What is the Best Time of Year to Get Married?
When it comes to choosing a wedding date, there are a lot of things to take into consideration. Everything from the wedding theme, colors, and even cost are affected by what time of year you choose to get married.
Before choosing your wedding day, take some time to consider all the variables. You don’t need to rush this decision. Look at all your options and take in all your ideas before settling on the date.
You also need to consider how long you want your engagement to be. Whether you prefer short engagements of long engagements will also be a major factor in the timing. If you want a short engagement, that will probably limit you to about two seasons to choose from.
In the rest of this article, I will break down the different seasons and months for your consideration.
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Spring Weddings
Spring is a lovely time of year to be married. There is new growth and new life all around, making it the perfect backdrop to the blooming love and commitment taking place.
Cost: Peak wedding season begins in late spring and runs through early fall. Therefore, the cost is more expensive during the peak season. If you plan your wedding in March or April you have a better chance of getting cheaper rates for venues and vendors.
Popularity: Spring weddings tend to not be as popular due to the higher chances of rain. Melting snow and wet conditions could put a damper on wedding plans, especially if an outdoor wedding is desired.
Spring Wedding Flowers: Getting the perfect flowers can be expensive if they aren’t in season at the time of your wedding. Here are some lovely flowers that look beautiful in the spring.
Astilbe
Peonies
Dahlias
Eucalyptus Greenery
Ranunculus
Sweet Pea
Roses
Dusty Miller
Jasmine Vines
Queen Ann’s Lace
Sacbiosa
Ferns
Baby’s Breath
Eustoma
Orlaya Grandiflora
Spring Wedding Colors: There are some colors that look better and more appropriate during the spring than others. You’re likely to want brighter fresh colors during the spring, rather than dark and warm colors.
Here are some helpful spring wedding color ideas.
Gray, Yellow, and Ivory
Peach, Pale Yellow, and Light Gray
Mint Green, Lavender, and Pale Blue
Muted Lavender, Mint Green, and Fuchsia
Light Pink, Lilac, and Ivory
Mint Green, Coral, and Light Gray
Blush, Ivory, and Gold
Royal Blue, Light Blue, and Ivory
Venues: Spring is probably not the best time of year for an outdoor wedding. Not that it can’t be done, but you will need to have a good back up in case those April showers put a damper on the day. Also, if it’s raining, it might be more challenging to get your dresses, flowers, decor, and other wedding day gear in the venue without getting everything all wet.
The good thing about spring weddings is you have an opportunity to get a venue at a lower price if you choose one of the early months. Before peak season, it should also be easier to book the event because less dates are taken up.
Spring Wedding Themes: You probably don’t want a pumpkin themed wedding in the middle of spring. It might look kind of odd! Going with the color and freshness of what spring brings, here are a few ideas that you could use for a spring wedding.
Minimalist Greenery
This themed wedding will have a lot of white with greenery being the main accent being greenery and white flowers. It’s a very fresh look and feel!
Teacups and Roses
This theme could be done fairly inexpensively. Look for various teacups at thrift stores and make unique centerpieces for the tables.
Colorful Wildflowers
Nothing says spring like a variety of wildflowers coloring up the venue!
Pink & Gold Tones
You could go with a classy feel or a more modern geometric style with lovely pink and gold decor.
Hay Bales & Blankets
It can be a little cold still. Make a rustic outdoor wedding warmer with hay bale seating and blankets to stay warm.
5 Advantages of a Spring Wedding
The natural beauty of the season is romantic and relates to the beginning of something new. Cherry blossoms, spring florals, and pastel colors provide a soft pop of color that gives a romantic hue to the time of year.
Spring is normally the best time of year for your attendants to be able to stand with you. Most people aren’t taking trips left and right in the spring as they will in the summertime. You’re also not competing with major holidays that would keep people from being in your wedding.
There aren’t as many weather-related restrictions that you need to think about when selecting a gown. Springtime lets your wear pretty much any style you like without getting too hot or too cold. There are much fewer restrictions when it comes to comfort level.
If your color palette is soft and light, spring is the perfect season. Soft, light and neutral colors are rampant during the spring. All the new life blooming outside will go right along with your wedding colors and theme.
Rainy spring day lighting is optimal for the best wedding photography. Cloud overage provides the best lighting for wedding photos which is very likely in the spring.
5 Disadvantages of a Spring Wedding
Weather is so unpredictable that you might have a hard time planning an outdoor wedding. Having a controlled and dependable environment for your wedding is important during any season. However, this becomes more difficult with the unpredictable weather patterns that springtime is known for.
