One of the first things you’ll want to do after your engagement is set the wedding date. While some couples will be guided by the availability of their wedding venue, others love the idea of getting married on a special date. Here are a few of the pros and cons of getting married on significant dates.
Pros of choosing significant dates
You can plan your wedding day around a personal occasion such as your birthday or a milestone birthday of a close family member, the anniversary of the day you got engaged, or the anniversary of your first date which will make it extra special.
Arranging your wedding around a special time of the year such as Christmas, New Year, or Valentine’s Day can add a romantic element to your celebrations. You can take inspiration for your wedding theme, entertainment, catering and colours from these festive occasions.
Having your wedding on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day is the perfect way to show your respect for your parents, and holding it on Remembrance Day, is wonderful as long as you take a minute to remember the fallen soldiers and everyone in the bridal party can wear a remembrance poppy.
A bank holiday wedding is perfect as all of your guests will have the Monday off work so they will have ample time to recover. You could consider a spreading the celebrations over two days, or hold your wedding on the Sunday when venues tend to be less expensive.
When you choose a memorable date such as 04/04/14 everybody will remember your anniversary (including your new husband!). 10/10/10 was also a popular choice because it fell on a Sunday and almost all wedding venues were booked up for 08/08/08, mainly because eight is considered a lucky number in a lot of cultures and also because when turned on its side the number eight is identical as the sign for infinity; a great symbol for a wedding.
Cons of choosing significant dates
Getting married on Valentine’s Day could send your flower bill through the roof, particularly if you feel you can’t have a Valentines wedding without red roses.
Some people have longstanding family commitments for bank holiday weekends, while others may have incorporated those long weekends into their yearly vacation, so if you decide to tie the knot on a bank holiday you may find that many of your guests are unable to make it. If you do want to get married on a bank holiday, try to send out your wedding invites as soon as you have the venue booked.
If you tie the knot on a bank holiday weekend, you might be able to hold a cheaper wedding on a Sunday, but accommodation and travel expenses for your guests may well increase.
If you get married on a birthday or anniversary, the celebration of one event may well upstage the other, so in the end you lose out on one important day. If you love to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries, getting married on one of these days might not be a wise idea.
Venues are likely to charge double for significant holidays such as Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Eve or Christmas, and they will be booked up months or even years beforehand.
