HOW TO: Set the Date
No, I’m not saying you should know EXACTLY the day you will
get married right off the hop. Especially if you haven’t figured out your venue yet! In fact,
it’s a good idea to not have 1 specific date in mind, because you might find
out later, when you’ve found your perfect venue, that your day has already been
booked. Unless you’re the kind of bride that won’t get flustered about that and
let it go, you might just set yourself up for disappointment. {Needless to say,
I didn’t quite follow my own advice as I did have a specific date in mind…but I
lucked out!}
Instead, I recommend you either: A) have a few specific days
in mind that you and your fiancé agree on. Or B) The Funnel method.
What is the Funnel method? I made that name up, but all it
is, is a process to narrow down your possible wedding date. This is helpful if
you’re really lost. Here we go:
First
step: What season do you want your wedding in?
Discuss with your fiancé and take into consideration the
city you’re having your wedding in. Do you want a magical Winter wonderland feel to you
photos but don’t want to freeze to death? Have your wedding in November, and
not January! Want a Summer’s glow but don’t want to cook? Get married in late
August!
{Disclaimer: I am basing these suggestions on my geographical location on the
globe, known as Winnipeg!}
Second
step: Choose a month
Every season has about 3 months or so that occur, so now try
to narrow down which month you prefer. Here are some tips:
1.
Try to avoid seasons of stress and busyness. Are
a lot of your guests and friends and family in school? Might want to avoid
having your wedding during Finals and Exam period. Also avoid major holidays.
People don’t usually like to give up their vacation to go to a wedding.
2.
If it bothers you to share your special day with
many other celebrations, maybe avoid a month that has a ton of birthdays, etc.
3. Think about lighting. Depending on the time of
year, the sun will rise and set at different times. Do you want a sunset
ceremony? Do you want an early sunset so you can have a dance party under the
stars? Always take nature into consideration. Unless it somehow doesn't affect you whatsoever. But photographers are keen on the time of day they take pictures at, so it's good to be considerate of optimum lighting.
Third step: Choose around 3 dates
for flexibility.
Do you absolutely HAVE to get married on a Saturday? Fine!
It’s your wedding! But be prepared for competition, as Saturdays are the most
popular day to get married, with Fridays and Sundays following after. Fridays
and Sundays, while still popular, are still a lot more available than
Saturdays, and usually cheaper to book as well! CHA-CHING! If you’re willing to
be super unconventional, you can even have your wedding on a weekday. Those are
usually even cheaper! Though not necessarily available for people to book off, so be careful with a weekday wedding.
So look at the month you want to get married in, and look at
3 possible days. They can all be Saturdays, or 3 different days of the week. Or maybe you're looking at the last couple weekends of one month and the first couple weekends of the following month. That's good too! I was an eager girlfriend, and had actually planned about 4 or 5 possible dates that were somewhat spread out, just in case an earlier winter wedding was a possibility, and in case my May wedding date wasn't available. I was lucky that my favourite date was free!
You should also take into consideration the fact that within
the next day or two after your wedding, you will be flying out to your
Honeymoon! Different departure dates can vary in price, and if that’s something
important to your budget, doesn't hurt to plan around that.
Once you have your venues picked out, then you can officially choose the date! But maybe you need to decide on your budget before you can pick a venue...
Stay tuned for the next blogpost
on: Budgeting! How to budget different things, and how to save money!
Happy planning!
The Sheepish Bride
