Picking out a Wedding Date

Once you announce your engagement, the first question on most lips would be ‘So when is the Big day?’ And just like your birthday, your wedding date will hold a special place in your heart, year after year.

In reality, you can’t go about planning for a wedding without having the date fixed, as some wedding plans are dependent on the date fixed. You need to choose the date of your wedding carefully. Below are tips to guide you in choosing the perfect one:

Length of time needed to plan the wedding
The length of time you'll need to plan your wedding depends majorly on what type of wedding you plan to have. The amount of time that would be spent in planning a very quiet and intimate wedding, compared to a high-class society wedding is definitely different. Where the former would require less time planning and preparing, the latter might require a year or even more for the planning. You know the type of wedding you plan to have, therefore, ensure that enough time is given to plan your wedding.

Month of the year
You need to choose a month convenient for you, your groom and your families as well as friends. There might be a special time in the year which you or your groom holds dear to your heart and would be suitable for your wedding to be fixed towards that time. It could be a birthday, Christmas season, Valentine season, etc. As added benefits, such seasonal weddings help simplify decorations. For example, if your wedding is gonna take on a Valentine theme; we all know the dominant colour would be red alongside any other colour you want to add.

Day of the week
In Nigeria, most weddings are held on Saturdays. The major reason for this is for convenience sake, as most people would be at work during weekdays. However, there are few cases where we have weddings being held during the weekday. It all depends on the couple, their families and friends involved, if it will be convenient for most of them. It will even help in cutting down expenses as wedding vendors and reception venues would be more likely to negotiate prices on days of other than Saturdays, their busiest day. You may also decide to fix it during a national holiday as well.

Weather considerations
You also have to take cognizance of the fact that the weather could be a huge factor in fixing a date for your wedding. For example, it will be unwise to want to have an outdoor reception then go right ahead to choose a date during the rainy season.

Major/significant events in your family or your area
Before you fix a date, ensure that the date you pick does not coincide with an important day for any of the families involved and would not disrupt plans e.g. Someone's convocation or even another family wedding. If it happens to fall on a very important day in your area such as a convention or a festival, and you are bent on hosting it that day, ensure you book your reception venue and hotel rooms early enough so as not to risk them being booked by someone else.

Selecting a wedding date may seem a pretty difficult task to decide on, but not to worry. With a little patience and consultations from both families, you are sure to get a suitable date special for your Big Day. Cheers!