Congratulations! Your fiance has just slipped an engagement ring on your finger and within days, you are already being inundated by your family and friends wanting to know the plans for your big day. You are about to embark on a journey of endless decision making, from choosing the members of your bridal party to picking the color of the napkins at your dinner table. The decision that will most influence all the other details of your wedding day is choosing WHEN it will all take place. How will you determine your “season of love”?
The decision of WHEN to have your wedding will affect:
People
Unless you’re planning to get married in a city hall or to elope, it’s important to select a time of year when most of your guests will be able to attend.
Place
The venue that you choose for your wedding will set the tone and mood for your day. Whether it’s outside in a flower garden or inside an old castle, the season you choose will influence the environment that is created for your celebration.
Palette
The uniqueness of each season allows for a wide variety of colors and themes for your wedding. Choosing your wedding colors are significant because many of the other decisions that are made (including invitations, flowers, centerpieces, bridal party attire, etc.) are dependent on the color palette that you select.
Each of the four seasons offer positives and negatives. To help shed some light, we have broken down winter, spring, summer and fall and explored three “P’s” within each season.
Winter
Though it may not be the most popular time to tie the knot, there are still many benefits to having a winter wedding.
If you’re considering a winter wedding, one of the more popular months to have your wedding take place is December. Often thought of as a joyous and wonderful time of year when family and friends gather for holiday celebrations, it can also be viewed as a busy and a costly time to travel. If you are planning to have your wedding take place during the holidays, it is important to be mindful of how many guests are out-of-towners and will need to travel far distances to make the wedding. This is especially true if you live in an area of the country that is plagued with snowy winters, as it can hinder even your local guests from making it to your big day.
Winter weather can certainly put a damper on dreams of an outdoor ceremony or reception. If this is important to you, you may want to consider another season or perhaps in a sunny destination wedding.
Being that it is the least popular season to get married, one of the best perks of having a winter wedding is the abundance of available dates you will find when booking your venue. More flexibility=more available vendors=more affordable options. You will find that wedding venues can be up to 50% cheaper in the winter, than in other seasons. Take advantage of this and free up your budget to book that killer band or to splurge on a designer bridal gown.
Winter offers some beautiful colors that will help create a lovely theme for your wedding day. If you are drawn to cool winter shades, a winter wedding may be a good fit for you. While colors like silver, baby blue and periwinkle have an association with coldness, these colors also evoke feelings of freshness, light and new beginnings (perfect for a couple starting out together).
Some deep colors that will make you and your guests feel warm and cozy while fitting in with the winter theme are: navy blue, garnet, plum, emerald green, or chocolate. If you decide on a wedding around valentines day, there are many beautiful shades on the red and pink families.
If you are indecisive like me, here is a great site that chooses color combinations for you (just choose a color family and spin the wheel!). These are not specific to season but are still a great resource for choosing your wedding palette.
Spring
New life is beginning, flowers are blossoming and love is in the air. It’s easy to see why many people pick springtime to be their “season of love”.
Spring is a great time for guests to attend your wedding. With the holidays behind them and summer plans still a few months away, spring is often free of obligations or vacations that might cause your guests to miss your special day. While a majority of weddings take place on Fridays and Saturdays, if you are planning a Sunday wedding make sure to keep in mind that Easter, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day all occur on Sundays during the spring.
After a long winter, the spring provides the perfect opportunity to hold an outdoor event. The mild temperatures can be much more comfortable for you and your guests in comparison to hot months of summer. Statistically, spring is the rainiest season. If you are planning an outdoor ceremony or reception make sure to have realistic expectations, since you won’t be able to predict the weather conditions of your wedding date. Save yourself from excess stress by working with your venue to create a “plan B” so that all will go smoothly on your wedding day, regardless of the weather.
If you have plans to marry in a church or a temple, keep in mind that Easter and Passover holidays take place in the spring and this may lead to restrictions or limited availability. Make sure to explore this prior to booking your venue.
If you are traditionalist, you may be more inclined to have a spring wedding. Pastel colors like light pink, sage green, sky blue and buttercup are traditional color choices for spring (and weddings in general). Try replacing or accenting these with more intense hues like poppy, celery green, robin’s egg blue or golden yellow to create a more modern and updated look.
Summer
Known to many as the “wedding season”, summer offers lots of flexibility and options for a fantastic wedding day.
The best part about scheduling a summer wedding is that you only have one major holiday to contend with (Independence Day) along with Labor Day (less likely to be an issue). Many of your guests will have summer vacations planned, but they will be scattered and you won’t need to worry about a large group of people not being able to attend during a specific weekend (outside of Independence Day). If you or the members of your bridal party are teachers or students, summer will be the easiest season for you to focus on your wedding without the stress of school looming over you.
Summer is the most popular season to have a wedding; therefore there is the most competition for venue availability. If you know you want a summer wedding, it’s important to book your venues as soon as possible after your engagement. If you aren’t finding a good fit, consider extending your engagement another year to ensure you will be married at the place of your dreams.
Like the spring, summer also provides the opportunity for an outdoor wedding. Extra sunlight also means warmer temperatures and more hours to spend outside. Warm weather is usually desirable, however a summer wedding can also run the risk of 100+ degree weather, depending on where you live. If this is the case, an indoor venue with air conditioning may be the best way to go. If you are looking for the best of both indoors and outdoors, many venues offer outdoor patios which can serve as both overflow for your cocktail hour and a place for your guests to step out into for fresh air during your reception.
If you and your fiance are outgoing, spontaneous and spunky, the summer palette will definitely be a great fit for you. Bright, vibrant colors (more intense shades of blue, pink, green and yellow) are great possibilities for summer months. These shades pair particularly well with neutral colors like black, white, silver and grey. Take a peek at this link for “bold and bright” table and flower arrangements that can provide some inspiration for choosing your color palette.
Fall
One of the most aesthetic times of year to have a wedding, this season is second to summer popularity and continuing to grow.
Though traveling in the fall isn’t common, it may still pose challenges for guest attendance. With school back in session, many people’s schedules fill up with sporting events and commitments involving their children. The good news is, people LOVE weddings. Regardless of how busy their lives may get, most of your guests will happily adjust their schedules to make sure they are available to attend your wedding.
One of the best aspects about fall is the beautiful weather and comfortable temperatures. Fall is another time that can be suitable for outdoor weddings, if it is earlier in the season. This season will provide you with a beautiful changing foliage which will provide for a gorgeous background for your photos. In contrast to summer months, you will certainly find lower prices for wedding halls and hotels, although the availability will be more limited. As fall is becoming a more popular season for weddings, it may become increasingly difficult to find a venue for an exact date. Make sure to keep an open mind and have a range of dates ready to choose from— it will make the booking process far less stressful.
If you are drawn to rich, soft, luxurious hues, there will be many stylistic choices available to you for a fall wedding. Observing fall foliage can be one of the best ways to gain inspiration for your wedding palette. Warm hues like reds, yellows, oranges and browns are among the best choices for a autumn wedding. Also explore darker cool colors like wine, midnight blue, slate, or emerald green for a chic look. Since fall colors tend to be more saturated, they will look best paired with lighter shades like champagne, white, ivory or gold.
I hope that examining people, place and palette can provide you with some guidance for choosing your wedding season and making key decisions that will make your day special! Happy planning!