Things to Consider: Setting a Date

“Have you set a date yet?”  As I mentioned in my “First Things First” post, this is the question you will encounter the most after becoming engaged.  While it is crucial to set your date soon after you become engaged, it should not be the first thing you do.  My suggestion is to find both a reception venue and ceremony location that you and your fiancé love first.  That way you two won’t commit to a date only to realize that the reception venue or ceremony location you really want for your wedding day isn’t available on the date you chose.

The next thing you should consider when setting your wedding date is what time of the year you and your fiancé would like to get married.  This is something some people have strong feelings about based on their occupation, favorite season, local weather, health, etc.  For instance, I always knew that I wanted to get married during the summer due to the fact that I am a teacher.  Not only is summer my favorite time of the year, but it also allows for me to have plenty of time for last minute planning.  I also knew that I wanted to be able to honeymoon shortly after my wedding, which wouldn’t be an option if I was married during the school year.  Another aspect that could come into play is the bride or groom’s favorite season.  If the bride or groom has always loved a particular season and both parties are okay with marrying during those months, you can narrow your possible wedding dates down quite easily.  Local weather can also impact your decision of when to wed.  If you are from a region that gets snow in the winter months, and you are not a fan of snow, it’s probably best if you stick to months that typically do not have snow in your state.  Finally, health issues may cause you to strategically set your wedding date.  In our case, my fiancé and I both typically have bad allergies in June, so we knew that a June wedding probably wouldn’t be ideal.  This led us to looking strictly at July dates for our big day.  Remember to discuss all of these things with your fiancé prior to setting anything in stone.

Additionally, when setting your wedding date you should consider holidays, birthdays, or other special days that may coincide with your big day.  Weddings on or coinciding with holidays are a big topic of debate in the wedding world.  Some people don’t mind the idea of a wedding being on or close to a holiday; others are completely opposed to the idea.  I believe it’s a matter of personal preference.  As the bride and groom, it should be your decision whether or not you will have your big day on or coinciding with a holiday.  Since I am getting married on July 7^th of this year, I feel I can speak to this topic quite nicely.  My thought process was as follows:

-    We have two dates we can get married in July.

-    Out of these two dates, we like July 7^th the best.

-    We realize the 7^th is close to July 4^th, and some people may have standing plans for that weekend.

-    However, the people that we love and care about and want to be at the wedding will be there.

It was as simple as that for us.  Of course, your situation may be different.  You may also want to consider birthdays or other special days, like anniversaries, when setting your wedding date.  Depending on your perspective, birthdays or anniversaries may or may not play a role in when you set your date.  Just make sure that whatever date you and your fiancé select is the date you truly want.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them as comments below, and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Have a wonderful day!