There’s an extra day to play with this year as 2020 is a leap year. So we will have the pleasure of the 29th February for the first time again in four years. When it comes to proposing, traditionally a leap year meant that the tables were turned and women could have the chance to propose.
Unlucky leap year
Superstition suggests that 2020 may be a bit erratic. Many cultures believe that leap years are unlucky. Reportedly, the world goes a bit erratic with crazy weather patterns, additional suffering and a pretty gloomy outlook. Hence why some countries believe it is unlucky to make major decisions in a leap year like buying a house or car, or getting married. It is also traditionally seen as unlucky to get married on a leap day (29 February), though some people comment that you’d only have to remember your wedding anniversary every 4 years.
Whether you’re superstitious or not, before you rush to send out your save the date cards, here’s a little help with picking a date for your special day (and take a look at this useful guide to setting the date too).
Friday the thirteenth
There’s another two seemingly unlucky Fridays to avoid in 2020. Superstition often forces couples to avoid the 13th of the month (especially if it falls on a Friday). Other dates that are supposedly unlucky include your birthday, the day of a full moon, April Fool’s Day and it used to be forbidden to get married in Lent and Advent by the church.
Set the date
Some people think that 7 is supposed to be a lucky number whilst 4 is deemed unlucky in Japanese and Chinese traditions, so dates with these numbers may be sought after or avoided by couples. Instead perhaps you want to pick a meaningful date to you such as the anniversary of the date you first met, a memorable date that you’ll remember like 12/12/12 or a nod to your heritage such as your grandparents’ wedding anniversary date.
Think ahead
Consider which year you will get married. This may seem basic but if you want to do something soon then suppliers and venues may already be booked up. So, think about how long you have to plan the wedding. The more notice you give then the more likely you are able to have your first choice of date.
The four seasons
Depending on when your wedding is in the year could affect what the weather is likely to be like. It could also influence your themes, colours, venue, attire, transportation, food choice etc. Also, different seasons can have an impact on the price and availability of food and flowers. Venues may have different prices depending on the time of the year. And it’s worth bearing in mind whether your key guests or wedding party would be available in school holidays.
Gone till November
Old superstitions state your fate as a couple depending on the month you choose to wed. Some say it was unlucky for a couple to get married in May. Whilst June and other summer months are very popular and even December is gaining in popularity, presumably so that people can use holiday time around the big day. It is worth considering different months as popular ones are in demand so prices may increase and availability will decrease.
Eight days a week
Ironically in another old poem, it states that getting married on a Saturday is unlucky which nowadays is the most common day for people to tie the knot. However, it is also one of the most expensive days too. More people are now considering other weekdays as options and Sundays too (although this used to be deemed as a mark of disrespect).
A hard day’s night
A wedding after dark used to be considered unlucky but you could split your guests up to have some come for the whole day and others just join you for the evening part of the day so you don’t have to pay for all of them to have a sit-down meal.
Look outside your bubble
Make sure you think about what else is going on in the world such as national, local and annual events. Take in to consideration public holidays , sporting events, religious festivals and other key guests’ occasions (like birthdays or wedding anniversaries.
