How to Choose Your Wedding Date

One of the first–and most important–steps in planning your wedding is choosing when you will get married. Sounds easy, right?

But as an experienced Connecticut wedding planner, I can tell you that there’s more to it than you may realize. So let’s talk about how to choose your wedding date!

Before You Choose Your Wedding Date, Talk to Your Loved Ones

I know you’re excited to start the planning process, but don’t choose your date until you’ve talked with your friends and family! Unless you plan to elope, you’ll want to have their input.

If you don’t talk to your family before deciding when you will get married, you may find that some of your loved ones aren’t able to attend.

Take the time to speak with your immediate family and closest friends first. Find out if there are any specific dates (or general time periods) that won’t work for them.

For instance, if your little brother is graduating college this year, he won’t be available during finals week–and you won’t want to plan your wedding on his graduation day.

And if your aunt has a hip replacement surgery scheduled for the last week of July, you may want to find out when she’ll be back on her feet before planning your end-of-summer ceremony.

Once you have spoken to the most important people in your life, you can narrow down your potential dates. This is when you can reach out to any other loved ones whose presence is especially important to you.

Keep in mind that you may not be able to accommodate everyone. That’s okay! You will ultimately choose the wedding date that works best for you, and your loved ones will understand. Technology is your friend: for any who can’t attend, you can plan to have a livestream so they can tune in, or record the ceremony to send to them afterwards.

Consider Your Own Major Life Events

Yes, you should consider your loved ones when choosing the date for your wedding celebration. But you should also keep your own needs in mind!

If you are working toward a promotion at work, you may want to ensure you’ve got the job (and give yourself a little time to adjust to the new role) before taking time off for a wedding and honeymoon. Plus, you don’t want to be distracted while settling into your new job!

If you are in the process of buying a home, it probably isn’t the right time to add on the extra stress of impending nuptials.

And if you are expecting (congratulations!), it isn’t the best idea to choose a wedding date within a month of your due date. After all, you wouldn’t want a surprise guest making an appearance in the middle of your vows.

Whatever life has in store for you in the coming year, make sure that you choose a wedding date that does not clash with other major life events.

Venue Availability

If your specific venue is important to you, it may impact your wedding date. After all, your dream venue is probably in high demand!

It is a good idea to keep an open mind and not have your wedding date set in stone when looking at venues.

Narrow down to a few of the weeks that would be best for you, but know that you may have to make compromises if you find a venue that just speaks to you.

Think About Your Budget

Did you know that your budget can affect the date you choose for your wedding?

It’s true! Your wedding budget will go further at different times of the year.

The fact is, weddings are more commonly planned at certain times of the year. Broadly speaking, most weddings happen between spring and the beginning of autumn.

More specifically, the busiest months for weddings throughout the US are May, June, September, and October. But keep in mind that ‘wedding season’ may start a little earlier or later where you live, depending on factors like the weather.

Some vendors have lower prices for off-season wedding services. For example, many wedding venues have higher rates for dates during peak wedding season. Their rates are lowered outside of this time frame because there is less demand.

So if budget is a major factor in your wedding planning, consider choosing a late fall or winter wedding date.

Seasons and Weather

This brings us to the next consideration when choosing your wedding date: the seasons.

The weather will play a role in your wedding day, whether good or bad. So you should think about how your region experiences the seasons.

If you plan to get married in a Northern state, like Connecticut, the snow, ice, and general cold weather may affect you from autumn to early spring. If you are getting married in the South, you’ll have fewer months of snow–but hot weather will probably start earlier in the year and last into autumn.

But you should think about it even further than this.

Some states experience tornado season from May to June, while others have a later season of June to July.

If you live on the East Coast, especially in the Southeast, you may need to think about hurricane season, which begins in June and lasts until the end of November. Most hurricanes happen between August and October, so if you’re planning a beach wedding, you might want to avoid a wedding date within those months.

And if you live in an area prone to rain, consider how that may impact your wedding day.

Sentimental Considerations

While all of the above advice is important to consider, I’ve learned throughout my time as a wedding planner that, for many couples, sentimental reasons impact the wedding dates they choose.

Some couples plan their weddings around dates that have special meanings for them. This could be a shared ‘lucky number’ or ‘angel number.’ It could be the anniversary of an important milestone, like the first date or their engagement anniversary. It may even be their parents’ wedding anniversary.

Other couples may choose their wedding dates based on cultural significance.

For instance, if a couple connected over their shared love of Christmas, they may want to get married on December 25th, or during the Christmas season. If they go all-out celebrating their love on Valentine’s Day, they may choose to forever cement the significance of the holiday in their relationship.

If a couple’s shared heritage is important to them, they may even choose to share their wedding with a holiday important to that shared cultural heritage.

If you are considering a wedding date with sentimental significance, you’re not alone! This is your special day, and you will celebrate it every year. The date can be practical or meaningful–or both!

Ready to Start the Planning Process?

I hope these tips help you as you think about choosing your wedding date. Remember: it’s better to find your wedding planner early in the process so that they can guide you as you plan.

If you are looking for an experienced Connecticut wedding planner, I would love to meet you! You can reach out to me through my contact form here.