How To Pick A Wedding Date (Common Mistakes To Avoid)
If you are recently engaged and looking for tips on how to pick a wedding date, this article is for you.
I go over important things to consider and a few things you might want to avoid when choosing a wedding date.
How To Choose Your Wedding Date (Things To Consider)
There are many things to consider when picking your wedding date.
Here are a few thoughts to help you narrow down your decision:
Think About Your Budget When Picking A Wedding Date
If you are trying to plan a wedding on a tight budget, your wedding date can have a huge effect on what you end up paying for your wedding venue and other vendors.
Many wedding venues and vendors set their prices on a supply-and-demand basis.
This means that you will most likely pay a premium if you get married on a date that many other couples want to get married.
This also means that you are most likely to get the best deal if you get married on a date that not many other couples are looking at.
The “busy season” for weddings differs in each section of the US, so check out this article to see the busiest/least busy months in your area and the pros and cons of getting married each season.
For example, here in PA, our busy wedding season is between May and October. You will pay premium pricing for a wedding on a Saturday between these months (slightly less on a Friday or Sunday).
For maximum savings, you would want to book your wedding between November and April (A Friday or Sunday would give you even better pricing).
Again the busy season in one state might be the slow season in another. Check out this article to see which months are the busiest for your area.
Consider Other Family Members when Choosing A Wedding Date
When trying to pick a wedding date, talk with anyone who you wouldn’t want to get married without.
Reach out to your parents, grandparents, siblings, and best friends, and make sure that they do not already have something on their calendar (a big vacation, another wedding, a work event, etc.) for the date you are considering.
Important Vendors
If you are getting married on a Saturday during a busy time of year, many vendors will be in high demand.
If you are hoping to hire a particular venue, photographer, DJ, etc., for your wedding day, reach out to see if they are open on the date you are looking at.
This isn’t necessarily a deal breaker, but if you end up hearing that half of the people you were looking at are already booked, you might want to consider a different wedding date (this is why it’s a good idea to choose 2-4 wedding dates that will work for you and your partner).
One important thing to remember when contacting vendors to see if they are already booked…
If they are open right now, this does not mean they will still be open in 3-4 weeks. So you will want to move things along as soon as you can.
I have had so many couples reach out to me in the past to see if I was open on a specific date. I say yes, and then I don’t hear anything back. Then the couple contacts me again in 6-8 weeks to say they wanted to hire me, but now I am booked.
Most wedding vendors work on a first-come, first-served basis, so book your most important vendors as soon as possible.
Picking A Wedding Date Based On The Season
Another thing you might want to consider when choosing a wedding date is the season.
If you love a particular season, you might want to pick a wedding date within that time of year.
Winter: Cozy indoor weddings, snow, etc.
Spring: beautiful flowers, blossoms in the trees, etc.
Summer: Sunny, warm, late sunsets, etc.
Fall: Colorful leaves, cooler temps, etc.
Check out this article for a full pros and cons list of getting married in each season:
This detailed post shows the best month to get married based on region: What Is The Best Month To Get Married?
Think About The Weather
You might want to consider the weather when picking a wedding date.
Does even the thought of humidity make you sweat?
Summertime in states like PA, NJ, NY, VA, NC, SC, and FL will not be your best time of year for a wedding.
Consider a spring or fall wedding date (or even winter) if you hate humidity (I got married in PA in late June, and I think I lost 20 pounds that day due to sweating).
Do you put on a jacket if the temperature drops below 70?
You might want to avoid wedding dates in fall, winter, or early spring when there is a greater chance of cold/windy weather.
Consider Your Job When Choosing A Wedding Date
Another thing to consider when choosing a wedding date is your work schedule.
Some jobs require a more significant time commitment at specific times of the year.
Are you a teacher?
If so, you would probably want to avoid a late August through October wedding date since this is when school starts for most kids, and you will be busy getting your new classroom set up and running smoothly.
The best time for a teacher to get married is during the summer when you have more time off work.
Are you an accountant?
If so, you would probably want to avoid getting married during tax season since this is when you will be the busiest.
If your job has a busy time of year, you might want to pick a wedding date that falls outside of that season.
