wedding help?

kschwarz09

Hi guys,

I am supposed to get married next summer, However I am considering changing it to an off season month to save money. Any ideas on a good month, good reception/ceremony locations? or any other help? Thank You!

medusia00

They say wedding "season" is April -October ish...do you want to do like spring?! Or a Winter wedding? The snow is pretty, but that's something you want to have too!

Do you have a favorite month? Or what month did you guys start dating?

deregniern

There have actually been a couple of recent posts on this board with a ton of great ideas for venues.  Just scroll down a bit on the board and you should find them.
I'm with medusia on the month- maybe pick you favorite month or the month you guys started dating if you want to go with an off season wedding.  Do you like fall?I think in my next lifetime I would do an early December wedding.  Winter weddings are so pretty.

MsN1ki

I'm right there with ya!!!  Just got engaged in February and we are "planning' on a May/June wedding next year, but I'm finding the few venues I've been in contact with are already getting booked up for next year!?!?!  I'd like something sweet, and simple and fairly inexpensive... any ideas would be GREATLY appreciated!  I have an appt at Jasper Winery tomorrow, and have been to the Botanical Gardens and checked it out... looks beautiful!!  Jester Park Lodge is on the table too, possibly...  Not sure where else to look, i'm at a complete loss!!!  

sdose13

Not to be Debbie Downer, but I have always wondered how to save money. I feel like whenever you tell a vendor "wedding," I think they just see dollar signs. Most venues don't change their prices depending on month. However, doing your wedding on a non-Saturday saves money, for sure. I am getting married in October and I thought it would be a low-key time. Instead, I'm hearing from everybody that October and April are busier than ever lately. Good luck! I would think January would be the most "off-season" time. And a winter wedding would be very pretty!

LRPJ

Do you have a lot of OOT guests?  Would Iowa's unpredictable winter weather have an affect on how many people are able to come for your wedding?  We were considering an "off-season" wedding, but it was a bit too risky for us.  My friends got married in December, and it was a BLIZZARD.  They had forked over tons of money for meals, and half the people were able to come to the reception.  Unfortunately, they didn't get any money back.  Something to consider.

Have you considered a Friday evening wedding?  Lots of vendors are willing to negotiate, since Saturdays are their busiest days.  This way, they can get double the business in one weekend.  My sister did this--it was an awesome summer wedding...their ceremony was at 4:30, so a majority of the OOT guests just took the afternoon off of work.

Good luck--it's definitely worth a try :-)

kschwarz09

I really like the friday idea. Thanks You! I am thinking march would be a fun month

deregniern

We totally considered a Friday wedding for the cost savings and availability of venues.  But, we were able to get both venues we wanted.  Totally know what you mean about places booking up early.  I was so shocked that places were booked 2-3 years ahead of time.  That was just crazy to me!  The first thing we got nailed down were all the venues just so we knew we had them all.  Although, we slacked a little and just booked our rehearsal dinner location about a month ago for our Sept. wedding, and we had a heck of a time finding a place.  I didn't think 5 months out would be that hard, but I guess it is.

LRPJ

Friday weddings work great--even DJS, photographers, etc. will be cheaper on Fridays.  I would totally recommend it--and if people know enough ahead of time, they will make arrangements to be there :-)  Good luck chica!

Mandalynn9112

Nov-March are lower priced months.  However there are places that don't care what month you marry.  Holidays they raise the price as well (usually only if the wedding date falls on the actual holiday).  Weekdays and Sundays are cheaper for pricings and catering.

You can save money by picking in season flowers, seeing what you can DIY and price hunting.  My FI and I are on a budget and we're doing things like decor ourselves, and not using things that say "Wedding" on the tags.  Like a PP said if you mention wedding or buy something that is "wedding" specific they jack up the price.