Here’s a list of some events in 2020 (in England) that could influence your choice of dates, that you may wish to avoid or embrace:
Public holidays
New Year’s Day 1 January
Good Friday 10 April
Easter Monday 13 April
May Day Bank Holiday 8 May (changed this year in order to coincide with VE celebrations)
Spring Bank Holiday 25 May
Summer Bank Holiday 31 August
Christmas Day 25 December
Boxing Day 26 December
Sporting events
Six Nations Tournament 1 February – 14 March
Super Bowl 2nd February
Boat Race 29 March
Grand National 4 April
London Marathon 26 April
FA Cup Final 23 May
Champions League Final 30 May
UEFA Euro 2020 12 June – 12 July
Royal Ascot 16 – 20 June
Tour de France 27 June – 19 July
Wimbledon 29 June – 12 July
Henley Regatta 1 – 5 July
British Grand Prix 17-19 July
Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo 24 July – 9 August
Paralympic Games 25 August – 6 September
ICC World Twenty20 18 October – 15 November
Religious festivals
Epiphany 6 January
Orthodox Christmas Day 7 January
Orthodox New Year 14 January
Passover 8 – 16 April
Easter Sunday 12 April
Ramadan begins 23 April – 23 May
Eid 31 July
Diwali 14 November
Hanukkah 10-18 December
Christmas
Other occasions
Burns Night 25 January
Chinese New Year 25 January (year of the rat in 2020)
Valentine’s Day 14 February
Leap day Saturday 29 February
St David’s Day 1 March
St Patrick’s Day 17 March
Mother’s Day 22 March
Shrove Tuesday 25 March
Clocks go forward 29 March
April Fool’s Day 1 April
St George’s Day 23 April
Eurovision Song Contest 12 – 16 May
Chelsea Flower Show 19 – 23 May
Trooping the Colour 13 June
Father’s Day 21 June
Glastonbury 24 – 29 June
Independence Day 4 July
Clocks go back 25 October
Halloween 31 October
Guy Fawkes 5 November
Remembrance Day 11 November
Thanksgiving 26 November
St Andrew’s Day 30 November
New Year’s Eve 31 December
‘Unlucky’ dates
March 13th 2020
November 13th 2020
August 13, 2021
Friday, May 13, 2022
Good luck on your quest to pick a date for your wedding day (and therefore your wedding anniversary date for years to come). I know a lot of thought will go in to answering the question of ‘So, when is the big day?’ Remember to pick a date that works for you.
Enjoy celebrating in 2020 and I wish you a very Happy New Year.
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Happy New Year! And huge congratulations if you’ve got engaged over the festive period.
Telling people your big news and flashing your new piece of jewellery is such an exciting time and it won’t be long until you’ll be asked (again and again) when is your big day.
So here’s a little help with picking a date for your special day (and take a look at this useful guide to setting the date too).
Before you rush to send out your save the date cards, here are some things to bear in mind when setting your wedding date:
Date
Superstition often forces couples to avoid the 13th of the month (especially if it falls on a Friday and there’s two in 2019), your birthday, the day of a full moon, April Fool’s Day and it used to be forbidden to get married in Lent and Advent by the church. Some people think that 7 is supposed to be a lucky number whilst 4 is deemed unlucky in Japanese and Chinese traditions, so dates with these numbers may be sought after or avoided by couples. Instead perhaps you want to pick a meaningful date to you such as the anniversary of the date you first met, a memorable date that you’ll remember like 12/12/12 or a nod to your heritage such as your grandparents’ wedding anniversary date.
Year
Which year are you thinking? This may seem like a basic question but if you want to do something soon then suppliers and venues may already be booked up. So, think about how long you have /want to plan the wedding. The more notice you give then the more likely you are able to have your first choice of date.
Time of year / season
This could affect what the weather is likely to be like which could influence your themes, colours, venue, attire, transportation, food choice etc. Also, different seasons can have an impact on the price and availability of food and flowers. Venues may have different prices depending on the time of the year and will your key guests or wedding party be available in school holidays?
Month
Old superstitions state your fate as a couple depending on the month you choose to wed. Some say it was unlucky for a couple to get married in May. Whilst June and other summer months are very popular and even December is gaining in popularity, presumably so that people can use holiday time around the big day. It is worth considering different months as popular ones are in demand so prices may increase and availability will decrease.
Day of the week
Ironically in another old poem, it states that getting married on a Saturday is unlucky which nowadays is the most common day for people to tie the knot. However, it is also one of the most expensive days too. More people are now considering other weekdays as options and Sundays too (although this used to be deemed as a mark of disrespect).
Day or night
A wedding after dark used to be considered unlucky but you could split your guests up to have some come for the whole day and others just join you for the evening part of the day so you don’t have to pay for all of them to have a sit-down meal.
