Planning Your Wedding Date

Setting your wedding date is an important and possibly difficult task. Your wedding date will depend on a variety of factors.

Wedding Planning Time

One of the first and most important questions you might ask yourself is: How much time do I need to plan my wedding? Are you the most organized person you know? Do you have any experience planning events? Are you going to hire a wedding planner? On average, the time between engagement and the wedding day is 12-18 months.

Commitments

You want to make sure your wedding date does not conflict with other important dates such as graduations, birthdays, or any other possible significant events that might prevent your friends and family members from attending your wedding. It is good to discuss the potential dates with some of the most important members of your wedding party.

Holidays

It is generally a good idea to avoid wedding dates set for holidays such as Christmas, the 4th of July. Valentine's Day is an exception to this rule. Valentine's Day is the only holiday that's a great day to get married. Many people are on vacation around the holidays, and it may be too much to ask someone to cancel their yearly vacation for your wedding.

Weekend or Weekday

Although it makes perfect sense to get married on a weekend day, you should be prepared to compete with most other brides and grooms for vendors and venues. If you plan a weekend wedding, you might have to schedule your church, reception, caterer, and other vendors as much as one year before your wedding day. Saturdays during the busiest wedding months are the most difficult to plan for since many brides are competing for the same reception and ceremony venues.

Wedding Day Expense

Popular days might be not only more difficult to book, but they might also be more expensive. Vendors might charge a higher price for more competitive dates such as Saturdays during the summer months. If you get married during the fall or winter, you may be able to get much better deals.