Getting engaged is a wonderful thing, and planning your wedding can be an exciting time for couples. This is your big day, and you want to do everything possible to make this the wedding of your dreams. And one of the biggest decisions you’re going to make is when to hold the wedding.
Making sure the wedding is an amazing experience for everyone often means couples select their wedding date months in advance. It’s been estimated that the average engagement is 12 to 14 months long, giving couples a year to plan. At that point, if you’ve got a checklist of what you need to do, you’ve got more than enough time to make sure everything is on track.
So what’s the best way to select a date, especially when you’re looking at dates that are still 12 months away? There’s a lot of different factors to consider, starting with finding your dream venue and checking to see what dates they have available. Here are other factors to consider when you’re ready to select the day of your dream wedding.
How Can You Pick the Best Date for Your Wedding?
Knowing that friends who see your engagement ring will quickly start asking when the big day is, picking the wedding date may be the first thing you do. A good place to start is to check the calendar of your chosen venue. If you have a location that you’ve fallen in love with, find out when they’re available.
But assuming that with a year in advance you’ve got some decent options, how do you select the right date that far in advance? Here are some tips to consider.
Think About the Seasons
Which seasons do you enjoy the most? Spring weddings can be beautiful as the flowers start blooming, summer can be great for outdoor weddings when friends and family are on vacation, and fall is a picturesque time for apple cider and watching the leaves. If one season is your favorite, think about building your wedding themes around what makes that season so special to you.
Review Your Budget
Depending your budget, it’s worth considering that some months of the year — particularly June, September and October — are very popular months for weddings, so prices can be higher for everything from catering to musicians to flowers. Costs may be lower during months when fewer couples are scheduling weddings. Also, consider the day of the week. Saturdays are popular wedding days, which means they often carry the highest price tag. Marrying during the week can mean less competition and lower prices.
Check With Your Guests
It’s fine to seek out the advice of your parents, siblings, and your VIP guests to see what they would recommend. Find out if any dates might conflict with times when they’ll be on vacation or unavailable for other reasons. Knowing your guests’ schedules can be helpful. But once you’ve chosen a date, don’t let them come back and ask you to reschedule.
Do Holidays Work?
Holidays can be worthy of consideration as well. Scheduling your wedding on Valentine’s Day can add a nice romantic vibe, or you may want to link it to the fireworks on a Fourth of July celebration. Holding your wedding on a holiday like Memorial Day or Labor Day allows you to book it over a three-day weekend, which makes it easier for out-of-town guests to attend.
Stunning Central Jersey Wedding Venue at Windows on the Water
No matter what wedding date you pick, you need a beautiful venue. At Windows on the Water, we have a stunning location in Central Jersey that’s ideal for any season. Our professional wedding planners have years of experience helping brides plan every detail to bring their vision of a dream wedding to life. Our professional planners go above and beyond to create the wedding day that you’ve always envisioned.
Book an appointment online or call us today at 609-208-9474. See why Windows on the Water is the picture-perfect wedding venue for you.