Rest of the world
Make sure you think about what else is going on in the world such as national, local and annual events including:
Public holidays
Sporting events
Other people’s occasions (like birthdays, wedding anniversaries and religious festivals)
Here’s a list of some events (in England) in 2019 that could influence your choice of dates:
New Year’s Day 1 January
Epiphany 6 January
Orthodox Christmas Day 7 January
Orthodox New Year 14 January
Burns Night 25 January
Chinese New Year 5 February – year of the pig
Valentine’s Day 14 February
St David’s Day 1 March
Mardi Gras 5 March
Shrove Tuesday 5 March
Mother’s Day 31 March
St Patrick’s Day 17 March
First Day of Spring 20 March
Clocks go forward 31 March
April Fool’s Day 1 April
Grand National 6 April
Boat Race 7 April
Good Friday 19 April
Passover 19 – 27 April
Easter Monday 22 April
Earth Day 22 April
St George’s Day 23 April
London marathon 28 April
Cinco de Mayo 5 May
Ramadan begins 5 May – 4 June
May Day Bank Holiday 6 May
Eurovision Song Contest 14-18 May
FA Cup Final 18 May
Chelsea Flower Show 21 – 29 May
Monaco Grand Prix 23 – 26 May
Spring Bank Holiday 27 May
Cricket World Cup (England) 30 May – 9 June
Women’s World Cup (France) 7 June – 7 July
Trooping the Colour 8 June
Father’s Day 16 June
First Day of Summer 21 June
Royal Ascot 22-23 June
Glastonbury 26-30 June
Wimbledon 1 – 14 July
Henley Regatta 3 – 7 July
Independence Day 4 July
British Grand Prix 12-14 July
Eid 11-15 August
Summer Bank Holiday 26 August
Friday 13th September 2019
Rugby World Cup (Japan) 20 September – November
First Day of Autumn 23 September
Diwali 27 October
Clocks go back 27 October
Halloween 31 October
Guy Fawkes 5 November
Remembrance Day 11 November
Thanksgiving 28 November
St Andrew’s Day 30 November
Friday 13th December 2019
Hanukkah 22-30 December
First Day of Winter 22 December
Christmas Day 25 December
Boxing Day 26 December
New Year’s Eve 31 December
Plus other upcoming ‘unlucky’ dates of :
Saturday 29th February 2020
Friday 13th March 2020
Friday 13th November 2020
And not forgetting the Olympic Games in 2020 in Tokyo 24 July – 9 August.
Enjoy celebrating in 2019 and I wish you a very Happy New Year.
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Happy New Year! And huge congratulations to you if you’ve got engaged over the festive period.
Telling people your big news and flashing your new piece of jewellery is such an exciting time and it won’t be long until you’ll be asked (again and again) when is your big day.
So here’s a little help with picking a date for your special day (and take a look at this useful guide to setting the date too).
Make sure you think about what else is going on in the world such as national, local and annual events including:
Public holidays
Sporting events
Royal occasions
Other people’s occasions (like birthdays, wedding anniversaries and religious festivals)
Here’s a list of some events (in England) in 2018 that could influence your choice of dates:
New Year’s Day 1 January
Epiphany 6 January
Orthodox Christmas Day 7 January
Orthodox New Year 14 January
Burns Night 25 January
Winter Olympics 9-25 February
Shrove Tuesday 13 February
Valentine’s Day 14 February
Chinese New Year 16 February dog
St David’s Day 1 March
International Women’s Day 8 March
Mother’s Day 11 March
St Patrick’s Day 17 March
First Day of Spring 20 March
Boat Race 24 March
Clocks go forward 25 March
Good Friday 30 March
Passover 30 March – 7 April
April Fool’s Day 1 April
Easter Day 1 April
Easter Monday 2 April
London Marathon 22 April
St George’s Day 23 April
May Day Bank Holiday 7 May
Ramadan begins 15 May
Royal Wedding 19 May
FA Cup Final 19 May
Spring Bank Holiday 28 May
Trooping the colour 9 June
Eid 14-15 June
Father’s Day 17 June
Royal Ascot 19-23 June
First Day of Summer 21 June
Wimbledon 2 – 15 July
Independence Day 4 July
Henley Regatta 4 – 8 July
British Grand Prix 8 July
Summer Bank Holiday 27 August
First Day of Autumn 23 September
Diwali 19 October
Clocks go back 28 October
Guy Fawkes 5 November
Remembrance Day 11 November
Thanksgiving 22 November
St Andrew’s Day 30 November
Hanukkah 2-10 December
First Day of Winter 21 December
Christmas Day 25 December
Boxing Day 26 December
Enjoy celebrating in 2018 and I wish you a very Happy New Year.
