The Date

You undoubtedly hear (or  heard) this all the time : 

"Congratulations! When is the big day?"

This can be the most annoying part of the first two weeks of your engagement. Everyone will ambush you with questions. When?! Where!?! You want to soak in the happiness; everyone wants details. A general response can be that you are just “taking things slow”. There is no need to know your wedding date 2 minutes after that gorgeous ring is on your finger.

Don't know where to start in picking your date? The average U.S. engagement is 16 months - some couples can knock all the planning out in 6 months, some take closer to a year, and some (like me) choose a ridiculously long engagement of almost 2 years. The general recommendation when choosing your wedding date is to narrow it down to a few date options (even just a specific month!). That way when you are venue shopping, you have a bit more freedom. Be flexible about your date and remember to compromise. 

• You have more options the longer your engagement is. If you have a two-year engagement, you’ll have first dibs on your ideal weekend, time of year, reception hall, photographer, etc. 
• With a longer engagement you can save money - if times are lean and you’re shouldering the bill, then a long engagement will let you save up some cash.
• How about getting married on the date your eyes first met, on the date you officially became a couple, or on your grandparents' or parents' anniversary?
• "Budget may affect your choice. June, August, and September are the most popular times to marry, so, prices are inevitably higher. But if, for example, you're planning a wedding in January, March, or December, it may cost less because 50 other couples aren't lined up behind you offering to pay top dollar. Days of the week also matter: Saturday nights carry a hefty price tag, but marry during the week and the world is your oyster (venues may even bid against each other to get your business)! " via The Knot
• Which season is your favorite? Have you always dreamed of a snowy white candlelit wedding? Or what are your favorite flowers or colors? Do you love deep reds, oranges, greens, and browns? Then Fall might be perfect for your wedding. 

When Nate and I sat down to talk over a few wedding date options (I won't lie, this conversation happened before we were engaged), I knew one thing for sure : We must get married in the spring time so that I can have heaps and heaps of peonies. You see, peonies are not what you could call an "affordable flower" and I am what you could describe as "obsessively in love with peonies", so I knew if I stood any chance of surrounding myself with these gorgeous blooms on our wedding day, I'd have to walk down the aisle in their blooming season.

(Ever since this BRIDES magazine issue hit the shelves in July 2008 , I've had my sights set on a bouquet of fuchsia peonies) 

Since I knew I wanted a Spring wedding, from there we narrowed it down based on school/family schedules. Run your date options by most of your Very Important People - parents, siblings, maybe even some of the bridal party - and make sure your date works for everyone. As I mentioned earlier, Nate is in law school full time so we needed to plan a wedding date for after his graduation. My friend Andrea just planned her wedding around her husbands navy deployment schedule. Do what makes sense to you. 

Long story short, Nate and I narrowed our wedding date down to two possible weekends - Memorial Day weekend (the last weekend in May) or June 2nd, 2012. I liked the idea of having our wedding on a three day weekend because a majority of our guests will be coming from out of town, but we were hesitant to interfere with our guests' holiday plans. Armed with our wedding budget and two potential dates, we shopped for The Venue. 

How did you narrow down your wedding date?