You’re engaged!!! Congratulations!! This is such an exciting time. First of all, take some time to just enjoy the fact that you are getting married. Once you’ve done that, it’s time to pick a wedding date! Here are a few things to consider that will help you pick the date that is right for you.

1. Meaningful days to you. This could be the day you met or the day you got engaged. Or, you may want to be married on your parents’ or grandparents’ anniversary. If you would like to be married on a certain date, take a look at the calendar to see if those dates would make sense for you.
2. Seasons/Weather. You may have a vision in mind for your special day. You should consider how the weather or season would enhance or distract from that vision or theme. Maybe you love the snow and want a Christmas wedding. Maybe you want to get married on the beach, but don’t want to be sweltering in 95 degree weather. If it’s important to you to have a lot of outdoor pictures, consider what kind of weather you willing to deal with in order to get those pictures.
3. Budget. Your date can greatly affect your budget, especially for your venue. Typically in our area, Saturdays from June-October are the most expensive. If your budget won’t allow for that, you may consider a Friday or Sunday wedding. Those are becoming more popular and are typically a less expensive option.
4. Important people. You should consider the schedules of the people that are most important to you. When we were planning our wedding, we had to consider that my dad is an accountant. Planning a wedding between February and April would have been difficult. Think about the people that you know you want at (or in) the wedding and try to stay away from dates that would make it difficult for them to attend.
5. Holidays. You may have your heart set on a July 4th wedding. Or, maybe you want to be married around Christmas or New Year’s Eve. Holiday weddings can be a ton of fun, but typically book quickly. Also, consider those that will be traveling to the wedding. You can definitely make a holiday wedding awesome, but it does require a little extra planning and advance notice to book vendors and hotels for your guests.
6. Style. If you love pastels and gardens, you may want to consider spring or summer. If you dream of dark wines, blues or greens, you may want a winter wedding. If you want a laid back, backyard wedding, you won’t may not want to risk an April wedding because of the rain.
7. Venue/vendors. If your heart is set on a dream venue or your favorite photographer, you will want to consider their schedules. I typically suggest writing down three dates and then begin contacting your vendors in order of importance. This will give you a bit of flexibility when trying to get your vendor team just right for making your day extra special.

Hopefully, these tips will help you narrow down your dates and choose the one that’s best for you! Once you have your wedding date, you can send out your save-the-date and order invitations! Happy planning!