As well as general wedding planning chat, this week’s theme is ‘finding the right stationery for your budget’ – what things affect pricing? Thanks to Paper Tree Design #UKWedLunch
TOP TIP 1: Differences in service, technique and embellishments are what makes your stationery either basic or premium #UKWedLunch
TOP TIP 2: Level of service will effect pricing: the more bespoke and more time spent making it will make it expensive #UKWedLunch
TOP TIP 3: Weight (thickness), texture and finish of card will affect how much it costs, as well as how it’s printed #UKWedLunch
TOP TIP 4: For every finish (especially ones done by hand) you add cost: hot foil, spot vanish, embossing, paper cut, trims (ribbon, twins, crystals etc) #UKWedLunch
TOP TIP 5: DIY or stationery in kit form will save on price – get wedding party to help make them together #UKWedLunch
TOP TIP 6: Buy in bulk – think about all your stationery in one go from the outset rather than separate pieces at different times #UKWedLunch
I love this time of year. It’s when our metaphorical diary is full of blank pages yet unwritten.
For lots of people, the new year is a popular time to book holidays, make resolutions, kick start a new healthy regime and start thinking about personal special occasions that we have coming up.
Plus the start of the year often spurs people to pop the question and/or kickstart their wedding planning.
Huge congratulations to you if you’ve got engaged over the festive period.
Telling people your big news and flashing your new piece of jewellery is such an exciting time and it won’t be long until you’ll be asked (again and again) when is your big day.
So here’s a little help with picking a date for your special day (and take a look at this useful guide to setting the date too).
Make sure you think about what else is going on in the world such as national, local and annual events including:
Public holidays
Sporting events
Royal occasions
Other people’s occasions (like birthdays, wedding anniversaries and religious festivals)
Here’s a list of some events (in England) in 2017 that could influence your choice of dates:
New Year’s Day 1 January
Epiphany 6 January
Orthodox Christmas Day 7 January
Orthodox New Year 14 January
Burns Night 25 January
Chinese New Year 28 January
Valentine’s Day 14 February
Shrove Tuesday 28 February
St David’s Day 1 March
St Patrick’s Day 17 March
First Day of Spring 20 March
Clocks go forward 26 March
Mother’s Day 26 March
April Fool’s Day 1 April
Boat Race 2 April
Passover 11-18 April
Good Friday 14 April
Easter Day 16 April
Easter Monday 17 April
St George’s Day 23 April
London Marathon 23 April
May Day Bank Holiday 1 May
FA Cup Final 27 May
Spring Bank Holiday 29 May
Royal Ascot 16-20 June
Father’s Day 18 June
First Day of Summer 21 June
Eid 26 June
Henley Regatta 28 June – 8 July
Wimbledon 3 – 16 July
Independence Day 4 July
British Grand Prix 7-9 July
Summer Bank Holiday 28 August
First Day of Autumn 22 September
Diwali 19 October
Clocks go back 29 October
Guy Fawkes 5 November
Remembrance Day 11 November
Thanksgiving 23 November
St Andrew’s Day 30 November
Hanukkah 13-20 December
First Day of Winter 21 December
Christmas Day 25 December
Boxing Day 26 December
Enjoy celebrating in 2017 and I wish you a very Happy New Year.
According to the infamous shampoo advert, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Whilst you have been living and breathing all things to do with your wedding, the first time your guests may have any idea about your big day is when your wedding invitation or save the date card lands on their doormat.
Here’s my guide to planning and sending your wedding stationery to make sure that first impression counts:
why
There are many reasons why it is important to send invitations. Firstly, you want to share your good news with people and to invite them to celebrate your special day with you. Knowing how many guests are going to be at your wedding will also give you a clearer idea of the number of people to cater for and the venue size required.
But this is about more than just logistics, this important piece of mail will set the scene, the tone, the theme and your guests’ expectations of your special occasion. It also acts as way to educate and organise your guests so that they know what is expected of them too.
What you say, when you send it, to whom you address it and what it looks like all provide the first experience your guests have of your wedding. So it’s really important that you plan your stationery wisely to make the best first impression.
how
There are three different routes you could go down with your invitations – the traditional way of sending out paper stationery, the more technological (and environmentally friendly) path, or a combination of the old and new which might involve paper invites but collating the RSVPs electronically.
