As soon as you announce your engaged, there is only one question everyone will be asking – when’s the wedding?
The average engagement in America lasts somewhere between 13 and 18 months which might seem like a sizable amount of time between saying “yes” and “I do” but in reality, it is a period that flies by such is the frenzied nature of planning the big day.
First things first though and you need to answer that question of when. There are plenty of factors to consider when deciding on your wedding day, so here are six tips to picking the perfect date.
Symbolism
Do you want to hold your wedding on a day that is symbolic to you as a couple? Symbolism is great and can make for a beautiful reason to get hitched on a particular date, whether that is because it’s the anniversary of the day you first met or the same day that one of your grandparents got married on.
Tradition
There are some weird and wonderful traditions you can always turn to in order to help select a date. The Romans studied pig entrails to determine the luckiest day to marry while some Japanese families base their choice of date on an ancient astrological calendar called kyomi to select a date that the stars deem favorable.
Season
The weather can affect your weddings style and location as well as the participants mood. If you are dreaming of beautiful sunshine or want to get married on a sandy beach, then you’re obviously looking for a summer date. Winter weddings can be magical given that it is the most magical time of the year, Spring weddings signal the start of something new in the season in which life begins in nature and if you like the idea of autumnal colors then go for the fall.
Holidays
You can base your choice around holidays that have a significance to you as a couple. If you’ve got Irish heritage then a March wedding would fit in with St Patrick’s Day; a wedding held on Hanukkah Dates can symbolize the start of a marriage filled with light and happiness on the Holiday of Light while Christmas and Fourth of July weddings are becoming increasingly popular.
Guests
Now obviously you shouldn’t be scheduling a wedding date based on when people can come – they should be making time for you, not the other way around – but you’ll want to check the essential people can attend. Find a day that works for parents, siblings and honor attendants.
Budget
Ultimately, it may all come down to budget. 80% of weddings in American take place between May and October which naturally means that these will be the most expensive months to tie the knot. If you plan to wed in months such as November, January or February, then you could end up saving a lot of money as there won’t be 100 other couples all wanting the same date and willing to pay top dollar for it. The price also differs for days of the week with Saturday the most expensive, which has made Friday’s and even Thursday’s an attractive alternative.
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