Wedding Dates That Have Sentimental Meanings
Some couples choose their wedding date because it has a sentimental meaning.
A few ideas include:
- The date they met
- The same date as your first date
- The date they got engaged
- A wedding anniversary or parents or grandparents
- The wedding anniversary of a famous couple
Wedding Dates You Might Want To Avoid
Here are some dates/seasons that could have a big effect on your wedding and your guests’ ability to attend your wedding:
Major Holidays
I recommend avoiding a wedding date close to holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving, especially if many of your guests would need to travel to your wedding.
Plus, this is typically a time of year when people already spend a lot of money. Having to pay for wedding travel, gifts, hotel rooms, etc., might not be possible for many of your guests.
Expensive travel dates
If getting married around a holiday or a big event (like the super bowl or major sporting event), airfare and hotel prices can double.
I once worked at a wedding in Las Vegas, NV, on the same weekend as a big boxing match, and the hotel room prices were over double the regular price.
Keep this in mind if you have a lot of guests who will need to fly or stay in hotels.
Local events/festivals/conventions
After you have narrowed down a list of potential wedding dates, do a Google search on the date and your area to see if any events, conventions, or festivals could affect pricing and hotel availability in the area.
Events like parades, marathons, and festivals could also significantly affect travel/logistics throughout the city.
I once worked at a wedding where a marathon caused all kinds of travel problems because the wedding party and guests needed to travel between hotels, a church, and a reception venue at the same time the marathon ended (then they had a big picnic and awards ceremony).
It was a logistical nightmare to move people to multiple locations that day.
Extreme weather seasons
If you are getting married in an area prone to hurricanes, you might want to avoid a wedding date within peak hurricane season.
Even if you are not getting married in an area that has a major disaster season, you still might want to rethink getting married during a time when temperatures are really hot or cold.
How To Pick A Wedding Date (FAQ)
Here are a few common questions that couples have about picking a wedding date:
When should you pick your wedding date?
You can start thinking about wedding dates immediately, but you should hold off on finalizing the wedding date until you are ready to secure your wedding venue.
You don’t want to tell everyone that you are getting married on a specific date and then find out that no venues are available on that date.
There is a particular order that you should follow when planning a wedding that we cover here, but here is the best order to follow when you start to plan your wedding:
- Once engaged, figure out what’s most important to you and your partner
- Set a wedding budget
- Make a rough draft of the guest list
- Find a venue/set the date
- Then you can start planning all of the other parts of the wedding
Check out this article to learn how to plan a wedding from start to finish: How To Plan A Wedding From Start To Finish
What is the cheapest month for a wedding?
The cheapest month to get married will vary by location, but it is typically the coldest season.
For example, in states like PA, CA, NJ, etc. January or February are going to be the cheapest months to get married. Supply and demand will be the lowest for wedding venues and vendors, so you will most likely get the best deal.
However, in hot and humid states like Florida, January, and February are much more in demand because nobody wants to get married in the summer. So you would most likey get the best deal by getting married in July/August in Florida.
What are the most popular months for a wedding?
The most popular wedding can vary by location, but in most parts of the United States, the most popular months are between May-October, with June and October being the two most popular months.
Exceptions for this would be in places like Florida, where the most popular months are November-March because it’s less hot and humid.
What are the least popular months for a wedding?
As we talked about with the most popular months, this can vary by state, but for most states in the US, the least popular months for a wedding are between December and March (January and February are the least popular).
Exceptions for this would be in places like FL., where the least popular months are between July-September when it’s really hot and humid.
How do I pick a wedding date for a destination wedding?
If you are planning a destination wedding, you should follow the advice I included above, but I would pay special attention to the weather for your destination, travel costs, and family schedules before setting the date.
Is it cheaper to get married on a Friday or Sunday?
Yes, getting married on a Friday or Sunday is typically less money.
Almost all wedding venues and vendors have discounted rates for days that are not Saturdays.
I am seeing more and more weddings planned for weekdays (like Thursday) because it costs much less than a Saturday in the middle of the typical wedding season.
More Wedding Planning Tips and Resources
Here are a few more wedding planning tips that you might find helpful:
