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HELP!! I need to pick a good month for an outdoor wedding

Hi! Well I am recently engaged (WOOHOO) and my fiancee and I are starting the wedding planning process. We are looking to set a date, I would love an outdoor wedding and my fiancee would really like a wedding that wouldn't break the bank. So we need a month that accommodates both our needs. I was thinking perhaps late may and he is thinking mid april. So what do you guys think is a good month to get married? If you were married in these months did you have a good experience with the months? Do you think the weather will be a major issue? (I know the weather is unpredictable but average you know) Anyways, everyones help would be greatly appreciated since I have no idea how to start THANKS!!!
Wedding Countdown Ticker Dannie

Re: HELP!! I need to pick a good month for an outdoor wedding

  • edited December 2011
    Okay not trying to be a beotch bc I will help...but rule of thumb we usually don't do the HELP!!! thing unless its a serious emergency (which is unlikely).That being said, what year do you want to get married, what is your pp budget and the area...we can help you pick the most cost effective months that way much easier and help you narrow down venues and timing
  • edited December 2011
    October is technically the dryest month of the year, but with the weather this year, and living in NJ, you really can't count on anything.  I wouldn't put all my eggs in one basket for an outdoor wedding unless you are going to an island.  Pick a place that you love the outdoor and are satisfield with the indoor location in case of bad weather.  I feel like April is mostly rainy.  You can look at the Farmer's Almanac or weather underground for history of the weather.
  • uppereastgirluppereastgirl member
    2500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Mid-April is likely too cold for a wedding outdoors, unless you have serious heaters or really good luck.You can go to wunderground.com and look at the trip planner to see what the weather tends to be like for certain periods of time -- they list the historical weather for the last 10-15 years.
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  • goaliegirlgoaliegirl member
    Eighth Anniversary 1000 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    I think anytime between mid-April through the Fall would be fine for an outdoor wedding.   I even went to an outdoor wedding this year at the end of March.   One thing to keep in mind when looking is make sure you have a back-up option for an indoor ceremony if the weather is bad.  I wanted an outdoor wedding and it ended up pouring the whole day we got married so we had to do it inside.  It ended up being wonderful.   the weather is very unpredictable so prepare yourself ahead of time for the possibility of bad weather.
  • edited December 2011
    Ditto Kristen.  And I would also not suggest mid-april if you're going for a strictly outdoor wedding.  It's still trying to become warm at that time, and you may catch a cold cold day.  I was married april 4th, and it was cloudy and oh-so-chilly!!!!  I only had to be outside for my pictures thought so it worked out.
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  • Laurms15Laurms15 member
    2500 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    I'm getting married mid april. Everyone asked me why because of the whole April showers an it is supposed to rain a lot in April (I've accepted that fact and bought cute umbrellas just in case) However this past June it rained SO much and was pretty blah as far as months go. So there is no way to be sure. I was at a wedding in the 3rd week of April in an NYC rooftop and it was 92 and sunny so sunny I got a sunburn.As for being off season, March/April are more off season (usually) then May. However it really depends on the venue and if you want a Saturday night wedding vs Friday/Sunday.
  • edited December 2011
    I got married outside and insisted that the ceremony be outdoors only - I actually hated my indoor option which was stupid of me to do but I chanced it (it didn't rain luckily) but it can be unpredictable as pp stated so I'd end up picking a place that had both options that you were pleased with That being said, you can always rent tents
  • Laurms15Laurms15 member
    2500 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    Sorry I missed the part about it being outdoor. Then I would suggest late April or May because March/April can be cold as PP suggested her wedding was cold and cloudy. There is no guarantee though ALWAYS have a back-up!!
  • edited December 2011
    If it was only the ceremony outside, i'd say go for early/med april if the prices are best.  But since you're saying the WHOLE entire wedding (reception too) will be outside, I wouldn't chance it.  You can always have a tent for the rain, but if it's cold you're gonna need TONS of heaters.
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  • edited December 2011
    My wedding is April 25th and I'm planning to get married outside if its not excessively cold or raining. I figured it would be okay since my bday is a week later, and usually the temperature is perfect on my bday. When I checked the historical weather forecast, it was mostly in the mid to upper sixties that day. I'm doing the ceremony mid-day when its usually warmest.  I would suggest going as late in April as you can.  If you are looking at 2011, April 30th is a Saturday. At some places the rates go up in May over April, so you might want to consider that as well.
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  • smw42smw42 member
    2500 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    Also- what year are you planning on getting married? If we're talking 2010- April might be pretty tough to plan right now. If you're talking 2011- how long do you want to be engaged? I know that these points were a factor in us picking our date.
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  • edited December 2011
    Ohhh I didn't realize she meant the whole wedding...that's tougher than - unless you're tenting the whole darn thing and they better be good tents the ones with the optional "walls" and yes you'd need to be prepared with heaters - this could run you a lot of $$ especially if you're trying to keep costs low
  • edited December 2011
    Hey! Thanks so much for your replies and help. I actually did not even THINK of the idea of splitting the ceremony and reception into outdoors and indoors since I was fixated on the whole wedding being outdoors. That whole idea is fabulous and would be a safer with the weather and much more cost-friendly opinion (since we don't have to rent tents) which will make Alex extremely happy. I think with the option of dividing the ceremony and reception, Alex will be more inclined for the date to be later in April or begining May which will make use both happy. Also to answer someone's question, I was thinking April/May 2012 which gives us a little over two years to save and plan since I am finishing up college and he recently moved back to Jersey from Texas. Again thank you so much for your replies, advice and help.
    Wedding Countdown Ticker Dannie
  • alliecarrie41alliecarrie41 member
    Knottie Warrior 1000 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    any month could be a good or bad idea outdoors... just make sure you have a backup plan.
  • edited December 2011
    did you want help with a place?  if so we'd need to know your headcount (approx) and how much per person.  also where in nj?
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  • mbcdefgmbcdefg member
    10000 Comments 5 Love Its Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    Welcome to the board. In terms of wanting an affordable wedding AND an outdoor wedding ... one of you may need to make a compromise here. The reason being that a lot of months that are suitable for outdoor weddings (probably May-early October) are considered the "peak" months for weddings - which means that they are the most expensive. I'm marrying on April 10, which is the week after Easter. When FI and I visited reception halls, we got the best prices for dates in January, February and March. So if your main goal is something on the more inexpensive side, then that's probably your best bet for a date. Prices started to go up immediately following Easter (and before we started planning, a friend in the catering business told me that her company typically raised the prices right after Lent/Easter). Plus, it can be quite expensive to have an entirely outdoor wedding because you need to rent a tent, heater/air conditioner, chairs and tables, maybe linens and china and flatware if your caterer doesn't provide those, maybe some portable bathrooms, etc. It really depends on what your venue and caterer can offer you (or if you have to rent a "blank slate" location and then bring in everything yourself). Oftentimes it's cheaper to just write one check to your venue and have them figure all that stuff out. If you just want an outdoor CEREMONY and the reception can be indoors, there are a lot of places in NJ that do that. Like Kris mentioned, The Tides (my reception location) had gardens in the back where you can hold a ceremony. There are lots of others, just ask (tell us what area of the state, how many guests you have and how much money you want to pay).
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