The wedding date is something that has troubled many couples. It can be easy or difficult to set depending on several factors. However, before you pull your hair out checking out dates for your wedding, here are a few tips to help smooth the process.
Think about how long you will be engaged or how long you have been engaged and ask yourself, “Does the amount of time until the wedding day, from today, give me enough time to gather the materials needed to make this thing happen?” If the answer is yes, continue to planning. If the answer is no, you and your partner might need to discuss and make the necessary adjustments.
If you want to book your wedding near or on a major holiday, consider that people might find it difficult to come to your wedding. For example, if you want a wedding near Christmas, lots of people will already have made commitments. If all your friends are into football, try not to set your wedding on Superbowl Sunday and make them choose.
Also, take note of what day of the week you are choosing as your wedding day a Saturday wedding will make it easier for guests to attend but may be more expensive than a Tuesday wedding. Consider your guests. Do they have any commitments or conflicts that will rule out certain weekends? Naturally, the date you choose won't be perfect for everyone. At the very least, be sure that all your immediate family and other important "VIPs" will be available to attend. If any important people cannot make it on certain days, consider ruling out those times.
Most people that are planning on attending your wedding will do their best to make it, no matter the torrential circumstances. However, you can make it easier for everyone to come by choosing the season accordingly. Think about whether your wedding will be indoors or out. If you’re planning on getting married in an outside venue in New Orleans in the middle of hurricane season, just know that most of your guests will be discouraged to come. If you want to get married in Florida during the summer, you are better off choosing a venue indoors or have the venue partially air-conditioned.
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Some religions have certain days during with which they are required to fast (Ash Wednesday and Good Friday for Catholics or Ramadan for Muslims, for example). If you know you will be having guests with required fast days, having your wedding on one of these fasting days will make your guests feel alienated. Think about how far away guests will be coming from. Keep work schedules in mind, and make sure to give your far-away family and friends plenty of advance notice to make travel plans and take off work. If guests will be coming from out of town, or if you are having a destination wedding that requires guests to travel, you are effectively the host — so it is important that you consider how everyone will get there. This is especially true for international weddings, as passports can take weeks to arrive.
Remember that this is the date on which you will celebrate your anniversary with your significant other for the rest of your lives. It needs to be memorable, but also make sense for the both of you — not only for what you want on the day of your wedding, but for years to come. If you get married on a holiday, for instance, your anniversary may be forever overshadowed by the festivities of that holiday.
Now that you know the date of your wedding, you can use it make reservations and set all the arrangements into stone. Setting the date usually occurs at the same time you've confirmed the place of the wedding and the place of the reception. Start booking caterers, photographers, and other services. High-demand wedding photographers are often booked months in advance, and you want to make sure that you're prepared ahead of time.