Whichever route you take, it’s great to
coordinate the stationery with the theme of your wedding
coordinate all the stationery as a whole
ensure that you have a consistent look and feel with everything that you do online and offline
order all your paper stationery at the same time to save on costs
don’t forget to factor in the cost of envelopes and stamps to your budget
Bear in mind that the more people you invite, the more postage you’ll have to spend and then multiple this by how many times you send different stationery from the suite (ie save the date cards, invites, added info etc).
what
Think of your wedding as a big marketing campaign – you need to consider promotion of it before, during and follow up afterwards to get the best results (and response) from your audience! A well informed guest is a happy one and communication is key so your guests don’t encounter too many unforeseen surprises that they haven’t accounted for.
Here is the full suite of paper stationery to consider. I’ve included some US trends that we are starting to see more of in the UK especially in more formal weddings (of course this list covers all types and styles of wedding day, so omit the elements that do not suit your big day):
Pre-wedding day
Engagement announcements
Engagement party invitations
Be my bridesmaid / best man cards
Hen party / stag do invitations
Save the date cards
Wedding invitations
Day
Evening
Information sheets
Schedule of the Day
Accommodation
Gift list
Map / directions
Special requests (ie diet / high chair etc)
Song requests
RSVP cards
Rehearsal dinner invitations
On the wedding day
Order of service / Programme
Table plan / Escort cards
Table numbers
Place name cards
Menus
Signage / labels
Pew cards / reserved seating
Favours
Buffet food
Post box
Guest book
Post wedding day
Thank you cards
Cake boxes
when
Pre-wedding day
10-12 months before the wedding day – send your save the date cards (or add a note in Christmas cards to save on additional postage).
4-6 months before the wedding day – send out the invitations (consider sending them out in waves if you want to see how many people reply positively and then decide whether you could ‘bump up’ any evening guests to be all day guests if you have some people that can’t make it). Include extra information documents to provide details of the day and give the guests details of how to contact you to confirm their attendance. Put a date on the invites to tell guests when you need to have their RSVP back to you.
6-8 weeks before the wedding day – check any last minute changes to your guest list and chase any outstanding RSVPs so that the table plan and place cards can be produced and you have a final number for order of services and menus for the day.
Post wedding day
asap after the wedding day – send out wedding cake in boxes to any friends or relatives that couldn’t make the big day.
2 weeks-3 months after the wedding day – etiquette dictates that a you should respond to people in a polite time frame as soon as you receive their gift (or as soon as possible after your return from honeymoon) to thank people for their gifts and attendance.
who
Once you’ve decided on what you’re going to send and when you are going to send it, you need to consider who the invite is going to and who it is coming from.
If your wedding day is going to be quite casual then your invitations should reflect this, whereas if it’s formal then the style and wording of the invites will be different to fit with this theme. The look and feel should mirror the content too.
There are so many variations on what you write inside the invite, as there are many factors that will influence the wording of stationery. For example, every family has different circumstances, it depends who is ‘hosting’ the wedding and often who is paying for the wedding. Here’s my advice on the elements to include which can be adjusted for all the different scenarios:
Start the invite with who is hosting the wedding (whether this be the couple, the bride’s parent/s, groom’s parent/s, both sets of parents, or a mix of all of the above)
Use ‘request the pleasure of your company’ (or can be more casually put like ‘please join us’)
Write in the passive 3rd person for a more formal style
List the bride before the groom (use bride’s first and middle names only for formal invites, plus groom’s full title)
Include the time, date, month, year
Indicate the venue with full address
Note if there is a reception or meal afterwards (including when and where this will be held)
Provide RSVP date and return address
To avoid confusion, it is often better to be really specific about who you are inviting and to which parts of the day they are invited to, so that they are not left in any doubt. Other things to note (so that all guests are on the same page) is whether there will be:
a dress code
children invited
plus ones for single guests
Above all else, ensure that your invitations (and other stationery) reflect your personality and the look and feel of your special day. As long as you’ve got the important information on them (who, when, what, where) you can then add your own personal touches so that it fits your wedding day.
