Shakespeare once said: “What is in a name?” I want to say: “What is in a date?” Consider carefully before selecting your wedding date…

Unless it is a special anniversary or a birthday, does it really matter what the date is? As long as you have a basic idea of when (for example, winter / summer / beginning or end of the year). Does the actual date actually matter??

I recommend that you decide on your venue first, then find out what they have available around the time that you want to get hitched. Rather say: “I want to get married around April” or “in the spring” or “towards the end of the year” than “I’m getting married on such and such a date”.

To have your wedding at your first choice of venue, is much more important than having your wedding on a date that your brand new husband is likely to forget anyway! If you decided on a precise date, come hell or high water, you might have to move on to your second, third or fourth choice of venue… And having the perfect venue for your needs, is more likely to ensure a perfect wedding, than a specific date.

At this point I would also like to suggest considering other days than Saturdays for your wedding. Think about it: There are only 52 Saturdays in a year, how many people can get married if they only did it on Saturdays?? Another benefit, off course, is that your week, Friday & Sunday weddings are usually more cost effective, so you can have your wedding at your dream venue, even though you thought before that you couldn’t afford it.

Don’t think that people won’t come if it is any other day than a Saturday. Don’t you go out in the week? And if your guests really want to be there, they will make a plan to attend, and will probably be just too happy to take a day or two off work! And if they cannot make arrangements at work for an afternoon off, especially if you give them a few months notice, do you really want to buy them dinner?

Speaking from personal experience – I got married on a Friday, which were not only cheaper, but turned into an entire weekend of festivities – the only thing wrong with a week wedding, is people’s perceptions.

It is also important to know when the public holidays are, as these dates are usually considered as Saturdays by venues, and will be charged for accordingly. Getting married the day prior to a public holiday, will probably be charged as a Friday, and your guests will have enough time to recover from a late night.

If you are getting married over a holiday, like Christmas or Easter, you want to allow yourself more time to prepare. Not only will suppliers be less available, but also you need to give your guests notice before they make any other holiday-plans. Also keep in mind that travel will be more expensive, not only for your guests, but also for your honeymoon.

If you both have heavy workloads, it is also a good idea to plan way in advance. Or book a coordinator.

That all said, you should also not fall into the trap of booking too early. Most vendors don’t want to be booked two years in advance, as they don’t know what their prices are going to be like.

Even if you are planning to have a lavish, extravagant wedding, in most cases about 8 - 12months of planning should be enough. If you are getting married in the winter months, at a lesser-known venue or at a place where you guests don’t have to travel extensively, 6 months of planning will do the trick.

If you are planning a wedding on short notice, (within 6 months or less) finding a public holiday is normally easier than finding a Saturday, especially at the more popular venues. Very often a Sunday could turn into your perfect wedding date, if the Monday or the Tuesday is a public holiday. Definitely something to keep in mind…

Then, one last thing on dates: Before deciding on your wedding date, there is a few other dates that you must be aware of. I can guarantee that if you have a rugby-watching kind of crowd, they will not feel like going to a wedding on Currie Cup final weekend! Or even worse…a Tri-Nations or World-Cup final.

I actually know of a wedding where everybody attended the ceremony like they should, but straight after, (the bride & groom was still showered with confetti) the shirts came off, and the Blue Bulls & Stormers T-shirts was put on! And then the guys went off to the closest pub to watch the game…

By the time the bride & groom returned after photographs, the game was not yet over and less than half the guests awaited their arrival in the reception hall. (At least the groom did not sneak off to the game too!)

To avoid this kind of thing happening at your wedding, please click on the links below to see the “big match” dates. This also goes for cricket and soccer.

http://www.sa2010.gov.za
http://www.cricket.co.za/
http://www.sarugby.net/
http://www.supersport.co.za
http://www.toursa.com/sa_public_holidays.htm

Even though it is your day, guests should be taken into consideration. Most of them are spending a lot of time and money on your wedding. This is why it is important to let them know ASAP by either sending out ‘Save the date’ cards, email or even phone calls. Another option is to have an engagement party, after the wedding has been booked. Please remember NOT to spread the word about a specific date, if the venue has not yet been secured! Some brides seem to think that the specific venue of their choice will just magically have their date of choice available…

To summarize: Sundays, Fridays and any other weekdays are also perfectly good wedding days, let your guests know ahead of time when your wedding will be, keep public holidays in mind when you book your big day and NEVER attempt to compete with a big sporting event!

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

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