Even if you can tolerate the potentially cold and wet season, how will your eyes, nose, and throat handle the allergy season? There could be nothing worse than having to spend your special day wiping a runny nose or dealing with itchy eyes. This is something that could effect you, the groom, your wedding party, and even your guests – especially if you planned an outdoor wedding.
If you always dreamed of an outdoor wedding and/or reception, you better think twice. Maybe you dreamed of a floral backdrop for your outdoor wedding, you’d be better off waiting a couple months so that you can really enjoy the beauty.
While it is better to do an early spring wedding, vendors also know that people will likely try to book during these months to get cheaper rates. You may want to shoot for more of a winter wedding where venues will surely not be raising their prices. It’s more likely for other couples to do an early spring wedding than a winter wedding. Supply and demand…
You may not get the vendors you want. No matter when you want to have your wedding, unless you plan a long engagement, it’s likely that your vendors will already be booked for the weekend you need. This will leave you scrambling to find a different venue in short order.
Summer Weddings
Summer weddings are beautiful and the most popular months! Although, they can be a little tricky because you’re dealing with heat and higher costs. However, there are still great options and ideas for a Summer wedding!
Cost: Prices for everything are at their peak at this time due to supply and demand. Due to the popularity of this season, you may be left with spending more for things than you would need to in another season simply because everything in your price range is booked.
Popularity: Summer weddings are extremely popular. You may have a better chance of booking things in July or August if you can handle the heat. Some people avoid those months simply because it’s too hot!
Summer Wedding Flowers: There are a lot of flowers to choose from that are in season during the summer and for really good prices. Here are some lovely flowers that look beautiful in the summer.
Anemones
Bougainvillea
Chrysanthemum
Daisies
Freesia
Hydrangea
Iris
Lavender
Pampas Grass
Peonies
Orchids
Poppies
Roses
Sunflowers
Zinnia
Summer Wedding Colors: Summer is probably one of the best time to use almost any color palette that you like. There are so many beautiful options to choose from and I’ve posted some of my favorites below.
Bright Orange, Yellow, and Ivory
Sage Green, Peach, and Gold
Hot Pink, Turquoise, and Gray
Hot Pink, Orange, and Yellow
Royal Blue, Yellow, and Ivory
Teal, Yellow, and Pale Green
Royal Blue, Light Blue, and Ivory
Bright Purple, Lilac, and Light Gray
Venues: There are so many beautiful venue options for the summertime… your biggest problem will be booking one. Be sure to book your venue well ahead of time for the best opportunity. You can have anything from a romantic beach wedding to a lovely garden party style reception. There are also many scenic venues that you could choose from.
Whichever venue you choose, be sure there is an option for when the temperatures are simply too hot. You’ll be wearing a heavy dress and your groom and groomsmen will likely be in full suits. You may need to make a last minute change to have the wedding in an air conditioned building.
Summer Wedding Themes: There are a lot of great themed weddings you can have in the summer. The bright colors of summer work well with a lot of themes and make for a bright and cheery event. Check out some of my favorite ideas below:
Beachy
Use shades of blue, add a little sand, and decorate with shells and star fish. Now you have a beachy feel, even if you don’t have a beach.
Vintage Romance
With some muted colors and a few vintage decor pieces, you can create a romantic vintage atmosphere for your summer wedding.
Rustic Beauty
Add some burlap, a few blocks of wood and some wildflowers and you have a lovely rustic wedding.
Sunflowers
When your choice of flowers can double as your decor, that’s a win-win and helpful on the budget. Brighten up your sunflower wedding with a royal blue or red accent color.
Bright and Cheery
Bring on all the bright pinks, oranges, yellows, and blues! All the bright colors make a wedding to remember.
5 Advantages of a Summer Wedding
Summer offers a variety of options that make any wedding memorable. You can pretty much do anything you want and make it an event to remember for you and your guests. The great option of catering, flowers, and color palettes makes summer a versatile season.
Beautiful summer days and wonderful summer nights. Days are long which allows you to schedule your ceremony later in the day if you want. You don’t have to rush to get those wedding pictures taken before the sun goes down.
Great outdoor activities can be planed on comfortable summer nights. You can get super creative with your evening reception activities by having a campfire, hanging lights, and dancing under the stars. Your photographer can capture some amazing pictures (with the right equipment, of course).
Summer is great for evening parties to avoid the hottest hours of the day. If you schedule a 6:00pm wedding, you can have a beautiful evening wedding that is comfortable for you and your guests.
