Choose your wedding date in 7 steps
Choose your wedding date in 7 steps
The Italian Bridal Guide
By Anna Maria Nardi
Choosing a wedding date is one of the most important planning decisions that you’ll have to make as a couple — it will impact every other aspect of your big day. You may have an idea of where you envision yourself walking down the aisle or what you want your cake to look like, but until you decide when you’d like to get married, you can’t commit to anything. You might be asking yourself, “How do I pick a date that works for everyone and is still special to me?” or “Where do I even start?”
For every couple, the process is completely unique and that’s part of what makes your wedding date so special to you. I hope that by sharing some planner insight — as well as my experience as a real bride — I can help you find the perfect time to say “I do.”
1. Take the weather into account.
In Italy, The most popular months to get married are from May to October and it’s no surprise why — the weather is absolutely beautiful in early summer and fall. I’ve planned weddings where we’ve encountered some unseasonably strange weather — and the best way to deal with it is to add some cushion in your wedding budget for items like hand fans. Think about your guests and their comfort level.
2. Consider all the factors of an off-season date.
The basics: Getting married in January or March might help cut your rental venue fee down but you have to be prepared to make sacrifices in other areas. For example, let’s say that peonies are your absolute favorite flower and you can’t imagine having a bouquet with anything else. Depending on the time of year, it may be hard (if not impossible) for your florist to find them at a price that fits your budget. (In general, off-season flowers are incredibly expensive.)
The same concept applies for Friday vs. Saturday weddings. Although a venue might be able to give you a break on their minimums for a Friday reception, be aware that the rest of your wedding vendors might not be able to.
3. Lead the date selection process by creating a list of what you envision for your wedding day.
The basics: Imagine that your wedding day has finally arrived — what do you see? A Roman beautiful seaside as the backdrop for your ceremony? The Roman rooftop of Hotel Raphael behind piazza Navona!Vineyards in Castelli Romani dripping with grapes ready for harvest? Snow-covered mountaintops? By narrowing down your potential wedding date to one season (or two), you can cut down your options in half.
4. Think twice before getting married on a major holiday.
The basics: In addition to Christmas, Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve, you may also want to reconsider tying the knot on religious holidays, event weekends (depending on your location and country), major sporting events, Father’s Day and other holidays of this nature.
Although holiday weddings can be super fun and festive, your wedding date is something you want to celebrate for years to come because of the meaning behind it — not because it was also New Year’s Eve. Another thing to keep in mind is the significant costs that are associated with holidays weddings. For example, the price of roses during Valentine’s Day is unbelievable, so having them at your big day could really put a dent in your overall budget.
But perhaps the biggest factor to consider is your guests. As much as they love you, do they really want to spend a major holiday celebrating you instead of being able to celebrate them? Yes, your wedding is about the two of you, but you also want to make it an event that your guests are excited about and can afford to attend. Hotels, flights and car rentals can all get very expensive, especially during a holiday weekend.
5. Focus on what you want your wedding day to be and how to portray that in a date.
At this stage, you should have your potential dates narrowed down to a month or two and this is where it gets fun! Within the months that made it to the final round, are there any dates that are meaningful to you as a couple or as individuals Are there any dates you want to avoid?
6. Give yourself plenty of time and don’t rush it!
I have planned full weddings in just a few months and we’ve all seen how weddings can be pulled together within weeks on TV. However, what you might not be aware of is the cost that it takes to ensure that a big celebration can be executed quickly.
When a bride reaches out to me and asks if we can plan her big day in a short amount of time, I always tell her that anything is possible, but there might be areas that she will have to sacrifice. For example, a custom wedding gown can take over a year to create, depending on what you want. Also, your custom logoed favors, centerpieces or invitations may not end up exactly how you had planned.
7. Finalize a date
If you have followed steps 1-6 of our list,you should be down to only just a handful of options.
Think about other aspects of your wedding and how they will all play out
Now, depending on what other aspects of your wedding are important, you might want to keep an open mind to a few dates. What if your dream venue is booked or your favorite photographer is out of town? Better yet, what about the important people in your family? You will want to make sure they can attend!
Tell us: What’s your wedding date?
