You're engaged! And probably pretty excited to start planning... but when would you like to get married? When looking at your calendar, there are some dates you may want to cross off.

Holiday Weekends

While holiday weekend weddings can seem appealing with the offer of an extra day of recovery/rest, keep in mind that your guests may already have plans or family traditions that will call them away on a holiday weekend. Additionally, you may have difficulty in finding wedding vendors who will work over the holiday weekend, or who will do so for their regular fee.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Monday, January 19, 2009

Monday, January 18, 2010

President's Day

Monday, February 16, 2009

Monday, February 15, 2010

Memorial Day

Monday, May 25, 2009

Monday, May 31, 2010

Independence Day

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Labor Day

Monday, September 7, 2009

Monday, September 6, 2010

Columbus Day

Monday, October 12, 2009

Monday, October 11, 2010

Thanksgiving

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Thursday, November 25, 2010

New Year's Eve

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Friday, December 31, 2010

Religious Holidays

Be mindful of religious holidays when planning your wedding. There may even be restrictions at your place of worship as to whether you're allowed to marry at these times.

Palm Sunday

April 5, 2009

March 28, 2010

Easter Sunday

April 12, 2009

April 4, 2010

Passover

(begins at sunset the night before and lasts 7 days)

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Rosh Hashanah

In 2009, begins at sunset on Saturday, September 19, and lasts until nightfall on Sunday, September 20

In 2010, begins at sunset on Thursday, September 9, and lasts until nightfall on Sunday, September 10

Yom Kippur

(begins at sunset the night before)

Monday, September 28, 2009

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Hanukkah

(begins at sunset the night before)

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Christmas

Friday, December 25, 2009

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Kwanzaa

Begins Saturday, December 26, 2009

Begins Sunday, December 26, 2010

Costly Holidays

If you're looking to marry around Valentine's Day, keep your floral bill in mind, especially if you've got your heart set on roses as they'll be at a premium. Likewise, reception facilities often charge a higher fee for a New Year's Eve wedding.

Notable Holidays

April Fool's Day

If you and your fiance are jokesters at heart, this could be the perfect wedding day for you. If not, choose another day.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Mother's Day

Make sure your mom is okay with sharing this weekend with your wedding -- but it could be the perfect opportunity to honor her. We once did a wedding on Mother's Day where we presented each mother present with a red rose.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Father's Day

Ditto for dad.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Halloween

Avoid it if you're terrified that someone might actually show up in costume.

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Days of Remembrance

Historically significant days may cause a conflict of interest for some guests.

September 11: Falls on a Friday in 2009 and on a Saturday in 2010

December 7, Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day: Falls on a Monday in 2009 and a Tuesday in 2010

Super Bowl

If you don't live in Florida, and are marrying on the Saturday rather than the Sunday of Super Bowl weekend, then the big game shouldn't affect your wedding too much -- unless you and your hubby are diehard pigskin fans and can't bear to miss the big game for your honeymoon. If in doubt, steer clear of these dates:

Sunday, February 1, 2009, Tampa, FL

Sunday, February 7, 2010, Miami, FL

Final Four/March Madness

Everyone loves the excitement of college b-ball (and betting on it!). Keep your sports fans at bay by avoiding these dates:

Saturday, April 4, 2009 and Monday, April 6, 2009, Detroit, Michigan

Saturday, April 3, 2010 and Monday, April 5, 2010, Indianapolis, Indiana

Quirky Dates

03/06/09 falls on a Friday

09/09/09 falls on a Wednesday

10/10/10 falls on a Sunday

Other Dates to Avoid

College reunions and/or homecoming, big conventions/festivals in your city (ACL? SxSW? ROT Rally?), and any annual charity events that involve your family or close friends.

Finally, no matter what date you decide on, keep in mind that date is not official until you've booked your facility.

Happy planning!