Floral options are almost endless. You can basically get whatever flower you want during the summer months. Got a boatload of floral options you love saved to your Pinterest board? You can create any one of them! Summer is the perfect time for any flower!
5 Disadvantages of a Summer Wedding
The heat is a big factor to think about when planning a summer wedding. You need to think about how uncomfortable you, your wedding party, and your guests are going to get. There are other things to think about too… how will the cake do in the heat, how will wedding pictures look if everyone is sweaty, how will the flowers holdup, etc.
Guests can easily become distracted because of the heat. When your guests start getting uncomfortable because of the heat and sweat, it’s less likely that they’ll participate in the celebration and festivities.
Fewer may be able to attend because of pre-planned vacations. Summer is a very popular time for families to travel and many plan their trips months ahead of time. Some of your guests may already have things planned and will be unable to attend your wedding. You’ll definitely want to send out your save-the-dates early so people have time to plan (or change plans)!
You may have to plan on a longer engagement in order to secure a venue and vendors for a summer wedding. A spring or summer proposal will require a long engagement if you’re set on a summer wedding. Many top of the line vendors and venues are booked out months and even a year in advance. You’ll need plenty of time to make arrangements.
Bright sunshine could complicate capturing the best photos. Your photographer might have a challenging time capturing the best pictures when the sun is shining so brightly, as it often does in the summer. Professional photographers are amazing but they can’t always fix everything with photoshop. 😉
Fall Weddings
Autumn weddings are absolutely gorgeous… with all the vibrant colors and beautiful scenery, it makes for amazing photos. Temperatures are also optimal so you don’t have to worry too much about sweating or freezing. September weddings are usually still warm but you might not get the vibrant colors, whereas late fall weddings might be cooler but vibrant.
Cost: September is still considered peak season for weddings so you might have to pay premium prices. However, the later in the season the better for finding great locations at less expensive prices.
Popularity: Fall weddings are becoming more and more popular with many people going for the rustic, vibrant feel. September is an optimal month with temperatures being almost perfect and fall colors beginning to show in most regions. October and November are less popular simply because the temperatures are colder. If you want an indoor wedding with amazing views, those two months are optimal.
Fall Wedding Flowers: Fall flowers are all about the vibrant reds, yellows, oranges, and even dark purples! Anything to match the beautiful trees as your backdrop.
Astilbe
Chocolate Cosmos
Dahlia
Dianthus
Calla Lilies
Hydrangeas
Mums
Nandina
Physocarpus
Ranunculus
Roses
Scabiosa
Snapdragon
Sunflower
Honeysuckle Vine
Fall Wedding Colors: There are so many amazing color palettes that work amazing well for fall weddings. Here are a few of my favorites:
Red Orange, Orange, and Ivory
Violet, Purple, and Light Pink
Burgundy, Orange, and Ivory
Maroon, Blush, and Medium Blue
Fuchsia, Maroon, and Red
Brown, Tan, and Ivory
Burgundy, Light Pink, and Sage
Dark Sage, Dark Orange, and Burgundy
Venues: Availability of wedding venues in the fall becomes easier the later in the season you get. However, the options are almost endless for beautiful locations. From outdoor facilities to rustic or timber built buildings, you’re sure to have a lovely wedding day.
There is a potential for weather interruptions with a fall wedding. You could have quite a bit of rain, so you’ll need to have a plan B in case of last minute emergency.
Fall Wedding Themes: Autumn weddings can be anything from classic to rustic in feel. Here are a few fall wedding theme ideas:
Barn Wedding
The warm colors of fall go so beautifully with rustic barn venues. They can easily be made to have a classy feel with lights, lace, and sheer material.
Woodland
Incorporating natural features such as pinecones and ferns into your wedding decor with give a warm woodland feel to your fall wedding.
Pumpkins
You can do a lot of decorating with pumpkins, and you don’t have to use orange ones. You can carve them, spray paint them, and so much more!
Burlap Beauty
From burlap table runners to burlap-wrapped bouquets, you can easily add the warmth and natural theme to any fall wedding color palette.
Colorful and Gold
Adding gold to almost any color palette is a great option for giving an Autumn feel to your wedding.
5 Advantages of a Fall Wedding
Weddings in late September, October, or November have almost endless options! The leaves are falling, the temperatures are cooler, and your chances of getting your dream venue is even better from late September and on.
