So you’ve just become engaged, and the thrill of your wedding is still in full bloom … but, now comes that hard question of: now what?

Don’t stress, one of the first steps in planning your wedding is choosing a date. While thoughts of choosing a date of personal significance (the day we met, our first date, the first time we said “I love you”) or a date with more widespread special meaning (New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, the Sweetest Day) may be the first idea that pops into your mind, stop a moment and before you get your heart set on a specific date, take some time to consider our fantastically helpful 5-Cs.

1. City

Location is one of the top considerations – will you get married in your hometown, where you are now living, or will you have a destination wedding?

Because of the new standard set by millennials and a mobile lifestyle, weddings no longer involve just local participants. Many guests travel a significant distance to celebrate with you – so consider the ease of travel to your hoped-for location – and how that might impact attendance. You want your favorite Great Aunt Mary to make it? Try to make your location easy to get to.

Another location consideration includes the proximity and cost of lodging for out of town guests. While getting married in that beautiful meadow in rural Skagit County has always been a dream – let’s take a moment for some real talk and seriously consider where your guests will stay? Or, you’ve chosen the Eastside and all the hotels in close proximity are over $300/night with your wedding group discount (ouch!). Each presents its own complication for travelers that requires your awareness and consideration. Remember, as much as this wedding is about celebrating you – if your guests never arrived, it wouldn’t be worth it! So keep their travel in your consideration when you’re planning.

2. Climate

Lots of things to contemplate when choosing the season and the general climate of your location:

  • Will weather during the season that you choose possibly impact travel or the wedding itself? – thinking winter here, but there are also storm seasons that can cause havoc with travel plans. I’ve had a personal experience with a couple that chose a January wedding date – stressful enough already – and then a blizzard ended up impacting the attendance of all of their guests and some of the wedding party as well – can you say nightmare?! While it’s a great family story (as they still got married!)– it’s is definitely not what you want after spending all those months planning!
  • How will potential weather impact your wedding must-haves? You definitely want an outdoor wedding in Seattle in September – you’ll definitely need to have a Plan B in case of rain. Or what considerations are there in case of that August heat-wave that makes guests sweaty and your groomsmen faint?

Do you want to deal with any of that, or do you want to choose your date based on the historical neutrality of weather at that time? It’s worth a conversation, your guests will thank you!

3. Competition

Unless you are unwavering on a particular date, choosing a date should take into consideration peak wedding season vs. off-peak. If cost will impact your choice of venue, most will have a more palatable price-point in the off season. In addition, you might even score lower costs in florals as well!

That said, peak season runs from June to September and can spill into May or October depending upon your location. Some experts also consider October to be peak time. In addition, holiday parties scheduled during the Christmas season can impact venue availability and price.

So that leaves you with January, February, March, April, or November for off season pricing. If that doesn’t appeal to you, just know there may not be a cost-cutting option for your venue.

4. Calendar

We can’t emphasize this enough – don’t just choose a date and go merrily forward – take a peek at the calendar for your location! A dear friend scheduled her wedding smack in the middle of the band of best viewing on the weekend of the Great Solar Eclipse 2017 – it impacted everything from travel to lodging to attendance! In addition, consider the impact your date will have on guest attendance and future anniversary celebrations.

In general, it may be wise to avoid the following:

  • Mother’s or Father’s Day weekend
  • 4th of July weekend
  • September 11th
  • Halloween (unless it’s your schtick)
  • Thanksgiving weekend
  • The week before or after Christmas
  • Important personal cultural or religious holidays
  • Major sports weekends: Super Bowl, March Madness, World Series
  • City Marathon weekends
  • Major convention weekends at your location  

Your wedding planner can help you with location-specific dates to consider avoiding.  

In addition, many couples are marrying on “off” days in an effort to reduce cost. Thursday, Friday, and Sunday weddings may save your out-of-pocket outlay, but it will impact your traveling guests tremendously. If most of your wedding party and attendees are local, this is not as much of a consideration; however, those that have to take time off work to attend will appreciate being able to celebrate with you without having to get a day or two off work.

5. Companions

While this is your special day, the reality is you could simply elope or go to the Courthouse to tie the knot. Part of the joy of your special day is having those that you love and care about witness the beginning of your new lives together! We believe those important people take precedence in your planning – and that includes date choice. Simply put – consider your guest list and their possible obstacles in attending – and use that as a guide when making this momentous decision.  

So, once you’ve done your homework and have chosen a date – don’t forget to send that Save the Date so everyone can add it to their calendar before something else fills in! – this WILL be the event they don’t want to miss! Speaking of … the next topic we’re going to tackle is about wedding dates to avoid specifically in Seattle – stay tuned for that advice!