risking no one coming, or a Sunday, when my priest is unlikely to be able to come (we're hoping he'll do the blessing), or going with a different venue (which will make me sad. But it's probably good for me to learn compromise. As long as, y'know, I always win). The best way forward would be to go with a Friday and just see if anyone is willing to take an afternoon off work. But I don't really want to risk planning for 150 guests and ending up with 7. The Girl and I would like to at least delude ourselves that we're fairly popular.

I can't remember wedding planning. I think there was delegation to the mothers involved.

I'm quite glad that I'm in my 30s. If I were any younger, I'd feel obliged to get my parents involved. As it is, it's quite stressful enough without them. They have been made aware that their role is to turn up on the day and say nice things. My sister wants to wear a hat. She's treating this like a *proper* wedding, the sweetie.

I will save all of you the rant of how this wouldn't happen in other countries I've been to.

Happens to me a fair bit (the UK's Disability Discrimination Act isn't worth the paper it's scribbled on). I shout about it and write letters. Mostly the former. Although, as Trudy was describing, there's usually a mobility-impaired seating area at larger concerts and events (it's the smaller gigs where I lose out). Can you keep quoting the ADA at the place until they either find the right information, or agree to make accommodations? I understood that the ADA was pretty comprehensive about access.

I'd go to a wedding Friday night. If it was far away (i.e., needing to miss work), it would depend on the degree of closeness of the friends and coolness of location involved.

The best way forward would be to go with a Friday and just see if anyone is willing to take an afternoon off work.

Is there a lot of travel involved? I would go to a local/2 hourish drive wedding on a Friday without thinking about it. But, if I had to take Thursday to travel in addition to the wedding on Friday, I would have to consider closeness/coolness.

Would you go to a wedding on a Friday?

I went to one last week.

Even for locals, I think the later in the day you can push it the better. This one was at four pm, and seemed to have a pretty good turnout. But the priest even commented on how many people made it and it does seem like if you can swing 6 or 7 pm it will definitely be easier on some folks.

There's a bit of travel, as London locations are too expensive for us. But it's England-style travel, i.e. not far: about 2 hours for the London-based guests (which is most people). A little more for my friends from Leeds, where I go to university, but they'd have had to take another day off anyway, and there's only a few of them.

We're thinking about an afternoon ceremony, late enough in the day that people wouldn't need to take an entire day off work.

Right. If you make it 4 or 5PM, even with a 2 hour train ride most people can take a half day.

Of course, that puts you at the mercy of British Rail, so there's another thought.

Hmm. We might be able to make it a bit later on in the evening. It's going to be a short ceremony and straight into a party, if we have our way. ('Cause, what do you do at a civil partnership ceremony? There's not much in the way of precedent. One hymn for me, one stepping on a glass for her, we pick each other out of the line-up, and we're done. No white dresses, walking up aisles or organ voluntaries, otherwise I shall be sick.)

Of course, that puts you at the mercy of British Rail, so there's another thought.

Nah, this venue is out in the countryside - no station anywhere nearby. We're arranging car-shares for those that don't have transport, which isn't many.

I performed a Friday evening wedding about an hour out of DC a couple of years ago. The coolness of the location (Bayfront property) and the promise of dinner inspired a packed house.

The only bad bit was that it was not far from the highway and, outside on the water. Guests complained that they couldn't hear us as the wind came from behind the crowd and carried the words out to sea. Given the nervousness of the groom, whose arm I pinched mercilessly (at his request) to keep him from weeping, it turned out to be a good thing.

Seska, I'm sorry to hear that that is your experience. Everyone in England has always gone out of their way to be helpful to me.

Everyone here is completely useless, including the administrative office. Luckily there is a nice gentleman from South Africa who is letting me use his portable chair.

You're waiting in line now, sj? And they are continuing to be unhelpful? Bastards.

I would go to a Friday evening wedding. Seska, your ceremony description reminds me of a friends' wedding at which I missed the entire ceremony while I looked for parking. Two minutes late and it was all over. Very fun reception.