Picking a month for the wedding

Thanks everyone! I am no longer having my mini breakdown about wedding date hah. I am back to being happy with July and realized it is when I want and the venues my partner and I have looked at are open then.

If you really don't have a preference, then I think starting to look at venues and seeing what they have available.

We knew we wanted 2019, and were aiming for September just because that would give us the most time to plan (we started around this time last year), but we were open to other times of year.

We found that a lot of venues didn't have a whole lot to choose from. A whole year in advance, and each place gave us only 2-3 available dates. The venue we loved decided our date.

Nothing to feel overwhelmed about just start researching venues and figuring out what you like. Everything will unfold from there.

Best of luck!

This is a the toughest decision to make to set the date. Base your date on your favourite season, then a month around that and a random number or your lucky number. If going by what your FH favourite hobbies, interests or choices, go towards that direction.

Wha's your favourite season! When are your birthdays? Are there important family dates that could be pros/cons towards a certain date? When is your/your parents/your partners parents anniversary? Pros and cons on sharing a date with someone?

What's your budget look like? Do you need to have it in the off or shoulder season to get discounted rates?

So many questions! So many things to consider...but ask the questions to help narrow things down, and it will help.

A couple things to consider:

Is there any season that either of you hate? If so - veto it!

When is your anniversary? Is there a chance you could keep that day or a day close to it? What about exactly 6 months later so it's still the same #?

Do you have any farmers in your family? If like me, Summer was out of the question as they wouldn't be able to make it.

If you don't care about much of these questions, maybe it will be decided by what the venue you choose has available! That and if they have "Off-season" discounts for specific months.

If you have any venues in mind, you might want to contact them and see their availability. Since the month doesn't matter to you, a dream venue might only have certain dates available, even a year in advance!

If you have a certain month that hold significance to you and your partner, you could see if there's a date in there that would fit you and your partner.

Also look at seasons that would be good for you two and go through a process of elimination - if one or more seasons aren't ideal for you.

Honeymoon plans might also affect your season, if you want to leave right away or you are ok with delaying a bit.

We decided that winter was too cold and summer can get too hot. Spring and Fall became our two options and October is a significant month for us. We picked October 19, 2019 since the date looked cool, we wanted to honeymoon in the Caribbean right after the wedding without worrying about hurricane season, and our date falls between our dating anniversary and our engagement day.

It really does come down to what you and FH are looking for!

For us, I know FH does not like being in a suit to begin with lol, and being super hot in a suit is not fun for the guys. So he did not want to have it in the middle of summer and be uncomfortable.

I personally love the fall and the colours. We went through all the weekends in September and October and picked out a few that we liked. Then went with what was available with our venue.

Also what Alycia said. If you have a specific colour scheme, or theme that could help determine your wedding time as well. I always liked burgundy and navy together, so that also solidified us picking a fall wedding!

We picked June because it wasn’t busy season for my FH at work, and I would be on summer break from university! we could have also chosen july or august, but we figured the earlier the better, and this way we will also have the summer to take our honeymoon and enjoy being newlyweds. I also took into consideration what our anniversary date would look like - 06/06/2020 is just so even, i loved the way it looked written out!

What we did was figure out what months we would prefer based on availability of venues and also on our preferences. We have both been in weddings and decided either June or September as hoping it will still be warm but not as humid as July or August. We are getting married in a church so there is no a/c lol and then second venue doesn't have a/c either. We are hoping that since we picked September after the venue wanted was booked for June, it will be nice out.

Instead of picking a specific month we picked a (wide) range...We were good with anything from the end of April to mid October-we decided to focus on finding a venue we loved and going with whenever they had availability. I tend to stress so this really helped keep that at bay. We ended up falling in love with a venue and they only had availability at the end of April, so we went with that!

What season do you love? The one where you can't wait to get outside after work and just enjoy it?

Also, living in Edmonton, weather does become a factor. A late-fall or winter wedding may have flight delays etc. so out-of-towners might not make it or may arrive later than planned.

What do you envision for your photos? If you're thinking photos outdoors, summer could be hot and sweaty (and buggy depending on the venue), winter a little on the chilly side. Do you love the look of a wrap? Flowing dress? Fall leaves as a natural accent to your photos?

Is there a month that has meaning for both of you? If so, that could be the month to pick.

I know, I'm not helping...lol So many questions.

For me, I knew I didn't want my parents traveling in winter, even though I've always dreamed of a small elegant winter wedding at the Banff Springs Hotel. I didn't want to be hot and sweaty in my dress, my makeup melting off my face as I try desperately to smile when all I want is ice cream and air conditioning, so summer was out for me. As you know, spring in Alberta can be just as bad as winter for snow, storms and travel delays. Early fall has a natural beauty and I can just picture the amazing photos we can get with the fall leaves. Added bonus, my makeup is less likely to fall off my face from heat, but it's still warm enough to justify ice cream with my niece and nephew as a bribe after the ceremony for being our flower girl and ring bearer. Granted, this is Alberta, and it could dump enough snow to shut down a highway any day of the year. But, for me, gambling on fall was the best move.

I say if you’re not sure yet try figuring out the styles you like for weddings themes, for example I think a rustic theme looks best for a summer or fall wedding.

You could also look at what budget you want to work within. Planning an off-season wedding can open up a lot of deals and discounts from vendors. If you want an outdoors wedding summer or fall are better for those though!

Hope this helps you make your decision!