[Photography credits – Paper Tree Design]
Photography by Farrow Photography red wicker heart on black and white checkered floor
Queen of Heart's throne with red paper flowers, ivy and her red heart wand, red heart box and ace of hearts and ace of clubs playing cards
close up of red paper flowers and ivy wrapped around back of wooden garden chair
plate of jam tarts with heart tops
It’s February and it might be the shortest month but it is often referred to as one of the most romantic months of the year (especially if Hallmark have done their job properly in convincing you, if you didn’t already agree). Plus this year there is double the chance of a proposal this month (if you are waiting for one patiently) with not only Valentine’s Day on the 14th, but as it is a leap year you can take matters in to your own hands and pop the question yourself on the 29th. We look forward to hearing all the forthcoming engagement stories and wedding plans. (Meanwhile if you are looking for inspiration on ways to propose (or if you just love hearing how people get betrothed) then take a look at some proposal stories from real brides that we’ve curated.)
Congratulations if you are recently engaged. Telling people your big news and flashing your new piece of jewellery is such an exciting time and how wonderful to be spreading good news amongst your nearest and dearest. Unfortunately, just telling the romantic (or run of the mill) engagement story is often not enough information for some of our family and friends. And I imagine that almost in the same breath as wishing you their congratulations, one of the first questions that you’ll get asked (again and again) when you first announce your engagement is ‘So, when is the big day?’ (After you’re married the question then becomes ‘So, when are you having a baby?’ But that’s a different story!)
If you’ve not set the date yet, this can be quite a daunting question and certainly one that requires quite a bit of thought. So before you rush to send out your save the date cards, please let us offer our guidance on how (and when) to set your wedding date.
Consider the holy trinity of wedding planning
For me, there are three key aspects of wedding planning that go hand in hand and pretty much affect every other thing that is connected with your big day. These are Venue, Guests and Budget (otherwise known as where, who and how much). They co-exist as you can’t really pick your venue without knowing how much you have to spend and how many people you want to invite. Likewise, you might not be able to invite all your guests due to venue size and money constraints. And let’s face it, your budget may well dictate whether you can afford your dream venue or how many second cousins removed can be invited. So they’re a bit like the chicken and the egg (and the farmyard!) as you can’t decide one thing without the other. (Don’t worry we’ll be talking lots about these three elements in future blog posts coming very soon!)
Anyway, I digress as we are actually talking about the when aspect of wedding planning at the moment. However, the where, who and how much elements very much affect when your big day will be too. For example, venues may have different prices depending on the time of the year and do you when your key guests or wedding party be available. Trust me, nearly all the decisions you have to make about your wedding will come back to one, two or all of the elements in what I class as the holy trinity of wedding planning.
Timing is everything
I married a school teacher so instantly my choices were limited for wedding dates if I wanted to have a honeymoon after the ceremony. (Honestly, I used to take a holiday in November time to enjoy some winter sunshine before I met my husband. But even before kids, I had to resign myself to more expensive non term time holidays! Heavy sign!) So, we chose the summer holidays which then meant we had to consider other people’s travel commitments and it impactedon our budget as it was in the height of wedding season. We also had to consider availability of certain suppliers at a busy time. One benefit of marrying a teacher though is that we weren’t restricted to a weekend date which made it cheaper on the venue costs (although would mean that some of our guests had to take a day off work). See what I mean about it always coming back to decisions or compromises based on cost, guests or venue!
So you have to decide what are your must haves (ie what you’re not willing to compromise on) and what you can be flexible with. For example, in order to get your dream venue are you willing to wait a couple of years to get the right date. Here are some things to bear in mind when picking your date:
Year – which year are you thinking? This year? Next year? Or several years down the line? This may seem like a basic question but if you want to do something this year then suppliers and venues may already be booked up. So think about how long you have /want to plan the wedding. The more notice you give then the more likely you are able to have your first choice. Only last week I heard a supplier say that they have been booked for a 2020 wedding – now that is forward planning!
Time of year / season – this could affect what the weather is likely to be like (although who knows what the British weather is up to at the moment!) which could influence your themes, colours, venue, attire, transportation, food choice etc etc. Also different seasons can have an impact on the price and availability of food and flowers. I really wanted the church to be crammed full of cowslip when I got married but this is just nowhere to be seen in August!
Month – the old Catholic marriage song below states your fate as a couple depending on the month you choose to wed. At the time, it was unusual and unlucky for a couple to get married in May as this was the start of Summer and was marked by a pagan feast. Although this superstition may date further back to Roman times. On the contrary, June and other summer months are very popular and even December is gaining in popularity, presumably so that people can use holiday time around the big day. It is worth considering different months as popular ones are in demand so prices may increase and availability will decrease.
