Choosing a Date For Your Wedding

Choosing your date is step one when planning your wedding, unless you are dying to get married at a specific venue with limited dates, or you’re insistent on working with a specific vendor. For the most part, you must have your wedding date picked out before you can book your venue, photographer, DJ, florist, wedding planner, etc. 

If you live in East Tennessee, you know that the weather can be unpredictable. You can experience all four seasons in one day. Tennessee is hot and humid in the summer time, and it can be cold and rainy in the winter time. Spring and fall are absolutely beautiful here in the south, but sometimes those seasons get skipped all together. What is your favorite season? What type of weather do you most enjoy? What color schemes? What types of outdoor activities do you enjoy, if any? All of these things matter when trying to decide on a date to get married. You also want to choose a venue that accommodates both indoor and outdoor ceremonies and receptions, and it is critical that your venue have both heating and air conditioning. Believe me, the last thing you want is to pay a lot of money for a wedding and reception that nobody attends because they are too hot or too cold.

Now let’s talk about what day of the week your wedding will fall on and the pros and cons for each of those days. 

Thursday weddings can be good for those wanting to book a popular venue somewhat last minute, usually at a reduced rate. Because the majority of weddings take place over the weekend, many venues will give discounts to couples that book the venue for a Thursday. This can make it difficult for guests to attend the wedding. A lot of people will likely have to take off from work, and they will likely be expected to work the next day. My opinion is that if you want your guests to be able to be fully present and enjoy the event, a Thursday wedding might not be ideal.

Friday weddings are a good option for those that want a later ceremony time and want people to stick around for the majority, if not all of the reception. Friday weddings mean that most people have the rest of the weekend to recover from the reception. However, it can be difficult for people to get off work in time to attend the wedding, or it might be difficult for parents to arrange childcare after they’ve been gone all day at work. 

Saturday weddings are most popular, and that means venues are likely going to charge more for weddings booked on this day of the week. Most people don’t work on Saturday, so they are able to rest up before coming to your wedding. It might be easier on parents to find childcare for a few hours than it would be to ask the grandparents to keep the kids even longer than usual. Having a wedding on a Saturday also means that wedding goers have Sunday to rest the day after the event. Saturday weddings are ideal because people are able to be fully present and enjoy the event with the couple they’re celebrating, and that’s what you want.

Sunday weddings are nice, but most people have to return to work on Monday. But, a midday wedding in the spring or fall can be beautiful. A midday wedding allows people to relax and enjoy the event without being in a rush to get home to get ready for the week ahead. Depending on your crowd, it can be difficult to get people to dance during the reception when it’s still daylight out. If you prefer a more relaxed, laid back wedding, and wild receptions aren’t your thing, planning a Sunday wedding might be something you should consider. 

I know I’ve talked a lot about how different factors might impact your guests and their attendance at your wedding, but ultimately, this day is about YOU and YOUR wants and needs.

If you haven’t already considered hiring a wedding planner or a day-of-coordinator, I highly recommend doing so. 

For more information about timeline building, check out my blog post on the topic.

If you think I might be a good fit for wedding photography, I would love to hop on a Zoom call to discuss your vision for the day! My goal is to work with your other vendors to make sure your day is everything you imagined it would be.

Fill out the contact form on my website so we can get to know one another!