You may have some early plans in place, but determining how to pick a wedding date that is both meaningful and practical can prove a real challenge. There are so many factors to consider at this stage that you might feel overwhelmed by the idea of selecting an actual date. Doing that, however, frees you up to focus on designing your invitations and selecting the fun elements, like food and décor, that promise to make your nuptials so uniquely you. Where to start? Consider these five tips.
1. Time of Year and Season
Now is the time to channel your childhood wedding fantasies and consider how to best bring them to life. Were you floating down the aisle in your backyard, a swirling haze of autumn leaves surrounding you? Do you long to walk barefoot on plush white sand, the sun beating down on you as you gaze into the eyes of your future spouse? Do you want a traditional ceremony that doesn’t require you to take weather conditions into account?
Simply put, the time of year and season are instrumental in crafting the type of wedding you’ve always wanted. If you’re sticking to a strict wedding budget, you might find some great deals for winter weddings given the influx of ceremonies that occur during spring and summer.
2. Special Dates You Share
All couples have a few dates that hold special meaning to them. Reflect on the relevance of those particular dates and whether they could coordinate with the time you want to hold your wedding. Maybe it’s the anniversary of your first date, your first smooch, or the first time you expressed your love for each other. It could even be in commemoration of the day you first saw your favorite band together, or the date of your grandparents’ anniversary.
Remember to factor in the day of the week, too. If your first date anniversary happens to be smack in the middle of the week, it might be tough for everyone to make it. Monday through Thursday usually aren’t considered by many engaged couples because they think that asking their guests to take time off work to attend their wedding is too much. This means that ceremony and wedding reception venues, as well as most other vendors, will have less expensive rates on weekdays and Sundays. If you’re on a tough budget then you should consider a long weekend wedding.
3. Possible Scheduling Conflicts
Weddings are all the more meaningful when your VIPs are in attendance. You can avoid the potential disappointment and heartbreak of people turning down your invite by considering what’s going on in their lives at around the time of your proposed date.
Whether your folks are going out of town, your international family members can’t fly due to sky-high prices, or your girlfriends are dealing with school or work conflicts, you may want to keep those details in mind as you go about picking a wedding date.
Part of choosing your wedding date could also involve how long of an engagement you want to have. Perhaps you’d rather have an extra long engagement so you can keep your same anniversary date. The choice is yours, and it would also give you extra time to save up for your big day.
4. Desired Venue Availability
It’s possible that you already have a venue in mind. If it’s a facility that you actually need to book and not, say, a barn, then it’s important to keep that at the top of your mind. You may end up disappointed if you select a date, only to find that said location is completely booked.
If possible, narrow down your preferred dates to a handful of possibilities and propose those to your venue in order of preference. That way you’re less likely to end up at a different venue that you don’t truly love.
5. Other Friend and Family Weddings
It’s not that you have to plan your wedding to accommodate the needs of others — this is 100 percent your special day, after all! But you also don’t want to step on the toes of those you love or miss out on them sharing in your special day and vice versa.
This applies primarily those your nearest and dearest — say, the BFFs in your inner circle who you couldn’t dream of omitting from the festivities. If she’s engaged, you’re engaged, and you’re both planning the wedding of your respective dreams possibly at the same time of year, try to factor that into your planning so mutual friends don’t have to make a tough choice that day.
Your wedding will be special because a celebration of love and commitment inspires deep feelings of joy and excitement for anyone who attends. Think about what works best for you, check in with family and friends, and most of all – trust your heart!
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