when's the best time of year to get married?

I often get asked when the best time is to get married, but to be totally honest there's isn't a 'best' time. It depends what your priorities are, and if you had an ideal in mind when you've thought about your wedding.

Is the weather a key factor - if it is then you may want to consider a wedding abroad - or is it about having someplace big enough to have all your guests in one place at the same time? The thing is you could choose the middle of winter to get married where the weather is shocking and the surroundings dull, but if you have everyone you want in attendance it won't matter two hoots what it's like outside. Equally if you want the pictures to die for, the freedom to walk around some beautiful grounds then you need to not only pick the perfect time of year but the perfect location, which as we know with the British weather may indeed mean going abroad for some sort of guarantee.

Below is a very short guide on some ideas you might want to think about by month or day of the week.

By Month
January - March - Out of season so can be cheaper
April - June - Good weather (hopefully!)
June - August - Peak season, so can be expensive, but also summer holidays, so good for vocational workers where you don't have to take extra time off to get married and honeymoon
September - October - Depending on honeymoon destination, most rainy seasons have finished around now
October - November - Out of season so can be cheaper
December - Seasonal theme, where you won't have to spend too much on decoration as most venues will be decorated for Christmas & New Year festivities

Days of the week
Monday - Thursday - Very cheap as these are not the most popular days, but think of your guests and time they would need to take off from work
Friday & Sunday - Fast becoming popular choices as they are slightly cheaper
Saturday - Traditionally the day of choice, but can be expensive

Many of these ideas are based on weather and budget, as these seem to be the things that most couples think about. I would suggest though that if you can't afford to get married abroad concentrate on the budget side of things, and when it comes to weather...hope for the best and plan for the worst. Just ensure the venue you choose has enough space inside so should the heavens open, your pictures can still get taken and you and your guests still have a fantastic day.

Wedding on the cheap?

I’m often asked how you can plan a wedding ‘on the cheap’ and I’m amazed at how many simple ideas people over look in the search of their ‘perfect day’.

You need to prioritise the 5 most important things to you both for your day to be complete – and yes ladies it does have to be 5 things you both agree on - it is his day too whatever you might have thought in your own head. These 5 things will help you to make decisions easier and compromise where necessary.

Something the English aren’t great at (I realise this is an understatement) is negotiating and asking for what we actually want. When was the last time you listened to an American counterpart in a restaurant asking for their salad to be a fat free, meat free, vegan friendly, dressing on the side, dish? Be honest, who’s thinking…just pick the bits out you don’t like…well why should you if you’re paying for it, shouldn’t it be edible when it arrives?

Obviously it’s an extreme comparison, but when you’re spending much more of your hard earned cash, on a ‘perfect day’ as opposed to a ‘perfect salad’ shouldn’t you be getting what you want, rather than paying for something that isn’t quite what you had in mind?

Although you don’t want to appear as the proverbial ‘bull in a china shop’, you need to keep in mind the attitude, ‘if you don’t ask, you don’t get’. This is your first lesson in planning your wedding, learn to ask for what you want and negotiate if it’s not what you want.

Remember negotiating doesn’t always mean getting things cheaper, but can mean cutting things out, or asking a supplier to include something at no additional cost. Think of it as value for money.

A few key points on when NOT to negotiate…

1. If this is a specialist service where you’re unlikely to find an alternative

2. The most popular venue is not going to negotiate, they have many more couples lining up to take your place

3. If you’re budget and ideas don’t match – don’t haggle for champagne if you can’t afford Asti

And don’t forget, if all else fails…Be prepared to walk away!

So, you have the 5 main priorities, you know what you have in mind, and you have your ‘what not to do’ tips now it’s time to see what’s out there. Don’t go to your favoured supplier first – give some others a call and try to negotiate, and get used to it, then give your preferred supplier a bell.

Finally, always remember…

Way too often couples; and yes ok mostly the ladies, put so much emphasis on the wedding day, they forget they are going into a marriage. Whether you get married in a church, a registry office, beach or hotel the bottom line is that you, the couple have arranged a day to let everyone know how much you love each other, in sickness and in health and from that day forward, forsaking all others.

When put like that, should the emphasis be on how much you’ve spent on x, y, and z, or just that after everyone’s gone home, and your day has come to a close, that you’re happy with the life partner you’ve chosen?