Choosing a Wedding Date

Your big day is important on many levels, and everything from picking the right flowers to choosing a wedding date is meaningful. There are so many things to consider in choosing when your wedding will be that it can actually add to the daunting planning stages. Once you've chosen a day, though, you'll be able to focus freely on other details.

When will your big day be?

Let's face it: Wedding planning can be pretty stressful. Choosing a date is one of the first hurdles you will take on, and it can either be simple or challenging. You may already have a date in mind – perhaps there's a special day that is especially important to you and your fiancé, or you have your heart set on a particular season. In that case, setting a wedding date will be as simple as narrowing it down to a specific month and finally settling on a date.

On the other hand, choosing a date can also present its share of challenges. There are so many aspects to consider that it can easily be one of the more difficult tasks involved in the wedding planning process. One way to make the job easier is to break everything down and analyze the various areas that are most likely to impact your decision.

In addition to the season, you may want to focus on several other factors when making this big decision:

• Holidays can be a tricky time to work around. If you're planning a small wedding and are confident that everyone will be able to attend, you may be able to get away with it. However, the vast majority of weddings may be difficult to plan around a major holiday, when your guests may have prior commitments or travel plans.
• Schedules are another thing to consider. This is more essential to you and your fiancé than your guests. If you're planning an immediate honeymoon, you'll want to ensure that you can both secure time off work (or school, if you're a student) without any difficulty. Do this well in advance, if possible, to make things easier for everyone involved.
• Location may be one of the biggest factors of all. If your wedding is set to occur at a nearby church, synagogue, or temple, you'll need to inquire about availability well in advance of your preferred date. This applies to your wedding reception location, too; if you've had your heart set on a particular locale for quite a while, schedule this as soon as possible, particularly if it's a wedding reception hotspot.
• Days of the week are another factor. Weddings are commonly held on weekends, as it allows out-of-towners to travel conveniently without too much disruption to their schedules. Since they're such popular days, you'll want to secure your date well in advance.
• Weddings of other family members and close friends should also be taken into consideration. For example, if your best friend or cousin is getting married (perhaps even on your preferred date), you might put some extra thought into choosing an alternate date.
• Budgets are yet another all-too-important factor. If you can't splurge on a big wedding, you may have some luck with a winter ceremony, barring holiday dates. Winter is a slower period for weddings, and can be a bit less expensive at this time because churches are pre-decorated.

If you're fortunate enough to have a date already chosen in honor of a special occasion, you can move forward with other details. If, however, you're still stuck on when to have your wedding, you might want to take a cue from those who've already chosen and focus on some special moments in your life. For example:

• Auspicious dates are favored in many cultures. For example, one Chinese custom involves choosing a wedding date with only even numbers (or as many as possible); another custom finds that Irish people favor New Year's Eve as a lucky wedding date.
• Astrological dates are another option for those who are fervent believers in this practice. This involves visiting an astrologer and providing him or her with each party's personal details (including date of birth, time of birth, and place of birth). The astrologer then chooses a date and time that will best benefit the couple from an astrological standpoint.
• The day you met your fiancé is an obvious and fantastic choice for a wedding date.
• Consider honoring your grandparents or parents by getting married on their wedding date.

Choosing a wedding date is not an easy decision and many factors must be taken into account before settling on a date. With careful consideration, however, you can choose the perfect when for your perfect wedding.

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