Wedding Dates to Avoid
Mar 15, 2010 Wedding Planning InstituteBefore a bridal couple can do anything else, i.e. order invitations, book venues or hire caterers they must set their date. As certified wedding and event planners it’s your job to know which dates should be off-limits if the festivities are to go off without a hitch. Here is a list of dates you may want to encourage couples to avoid in 2011. Yes, 2011! Since it’s March, and Valentine’s Day is just recently behind us, there are lots of newly engaged couples out there looking for wedding planners right now! You can never be too prepared in the wedding industry, right?
* January 1: New Year’s Day
* February 5 and 6: Super Bowl Weekend
* February 12 through 14: Valentine’s Day Weekend
* April 2 through 4: Final days of NCAA Basketball Tournament
* April 22 through 24: Easter Weekend
* May 7 and 8: Mother’s Day Weekend (and many college graduations)
* May 27 through 30: Memorial Day Weekend
* June 18 and 19: Father’s Day Weekend
* July 1 through 4: Fourth of July Weekend
* September 2 through 5: Labor Day Weekend (End of summer and last vacations for many.)
* October 29 through 31: Halloween Weekend (Although some couples may want to choose this weekend.)
* November 24 through 27: Thanksgiving Weekend
* December 23 through 25: Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
* December 30 through January 1, 2012: New Year’s Eve and Day
What do you think? As professional, certified wedding and event planners do you steer your couples away from specific weekends? It may be a good idea to discuss family birthdays and big anniversaries, as well as due dates for relatives and members of the bridal party. How do you help a couple choose their date or dissuade them from using one they may have already set?
Tags: LWPI, wedding, wedding date
Did you enjoy this article? If so, please subscribe to my blog!
Posted in 
March 16th, 2010 at 1:35 pm
I think that having these dates to avoid printed and with me whenever I consult with a client will help a lot! To have all of the important dates not to forget all in one place will help to avoid any accidental overbooking with busy schedules. I also think it is a good idea to avoid the few weeks before and after any major holidays like Christmas and Easter due to a lot of planning and clean up that normally happens around these days.
Due dates for close friends and family (especially anyone that the bride and groom want in their wedding party) is an extremely important detail that is looked over many times. One thing is if someone is having a baby there is the new mom and dad, grandparents, aunts and uncles, close friends, etc. that will all want to be at the hospital but also at the wedding and will be torn between the two. There is also the hassle of dress fittings if the soon to be new mom is in the wedding party. Just plan your date wisely and think through all the possibility’s!
March 17th, 2010 at 5:34 pm
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by Wedding_Mag: “Wedding Planning Institute: Certified Wedding Planner Blo…” http://bit.ly/bSF2XG Birchcraft Wedding Invitations…
March 18th, 2010 at 9:27 pm
Sometimes I agree with staying away from the holidays for a wedding,but sometimes it has its advantages.I helped with a wedding 2 years ago that took place between Christmas and New Years. The bride liked the idea of a winter wonderland and we were able to take trees that would have been discarded after a Christmas party and created a forest of trees in the reception hall and added snow to the branches and kept the decorating costs down. Also, I helped with a 4th of July wedding where the reception took place and the couple could stop and go outside and watch the fireworks take place for free. So, I think the best idea of when to get married is up to the couple and finding the right vendors in enough time.
Also destination weddings sometimes are less expensive at the holidays if arranged far enough in advance.
March 25th, 2010 at 3:03 pm
I agree with the post and at the same time disagree with it. most couples will want to avoid the holiday weekends so they can have their family and friends with them but there are some couples that will want their wedding on a hoilday weekend. it may mean something to the couple and/or the family. having these dates printed out and with you while meeting with the potental clients will help.
March 26th, 2010 at 1:58 pm
As a Floral Designer for 20 yrs and now a Wedding Planner I can tell you you should avoid Valentines and Mothers Day for sure! The reason being is that during this time flowers go up in price, the quality of some flowers such as roses are a concern and this is the busiest time of the year for florist. Most of the times the flower decor plays a big role in the wedding. The other dates can be a good time for families to get together since they are on holiday too! But in general it’s best to stay away from the holidays.
By the way great print out to have!!!
March 29th, 2010 at 8:34 am
I think couples shouldn’t have their wedding on Mother Day, Father Day Valentines Day, and the Super Bowl. I think the other dates will be fine if the couple plans so many months ahead for their special day.
April 1st, 2010 at 4:41 pm
I think if a client has their heart set on one of these dates it would be advisable to let them know that many of the guests they wish to attend probably will not show up due to other conflicts. This way they can either change the date or not be surprised or devastated when they only have a limited number of guests.
April 4th, 2010 at 6:28 pm
I am about to graduate with my certification from LWPI, and I found this post very handy. This is something I will definately print out and carry with me as I begin my journey as a planner. I also want everyone to know how informative blogs such as this are to beginners like me. Being new to this blog, posts like this are something that beginners like me could easily forget about when planning, and it is a helpful reminder.
April 7th, 2010 at 11:21 am
I think this is something a wedding planner should bring up right away. Setting a date on a “big weekend” or holiday can put guests and potentially wedding party members in a situation. Many sports events sell their tickets a year in advance and are very difficult or impossible to refund. I went to a wedding last weekend which was during Easter and the Final Four. I think it may have cut down on quite a few guests and made it difficult for them to make family Easter plans.
April 10th, 2010 at 2:27 pm
I glad this was post up. This will give the planner and client some ways not to plan or plan around it. Specailly if it done on super bowl, how would the groom feel about it.
May 30th, 2010 at 4:09 pm
After almost completing the course, which I have enjoyed SO much, I have figured out that I should do just about anything the bride wants. Some people get married on a specific day for a sentimental meaning or because how cool would it be to get married on Valentine’s day? I think that showing the bride this list before she chooses a day is a wise idea, but I’ll never turn them away or try and convince her to change her date just because of this list.
July 20th, 2010 at 5:07 pm
This was such a helpful list to have! I am almost finished with my coursework and am starting to think about the practical application of the content. While I would obviously recognize the importance of the major holidays, I definitely would not have thought about pulling the dates of the big sporting tournaments or the holidays whose dates change from year to year (like Easter, Mother’s day, Father’s day, etc). This also made my think about checking our local college games days to help avoid potential disasters. I had a friend whose wedding ended up being on the same day as the University of Michigan/Michigan State football game (huge rivals!). Half of her guests (including her groom periodically) ended up sneaking into the bar that was attached to the banquet room so they could watch the game. Definitely something that could have and should have been avoided!
July 27th, 2010 at 8:35 pm
I think this list is extremely helpful! But, while most of these dates are good to avoid I think some of them would be great opportunities to actually have a wedding. I personally have always thought of having a New Years Eve wedding. Having all your closest friends and family with you on new years eve you would be with the same people if you were at a party instead! Except the party is so much more meaningful because its your wedding! I feel the same way about a Halloween wedding. Some odd ball couples night prefer to make the date just that more special for their friends and family. As far as “sports” holidays, it seems a bit selfish for someone to prefer to miss a wedding due to a game, and with dvr these days I think they have run out of excuses! Fourth of July seems like it could be a good idea, maybe for a themed wedding, or a couple who really enjoys history, as I do!, or just interested in fireworks.
September 26th, 2010 at 6:53 pm
Thank you for the information. This will be extremely helpful in guiding my clients. In essence it is whatever their heart desires, but I will be confident knowing I gave them as much information as I can to make their decision unregrettable.