Christmas eve

It sounds like you are already stuck on this idea, so I hope it goes well. At the end of the night you will be married. Also Lauren, please change your avatar so we can get to know you and recognize your posts and pictures after your wedding.

I agree with people about expecting a lot of declines, but if you were a close friend and the wedding was local I would go. I think it is sweet and it would be a fun Christmas eve, though you may plan for it to be earlier in the day or it may end earlier for those with children. Are you planning on having children there? You could have Christmas themed things for them. You may have invited 150 people, but you will not have 150 people there, so just make sure you have that expectation.

NYE was an option but we need to have paperwork and what not finalized before he leaves and that don't give us much time.

OP, do a small, intimate ceremony over the holidays; family only.

Plan for the large, 200-invited celebration for when he gets back and you're able to do so, or for your anniversary.

NYE is also a bad day. There are five days in between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve. Pick one of them.

I think she's looking for reassurance she chose the right date.

Sorry Lauren - the results are in and you will NOT be seeing 150 people at your wedding.

eta: pic

Oh boy the 200 was not a typo. That is not small. Neither is 150.

I get the circumstances. But you need to be expecting a lot of declines/no shows. Not only that but making your venue employees work on Christmas Eve is a hell no from me.

He's got 10 days. Why do you need to do it xmas eve?

And unless you were my immediate family member, I wouldn't be coming.

No way I'm missing my mama's Christmas ham and turkey and some coquito.

I am getting married on NYE and I told my guests the date, word of mouth, almost 2 years ago, sent my STDs out the beginning of May, and am already sending my invites out next week. I just feel like holiday weddings require a ton of advanced notice if you want a decent turnout. If you're not worried about a ton of declines, though, I guess it's not a problem.

Honestly pretty much anytime you do it that week, you're going to get mostly declines from people outside your immediate family. You're also going to have a hard time getting your paperwork finalized on a holiday week anyway, so be very careful checking on your county clerk's holiday schedule and things like that.

Don't invite 150 - 200 people, really. Inviting people to a wedding that's horribly inconvenient is going to look like a gift grab. Scrap your plans and do a small ceremony with immediate family and take them out to dinner in a restaurant. Simple, sweet, lovely. There are certain sacrifices that come with being a military family (my husband is in the Air Force) and this is often one of them.

@GymRat you had me a coquito.

I would decline as Christmas Eve and Christmas day are the only days out of the year that I can see my distant relatives. However, if it was for a brother or sister, I would of course be there.

OMG @KBtoKS my coworker makes it and I took a sippy sip at work. WHOA. Now she's leaving the company and I'm pissed lol. My mama loved it too.

Christmas Eve is so important in my family - we already had an e-mail chain in August about meal planning. #italianlife

You're looking for reassurance? You're not gonna get it. Like everyone else said, you need to mentally prepare yourself for some serious disappointment and probably a lot of wasted money.

Keep in mind that spouses - those who are not your blood family - have their own family, so you might also have a good number leave early or come late if they also want to spend time with their families.

You said it, you won't care as long as he is there. Be prepared that you are going to have a very small wedding.

While there is a time constraint, it is unrealistic to expect friends and extended family to spend a holiday for your wedding.

I had 200 people at my wedding and it was not fucking small. It was soooo big.

If it works for you and your FH then do it. Expect some declines because people will probably already have plans.

T-Rex brings up an excellent point. I don't see my brother the entire day over the holidays because he has to go to his in-laws with my niece/nephew so there's that.

Just another note - even with going the immediate family route, which we're all highly recommending, you should run it by your families and see if another day might work better for them, like the 22nd or 23rd in the evening. A lot of people would be upset if their sibling or child planned a wedding when there were already other obligations or traditions in place that would prevent them from attending.