Darker color schemes are perfectly okay. Bronze, orange, deep purple, reds, and green are all perfectly acceptable in fall whereas they might look a little odd in spring or summer. The colors of changing leaves will complement your wedding colors very nicely.
The weather in autumn is much more dependable. You need reliability if you are planning an outdoor wedding and the Fall season is one of the most dependable.
Outdoor evening events are much more enjoyable. While it does get darker a little earlier, the temperatures are just right to still be able to enjoy outdoor evening activities for your reception.
Take advantage of outdoor beauty and spend less on venues and decor. Let the natural foliage and nature’s beauty speak for itself and help with your pocketbook.
3 Disadvantages of Fall Weddings
If your wedding requires many guests to travel, you may end up with fewer in attendance. Guests may have already taken a vacation for the year and their saving the rest of their work vacation for the holidays. Therefore, they may not be able to make another trip for your wedding.
Fall weather can mess with your skin. Many people notice their skin start drying out when summer ends and brings in cooler weather. It dries out and could become flaking, making wedding pictures possibly unpleasant.
Finances for guests can be difficult in the fall. Now that summer vacations are over and the holidays are coming up, cash may be tight for some people. Traveling and buying gifts for the new couple could be more difficult.
Winter Weddings
Winter is one of the least expensive seasons to get married in. You have plenty of indoor venue options to have a warm and beautiful wedding. However, you may face some scheduling options and conflicts with traveling due to weather.
Cost: The cost for renting venues and hiring vendors should be much cheaper since you’re planing your wedding during the off-season. You can basically go as elaborate or inexpensive as you’d like. If you plan a destination wedding, travel costs could be much more expensive due to the number of travelers during the holiday season.
Popularity: Winter weddings are less popular simply due to the cold temperatures. Many people want an outdoor wedding or simply don’t want to deal with the potential for snow and ice on their wedding day.
Winter Wedding Flowers: Most winter wedding bouquets consist of red and white flowers. Some all white flowers are also popular during the winter season.
Amaryllis
Berries
Carnation
Dustly Miller
Gerbera
Gladiolus
Hydrangea
Lily of the Valley
Lisianthus
Orchids
Paperwhite Narcissus
Ranunculus
Roses
Russian Olive
White Lilac
Winter Wedding Colors: Colors usually consist of metals with warm seasonal colors and white to resemble the holidays and snowy weather.
Green, Silver, and Ivory
Navy, Burgundy, and White
Purple, Mauve, and Ivory
Black, Silver, and Gold
Navy, Silver, and White
Brown, Red, and Beige
Red, Silver, and White
Green, Red, and Ivory
Venues: There are so many beautiful venue options for winter weddings. Depending on where you live, you could have gorgeous snow covered mountains in the distance, or a log ski lodge nearby. Where ever your dream wedding venue is located, you have a great chance of getting a great price due to the season.
You do have to consider the weather and how cold it will be. But if you can handle the cold, winter is an amazing time of year.
Winter Wedding Themes:
White-Out
Just like a snow day, a white-out wedding is classy and beautiful for a winter wedding!
Red & White Rustic
Pair red dresses with white wildflowers for a rustic winter feel.
Red Roses
There is nothing more romantic than roses and they look beautiful in the winter months.
Golden Christmas
Red and green colors with gold accents make for a warm and festive winter wedding.
Warm Wraps
Warm wraps for the bride and bridesmaids add a fancy look and feel to your winter wedding.
4 Advantages of a Winter Wedding
There is nothing more dreamy than fresh snowfall as the backdrop for your wedding. Just think of all the amazing pictures your photographer will be able to capture.
Winter provides so many cozy and magical options. From Christmas themes to coffee and hot cocoa, you can offer your guests a unique wedding experience.
Enjoy the warmed for fireplaces, candles, and dimmed lights on a winter night while celebrating with friends and family. Invite your guests for a calm, cozy celebration of your new marriage.
Save money on vendors when demand is low during the off-season. Winter is a slower time of year and means less competition for you to get the vendor and venues that you want.
5 Disadvantages of a Winter Wedding
You’re competing with other major holidays. Many guests may be unable to attend due to family traditions and get togethers for the holidays.
You may need to get invitations out earlier so people can plan around the holidays. This may be a little difficult if you’re having a short engagement.
Snowstorms would put a major damper on your wedding day activities. Guests may not even show up if there is a storm on the day of your wedding making travel dangerous.
You may need extra layers to stay warm. Winter time is cold and finding a jacket or covering to keep you warm while still looking beautiful and fancy could be a little difficult. Not to mention your bridesmaids and guests.