Marry when the year is new, always loving, always true, When February birds do mate, you may wed or dread your fate If you wed when March winds blow, joy and sorrow both you’ll know Marry in April when you can, joy for maiden and for man, Marry in the month of May, you will surely rue the day, Marry when June roses blow, over land and sea you’ll go, They who in July do wed, must labour always for their bread, Whoever wed in August be, many a change are sure to see, Marry in September’s shine, your living will be rich and fine, If in October you do marry, love will come but riches tarry, If you wed in bleak November, only Joy will remember, When December snows fall fast, marry and true love will last.
Day of the week – ironically in another old poem, it states that getting married on a Saturday is unlucky which nowadays is the most common day for people to tie the knot. However it is also one of the most expensive days too. We chose a Friday which still had the benefit of being near a weekend for people to tag on holiday and was slightly cheaper. More people are now considering other weekdays as options and Sundays too (although this used to be deemed as a mark of disrespect which is probably why it is not mentioned in the version of the poem I sourced).
Monday: Brides will be healthy Tuesday: Brides will be wealthy Wednesday: Brides do best of all Thursday: Brides will suffer losses Friday: Brides will suffer crosses Saturday: Brides will have no luck at all
Date – superstition often forces couples to avoid the 13th of the month (especially if it falls on a Friday), your birthday, the day of a full moon, April Fool’s Day and it used to be forbidden to get married in Lent and Advent by the church. Some people think that 7 is supposed to be a lucky number whilst 4 is deemed unlucky in Japanese and Chinese traditions so dates with these numbers may be sought after or avoided by couples. Instead perhaps you want to pick a meaningful date to you such as the anniversary of the date you first met, a memorable date that you’ll remember like 12/12/12 or a nod to your heritage such as your grandparents’ wedding anniversary date.
Time of day – as someone who is very much driven by their stomach, I would always advise to think about how meal times fit around the formal parts of the day. You don’t want to be having a ceremony when everyone’s tummies are rumbling and there’s no sign of a meal for hours. (As an aside, always keep your guests fed, watered and entertained.) Wedding ceremonies that took place before noon were said to be lucky versus the inverse in the afternoon. However, if you hold a later ceremony you could save money if you only have to feed your guests once in the day.
Day or night – a wedding after dark used to be considered unlucky but you could split your guests up to have some come for the whole day and others just join you for the evening part of the day so you don’t have to pay for all of them to have a sit down meal.
Duration – nowadays more and more couples are choosing to have a weekend long wedding over 2-3 days to enjoy the company of their friends and family for longer. This would obviously add cost and commitment from all parties if you were going for his option.
What else is going on in the world
You may be living and breathing your wedding and everything else in the world is taking a back seat. However, things are still going on around you and some national, local and annual events may have an impact on your guests involvement, availability and enjoyment. For example:
Public holidays – you may want to avoid them as they might increase traffic on the roads near holiday spots or because guests will have family commitments. Or embrace them as people will instantly have a day off.
Sporting events – things like the Olympics this year, the FA Cup final and the Euros may be distracting if you’ve got any keen sporting fans attending your wedding.
Royal occasions – it doesn’t look likely there’s a royal wedding this year (we were certainly worried Will and Kate were going to pick the same date as us in 2011!) but the Queen is celebrating her 90th birthday in June so people may have plans to mark that occasion.
Other people’s occasions – no one really wants to share their big day with someone else’s thunder. So you may want to avoid other people’s birthdays, wedding anniversaries, and religious festivals. Unbeknown to us, there were two other couples that were guests at our wedding who got married on the same date as us (they are teachers too!). They actually liked it as it was a great way to celebrate their own anniversary. However, if it had been a milestone anniversary they might have thought differently. Likewise picking a date near a close friend or family member’s own wedding day might not go down too well either.
Take a look at a list of some events (in England) in 2016 that could influence your choice of dates.
Good luck on your quest to pick a date for your wedding day and therefore your wedding anniversary date for years to come. I know a lot of thought will go in to answering the question of ‘So, when is the big day?’ Remember to pick a date that works for you (and the holy trinity of wedding planning obviously!)
We’d love to hear your engagement stories please contact me with how you proposed or were proposed to.
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