You’re engaged! It’s such an exciting time and now your like where do I start? Chances are you’ve been dreaming of this day since you knew they were the one. Now that it’s happened the very first step in planning a wedding is determining the date. The date will set in motion all the things that come after. When deciding when to get married you have many things to consider, but first the weather! I am based in Dallas, Texas and we have the craziest weather ever. It can literally be a high of 80 degrees on a Monday and 50 Thursday, now that’s some bipolar weather.

Weather: Take into consideration where you live, if you want an outdoor ceremony and you know the highest chances for rain are in February, March, and April, you may want to consider a more fall date.

The Sunset: If you plan to have a long list of outdoor images and are unwilling to do a first look then you should most definitely select a date prior to daylight savings time when the sunset happens later in the day.

Budget & Resources: There are many ways couples today pay for their wedding. You can read more about them in our blog post, who pays for the wedding. Before setting a date consider what a comfortable budget is and when you might have full access to that budget. You should plan to set a date no more than 16 months prior to having full access to your total wedding budget.

Venue Competition: Since the 2020 pandemic wedding venues have had prime dates flying off the shelves. If you are in a market or area where there are a limited number of very popular wedding venues then you may have to decide between the date or the perfect place.

Professionally we suggest you begin your wedding planning process no more than 14 and no less than 6 months prior to your ideal date. If you plan too far in advance you run the risk of things like vendors going out of business, changes in relationships, changes in budget comfortability, venue or street construction, and renovations. You will find most vendors are unwilling to book more than 16 months out because as we have experienced through the pandemic you never know what can happen in that amount of time. On the flip side, if you don’t give yourself enough time, you will find that you have a smaller pool of vendors and venues to select from, are stressed out, and not enjoying the process.