Choosing Your Wedding Date
When you begin your wedding planning your first task will be to decide on your wedding date. Everything you do after this will depend on it and you cannot book or hire anything without one!
A good way to start is to ask yourselves a set of four basic questions:
1. Can I book my chosen venue/s? If you want to marry between May and September then you will need to be quick to book your preferred venues. These are the most popular months and can be booked up many month in advance. If you really want a particular venue then you may have to wait in excess of 12 months for it to be available.
2. What about work/family commitments? Are the dates you have in mind going to fit with work or do they clash with any other commitments such as family birthdays, anniversaries or other important events. What you don’t want is to be attending a range of work or family events in the days leading up to the wedding. You are more likely to look every inch the frazzled bride or groom rather than relaxed and happy!
3. Can family and friends make it? Not everyone you invite will be able to make it, but you will want those people who are most important to you to be there. Is your choice of date suitable for them? You will also need to consider anyone who is overseas and will need to travel to join you – it is a good idea to speak to them as early as possible so they can book flights and accommodation.
4. How much time do I need to organize everything? Typically wedding planning can take between 18 and 12 months although it can be done in much less time. There may well be legal requirements over the length of time you need to wait to marry and you also need to consider the practicalities for your guests, in terms of arranging transport, accommodation etc.
Next you need to think about the time of year in which you would like to marry. Spring is a wonderful time but the weather can be a little unpredictable. Summer should usually guarantee blue skies but it is also the most popular time and therefore more expensive. Fall/autumn can be a picture perfect time of year but like spring the weather could play a major role! Winter is becoming a more popular time with couples liking the idea of a winter wonderland wedding complete with snow and ice.
Although you may not have yet calculated your wedding budget, you may have some idea of how much you will have available. If you think that you will need to cut costs as much as possible then the time of year in which you marry can play a major role.
Avoid busy holiday times such as Valentines Day, Easter and Christmas when venues and vendors are usually fully booked with other functions. Booking your wedding outside of the traditional wedding months can also save you a lot of money as venues tend to add a premium to dates within the months of May to September. A weekday wedding can also save you money as Saturday is the most popular day and the most expensive. Booking your wedding on a weekday can also ensure you get the wedding venue you want.
