7 Useful Tips to Help You Choose the Perfect Wedding Date
Getting married on a symbolic date, such as your parents’ wedding anniversary, can be very romantic. However, there are certain aspects that can help you make a decision when picking a date for this special event.
5-Minute Crafts has created a guide with 7 practical tips to find the best date to tie the knot.
1. Make sure you’ll have plenty of time.
Although the length of your engagement will dictate how much time you’ll have to save up for your wedding, giving yourself enough time to organize this special event is also very important. Many wedding suppliers are completely booked a year in advance, so if you’re thinking about a 6-month engagement period, the high-quality professionals you’ll be looking for may not be available to help you.
Likewise, you should take into account the time that it will take for your wedding dress to be ready, considering any modifications that will have to be made.
2. Talk to the VIPs.
Before thinking about a wedding date, talk about availability with your parents, closest friends, and any other people that you’d like to be there. Just remember to go simple and check with those in your essential circle only. If there are any date conflicts, plan your wedding around these, but don’t move the date once you’ve set it.
💡 In this case, you may also want to check with your vendors. If there’s a particular photographer or a specific band you’d like to hire, check their availability before choosing a date.
3. Consider your budget.
Your wedding date can affect costs related to this special event. For example, many venues and certain vendors work with seasonal pricing, which means that costs can be lower in those months with less demand. This also applies to days of the week, where weekdays, Friday, and Sunday weddings are usually cheaper than Saturday weddings.
💡 The peak season for weddings is usually between May and October, while the low season is often wintertime. However, December and February can be more expensive because of holidays such as Christmas and Valentine’s Day.
❗ If you decide to get married during the peak season, keep in mind that not only will you spend more money, but you’ll have to compete against other couples for venues and vendors.
4. Mind the weather.
The season you choose for your wedding date is very important, and not just because of the cost. You should consider how comfortable you and your guests will be in certain weather conditions. While there’s nothing wrong with dreaming of a mid-summer wedding, you should think about how much heat you’ll be able to tolerate, especially if you’re wearing a heavy wedding dress. The same goes with winter weddings. Although they can be gorgeous, you and your guests won’t want to freeze or experience discomfort due to cold temperatures.
5. Stay away from sporting or music events.
If a significant number of your guests will need accommodations to attend your wedding, it may be difficult for them if there’s a major event happening at the same time. Therefore, it’s important to watch out for marathons, concerts, festivals, football games, or any other big events that could be taking place in town.
Even if you book hotel rooms in advance, you may still have to deal with traffic jams and street closures, which can affect your wedding agenda.
6. Don’t forget about your honeymoon.
When choosing your wedding date, consider where you want to go for your honeymoon. For instance, if you’d like to travel to an island in the Caribbean, having your wedding in September may not be a good idea since that’s hurricane season. Likewise, if you’re planning a trip to the Southern Hemisphere, you should remember that while you’re in summer, they’re in winter.
Think about whether you’d be willing to postpone your honeymoon to adapt to the weather conditions of your desired destination.
7. Look for a wedding venue.
Once you’ve selected a few alternatives, you can start looking for a venue and ask about a potential location’s availability on your chosen dates. If it’s fully booked, you may not want to proceed. But if you feel like you’ve found the perfect place to tie the knot, look at the calendar once again to see if any other dates could work out for you.
Remember that flexibility is essential regarding this aspect. Therefore, don’t rush into discarding off-season dates or weekdays.
💡 Keep in mind that your wedding date can depend completely on the availability of your preferred venue. This can make it a lot easier to choose a date.