Too Many Wedding To-Do's: What Will Your Wedding Date Say About You?

In this mini-series called “Too Many Wedding To-Do’s”, I will outline a bit about each step in the Wedding To-Do List.

Step #1: Determine potential dates and times for your wedding.

Now, this may seem like a simple decision, but can really be much trickier once you get beneath the surface.  So many questions arise… Which season? Which month? Which day? Saturday? Friday? Sunday? Are there holidays to avoid? What about major family events?

Many brides already have a season in mind, decided through sheer preference (I love summer and fall, therefore our wedding was in September), or through necessity (I have a friend who’s fiance is a teacher, therefore they will be married in the summer).  However with more options that just the traditional Saturday afternoon wedding becoming available, the date game can get a lot more complicated.

First and foremost, you should consider the season.  Many Canadian brides prefer the warmer months of Spring and Summer, however Fall and Winter have become more popular as of late, especially for those who are looking to save a bit of money as this tends to be the “down season” for many venues and vendors and you may catch a deal.

Once you’ve narrowed down the season, you should consider the day of the week.  Saturday is expected, but Friday and Sunday are also options (as are the rest of the days of the week, depending on the type of wedding you are hoping to have).  Saturdays do come with a hefty price tag, while Sundays and even Friday weddings can allow you quite the cost savings.  We were married on the Sunday of Labour Day Weekend, which allowed us to save some money, and have our wedding during the time of year we hoped for.

Another important consideration is if you’re looking at having your wedding over a long weekend.  In the event that you’re looking at a Friday or Sunday, this can really play in your favour, but you must consider how many of your guests may have alternative plans (ie. Thanksgiving, Easter, May 2-4, Labour Day).  It really depends on your crowd though.

Finally, I would say that sometimes it just comes down to luck.  You may have an ideal date in mind and the venue of your dreams is in your sights, however your date isn’t available at your desired venue.  The decision really comes down to what is more important to you.  And in the end, as long as you (and, more importantly, your spouse) can manage to remember the date for anniversaries to come, you’re in the clear.  (BONUS if you get a cool date like 1/11/11 or 9/10/11).

Extra Fun: For those of you who like to rely on a little bit of numerology, you might test your intended wedding date against this.  (In case you’re interested, ours is a 6!)

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