Photos on thumbnail courtesy of Ama by Aisha.
Shortly after getting engaged and celebrating the exciting news with friends and family, you’ll be ready to get the wedding planning process underway! From scheduling wedding venue tours and chatting with local vendors to browsing decor ideas and so on, we think you’ll have plenty of things to work on during this time. Nonetheless, as we’ve referenced before on previous blog posts, there are certain things you’ll need to establish first before you can get started on all of these fun activities.
First off, you’ll want to have a general budget set. This doesn’t necessarily have to be locked in to a specific dollar amount, but you should have a general ballpark number in mind, as well as know who’s paying for what. Having those set will definitely help alleviate some unneeded stress later on down the road. Secondly, you’ll want to have a date somewhat locked in for the big day (or if you don’t have a specific date locked in, you should have a season and day of the week at a minimum. You’ll need this information to share with vendors in determining pricing/availability).
Given that this is a wedding-themed blog and we often talk about various wedding-related topics, this blog post will be perfect for anyone in those early stages of wedding planning! In choosing the perfect date for your wedding day, there are a number of factors that couples will take into consideration. Weather is something that instantly comes to mind for obvious reasons. Guest availability is another big one, as you want to make sure all of your friends and family are able to celebrate with you. Venue availability can be impacted by particular dates too since certain seasons and days of the week are more popular than others. All in all, the actual date that you select has a little more to it than just picking a random Saturday on the calendar! In this week’s blog post, we’ll be talking about the possibility of holding your wedding on a holiday and why you may want to consider this for your own wedding celebration!
Consider Guests’ Availability
Unsurprisingly, your guests are a huge part of the entire wedding process. You’ll celebrate with some of them at the various events leading up to the big day, such as the engagement party, bridal party, bachelor party, bachelorette party and so on. You’ll create a seating chart for the reception displaying where everyone will enjoy the delicious catering, watch the first dances and listen to toasts. You’ll send out invitations to your guest list and invite them to check out your wedding website. In the end, having your loved ones there with you on your wedding day will be a memory you’ll never forget! So…if you’re considering having your wedding day be on a holiday or even a holiday weekend, you’ll want to consider how this could impact their ability to attend.
This is a major reason why some holidays, such as Christmas Day or Thanksgiving, can be tricky if most of your guests typically have prior commitments. Likewise, if you’re planning it on a holiday during popular travel times (such as the summer months), you’ll want to think about whether or not many of your guests might have vacations already scheduled.
On the other hand, there are instances where holidays could even improve guest availability for some couples. Take Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend, for example. With each of these holidays falling on a Monday, many people might already have a three day weekend and not have to worry about rushing back for work on Monday. As such, this could be a great time for a wedding. While every couple is going to have their own preferences, make sure to take into consideration how certain holidays can impact guests availability (both positively and negatively).
Weather
Our next point really applies to all wedding dates, but it’s so important that we felt the need to mention it here as well. Weather is a factor that many couples consider when thinking about which season makes the most sense. With this, you’ll also want to keep in mind how different geographic areas have different weather conditions based on the time of year. For instance, if you live somewhere that experiences frigid temperatures and heavy snowfall throughout the winter months, then an outdoor wedding ceremony probably isn’t going to be the smartest move! On a separate note, one weather-related matter that is impossible to predict is rain (especially when you’re planning your wedding months in-advance). For these situations, it’s always wise to ask venues about back-up plans for any weather-related curveballs on a wedding day. It’s always better to be safe than sorry!
To sum it up, the reason we added this weather section to the blog post is because there are holidays throughout each of the seasons. As such, think of the typical climate for where your wedding will be held and consider how that could potentially be impacted by the weather!
Travel or Hotel Costs
Do you and your partner have a lot of guests that will be traveling from out-of-state to attend the wedding? If so, you’re going to want to keep in mind how the costs for airfare and hotels can increase during busy travel times. In addition, particular days of the week can be more expensive to fly as well. While this shouldn’t necessarily deter you from choosing a particular wedding date, it definitely is a variable worth taking into consideration. Not to mention, if you’re planning a destination wedding, this would be an item to think about!
Days Near (or Around) a Holiday
Even though this blog post is largely focused around weddings on holidays, another idea worth mentioning is choosing a wedding date NEAR a holiday. We already mentioned utilizing the three day weekends for Labor Day and Memorial Day, but there are plenty of other possibilities too. For example, while Thanksgiving Day might not make the most sense for you, it could be worth taking a look at the weekdays leading up to Thanksgiving. This could possibly be a way to save some money (with it being a weekday) and could even be a scenario where many of your guests are already in town to celebrate the holiday with friends and family. To sum it up, there’s no definite answer on if a wedding on (or near) a holiday would be the right choice, but we have seen plenty of situations where it’s worked well for couples.
Tie the Knot at Madera Estates!
While selecting your wedding date is a big decision in its own right, it’s also important to avoid getting overwhelmed by it. No matter which date you end up choosing, we’re sure it will be a day you’ll never forget! We hope you found some value in this week’s blog post and feel more confident in determining whether or not you should consider a holiday for your wedding day.
If you’re currently engaged and still in search of a wedding venue for your special day, we would love to have the opportunity to show you around our venue, Madera Estates. Located in Conroe, TX, we have worked with hundreds of couples over the years and helped them bring their dream weddings to life. From the getting ready moments all the way through the final send-off, we want to make sure every single moment is exactly as you’ve envisioned it. If you’re interested in taking a look at our Investment Guide to learn more about our luxury wedding venue, feel free to click the link HERE. In addition, if you have any questions for us, you’re welcome to fill out the form HERE and a member of our team will be in touch!