Guest Post: How to Choose Your Wedding Date (and Season)

Stef & Joe’s DC Winter Wedding | George Street Photo

Slowly easing back into the week of blogging with another guest post by our bride to be blogger, Carolyn. I was overwhelmed by the comments and texts and emails I received after my post on Monday. But man did I need to hear it. It helped SO MUCH to hear the reminders that now, more than ever, we NEED to see images and read words of love, happiness, commitment, and hope. Though it seemed trivial to me initially, I was reminded by so many that it’s really not. That sharing these messages and these real couples & their real weddings & their real relationships is important. My friend Katie said it better than I could:

I actually think it’s very powerful that your weekend was full of love and warmth and light. We need those things to survive and balance all the darkness. And it’s why I’m still drawn to the wedding industry despite some of the trivial details that sometimes seem superficial – weddings are such hopeful events. They’re full of love and hope and joy. They create community and family. So I’d argue that while yes, the escort cards and bouquets may seem trivial, the weddings themselves are not. They provide an essential ceremonial dose of much needed joy in this often dark world.

Amazing. So with that. We continue – here’s Carolyn’s guest post for the day!

How to Choose Your Wedding Date (and season!) | By Carolyn Thombs

Penney & Brian’s Fall Wedding | Noe Todorovich

Choosing a date for your wedding can be a very difficult task. There are so many factors involved, it can be hard to sort through them all and see what factors are the most important to you and your honey.

If you are looking to save money, the date you choose can greatly contribute to that. Fridays and Sundays generally are less expensive than Saturdays and of course any other day of the week will be the least expensive. That is why Jon and I chose a Friday for our wedding to help skim off some of the cost.

Alexa & Tucker’s Fall Wedding | Kristen Gardner Photography

Time of year can also contribute to price. The peaks for wedding season like April and May and September and October may cost more than say a wedding in January or July. We are getting married in September in Virginia which is when the weather can begin to get cooler (if we are lucky), but you still have a chance for a heat wave. However the days are longer which is important to us, so we can get the optimal outdoor photos.

Heather & Jeremy’s Spring Wedding | Elizabeth Fogarty

If you are not worried about cost and more concerned in time of year for weather purposes then start to think about what the weather does in your venue’s area. Also asking the venue is a smart idea, since they are at the venue year-round. This may also mean you need to start planning even earlier, since popular dates will of course book up more quickly.

Figure out if flowers are a big deal for you and if the venue has a garden. Then find out when peak blooming season is for all their different plant varieties. Temperature and location will play into this as well from the previous factor described.

Kara & Justin’s Summertime DC Wedding | Mathy Shoots People

Another thing to keep in mind for you ladies out there is how your time of the month affects you. Because that is that last thing you want to worry about on your wedding day… trying to strap down that uncomfortable bloat that may plague you and your body. So if you are able to, try and estimate when that is going to happen and try to choose a date where you won’t have to worry about mother nature visiting you on your wedding day.