How to Choose the Perfect Wedding Date

What You Need to Know Before Picking Your Wedding Date

When it comes to selecting a wedding date, context matters. The particular facts of your life, your relationship with your soon-to-be spouse, and your needs and wants for the big day will all factor into the date you ultimately pick. Here is a list of a few things you should consider when trying to determine what wedding date will work best for you:

• When is the wedding venue available? Perhaps the most important aspect of the wedding planning process is choosing the venue. The right venue can turn your dreams into a reality and ensure that your special day is as luxurious and memorable as you hoped for. If you already have a wedding venue in mind, it is important for you to ask: When is that venue available for a wedding? The truth is that excellent wedding venues tend to be in high demand and are often booked solid for a year or more ahead of time. That’s why choosing the right venue and picking the perfect date often go hand in hand: you may need to be a bit flexible on both.
• Your budget matters. The date you choose for your wedding could have a significant impact on your total expenses. For instance, some venues might charge more to reserve their facility during a peak wedding month. Similarly, a weekend wedding is typically more expensive than a weekday wedding. This means that you might want to consider scheduling your wedding for a Wednesday or Thursday instead of a Friday because a weekday wedding is likely to be less expensive. You should also keep in mind that some vendors, such as caterers and florists, might charge more if the wedding is scheduled around a popular holiday such as Valentine’s Day. You will probably want to take budgetary concerns into account before settling once and for all on a wedding date.
• Take your time choosing a date. Just because you’ve gotten engaged doesn’t mean that you have to select a wedding date right away. Some engagement periods last a while, and that time can be utilized by you to research different venues before picking a particular date. You may also want to talk to family members and friends for advice and to get a sense of when they might be available, particularly if they will need to travel great distances to get to the wedding location. The most important thing, of course, is taking all the time you need to make sure that you are happy with the selected date for your wedding.
• Book the venue in advance. Once you have committed to getting married on a particular date, try to book the wedding venue as far in advance as possible. While you should certainly take your time settling on a wedding date, you need to try to book the venue early so that your desired slot doesn’t get filled by another couple. This could require you to be a little flexible and possibly even adjust your wedding date, especially if you have your heart set on a certain venue.
• Choose a season. The time of year when you get married will matter a great deal, particularly if you are planning to hold an outdoor wedding or if you have guests traveling from out of town. Additionally, certain seasons and months are more popular for weddings, which can have an effect on the cost of reserving a venue. In fact, depending on the time of year, some venues might be completely booked and have no openings available at all. Generally speaking, the summer months of June, July, and August tend to be the most popular for weddings. Other peak wedding months can include May and September. Depending on the type of wedding you want and your overall budget, it may make sense to consider selecting a date during the off-peak months in winter or early spring.
• Avoid holidays. While holiday weddings can be nice because you and your guests are likely to be free from work, they can also wreak havoc on your guests’ travel schedules. Nobody wants to be stuck at an airport around Thanksgiving or Christmas, particularly if they are on a tight schedule. Any unexpected travel delays could result in guests not being able to attend your wedding. Additionally, some friends and relatives may have other plans for the holidays – which means that selecting a wedding date around Thanksgiving or Christmas could put them in a difficult position. Having said that, one holiday that tends to be a popular choice for wedding dates is the July 4^th weekend. Just make sure that your guests will be able to attend.