Choosing a date for your gay wedding is much more complicated than you might imagine because you want to pick a date when your chosen venue is available and when your most beloved guests are available. Take your time and be sure the date you choose is the one you want because once you’ve published it, it’s very difficult to change.
Engagement = Wedding Planning Time
Particularly if you’re a couple who has been in a committed relationship for some time already, you might not feel the need for a long engagement period. However, remember that the amount time you’re engaged is the same amount of time you have to plan for your wedding. While there’s not much information available yet about how long gay and lesbian couples are engaged before getting married, straight couples average around 14 months. Getting engaged and then married about a year later should give you enough time to plan for a large wedding. You’ll need less time for a smaller or more casual wedding.
Identify Special Dates
If there are any special dates you want to consider, identify those first. Perhaps you want to choose the same day you met or the same day your parents were married or even a date that your astrological calendar recommends.
Pick a Season
Next, choose a season that fits the theme and style of your wedding. A winter wedding might have snow and a magical holiday theme. If you’re thinking about rich colors of changing leaves, apple cider and football, perhaps a fall wedding might be ideal. If you envision pastel colors and daffodils, it sounds like a spring wedding might be your thing. And if you dream of sunsets and tropical cocktails, a summer wedding might be your choice.
Ask Your Most Important Guests
If you don’t want to get married without a few specific people in attendance, ask them if they have already committed themselves to other events such as high school or college graduations or even other weddings and cross those dates off your list.
Consider Your Budget
Since you’ve already created your budget, consider how the potential dates on your list will impact it. Expect to pay more in June and September and October, and to pay less is November, January and March. Also, weekends will usually be more expensive than a wedding on a weekday.
Other Considerations
Work Schedule
If you work in a cyclical industry or profession with a busy season, you might want to choose a date that won’t have you stressed at work when you’re about to get married.
Honeymoon
If you plan to go on a honeymoon right after you get married, you might want to either adjust your date around your honeymoon location, or adjust your honeymoon location around your chosen date.
Book Your Venue
Before you send out any invitations or “save-the-date” announcements, it’s best to reserve your venue and put down a deposit to guarantee it.
