He – or she – proposed, and you answered in the affirmative!
Now’s the time to bask in the romance, and enjoy the first phase
of your new life together. But soon, you’ll need a response for
that timeless question: “when’s the wedding?”
For some couples, it’s easy – they know just when they want to
tie the knot. For others, it’s less clear. After all, you have a
lot of options. Even more than you might think, since it’s
really not necessary to get married on a Saturday. Friday and
Sunday afternoons are good choices too, and less expensive.
So if you’re looking at the calendar ahead and seeing a hundred
alternatives, all about equally attractive, here’s how to narrow
them down.
Must-have venues
No matter how flexible you are, there’s bound to be things you
won’t compromise on. Maybe it’s a particular church, temple and
officiant for your ceremony. Maybe it’s a special venue for your
reception. And there are certain indispensable guests, like your
parents.
Luckily for you, putting just these three things together is
bound to reduce your choices. Once you call on the
church/temple, ceremony venue or reception hall, you’ll probably
find many dates already filled, especially if you call less than
nine months in advance. Good. That makes things easier!
Must-have ambiance
But maybe you don’t have a must-have venue. Maybe you just have
an image in your mind of the perfect wedding. Maybe it involves
falling snow, ermine mantles, a horse-drawn carriage, and a
crackling fireplace. Maybe it involves stacks of shiny apples,
heaped pumpkins, a scattering of leaves and the scent of
cranberry-apple cider. Or delicate pastels, gossamer pashminas
for the bridesmaids, and a dove release. In this case your time
of year is set: all that’s needed it to work out the logistics
of venue, local climate and the availability of your most
important guests.
Must-have flowers
Some people know exactly what floral arrangements they want at
their wedding. Flowers are such an enormous part of the wedding
budget, if particular ones are important to you, you might want
to arrange your date around them. Unless you’re an heiress, for
example, you’ll want to avoid buying roses for your Valentine’s
Day wedding. On the other hand, December and January are great
months to buy calla lilies. To study flower availability charts,
Google for “flower availability by month.”
Must-have honeymoons
If you have your heart set on a certain destination, you’ll
probably find the honeymoon helps set the date for you. Chances
are, some dates are good for travel but others involve the risk
of hurricanes or lengthy rains.
Limited budget
For now, winter is the slow wedding season. So it’s often
(though not always) true that you can get a break on expenses by
having your ceremony during the holidays. Brides often find that
by marrying near Christmas, they benefit from already-decorated
churches and don’t need to add much themselves. Plus, if they
shop the year before, they can stock up on decorations at
incredibly discounted post-holiday sales. The trick is to avoid
competing with office parties for reception venues and
limousines (New Year’s Eve is particularly competitive).
Another factor to consider, besides the possibility of dismal
weather, is how many guests are due from out-of-town. Flying in
for a holiday wedding can strain any family’s Christmas budget,
plus airlines often charge extra during the season.
If you need to keep expenses in check but want to avoid winter,
make sure you steer clear of proms, graduation, “parents’ day”
at colleges, major sporting events and other local events.
“Life” dates
You might find your own life gives more guidance than you think.
Are you a teacher, with set vacation times? Are you graduating
from college or ending an internship? Are many of your relations
students, available only during the holidays or the summer? If
you’re working, is your vacation time limited to a certain time
of year? If many guests are flying in, will Labor Day weekend or
Memorial Day weekend give them time to get acclimated and enjoy
your big day? If none of these apply, is there a date that has
special significance to you as a couple, such as the date you
first met or first dated?
“Auspicious” dates
Many people find little extra jolt of comfort in picking
auspicious days for their wedding. In India and China, this is
standard practice. But even in the West, people often find it
reassuring to pick numbers or dates with personal meaning. A
Chinese custom is to select a date with as many even numbers as
possible (such as 2-18-2006). The Irish believed that New Year’s
Eve is luckiest for weddings. The Romans (and consequently,
modern westerners) favored the month of June. For Victorians, it
was lucky to marry on the groom’s birthday.