So your fiance proposed, and you said yes!  Great!  Uh-oh, you find that you will have to pay for your wedding by yourselves.  Well, first you should decide when you will have your wedding day.  And to help stay within your budget – when NOT to have your wedding.

First and foremost, don’t have your wedding on a Saturday.  Saturday is one of the most expensive days of the week to have a wedding, because frankly, that is when everyone else is most likely having their wedding!  Can you imagine the struggles and frustration you will run into, finding a preacher or other such officiating person who isn’t already busy that day with other weddings; finding photographers or DeeJays who aren’t already booked or who will charge an arm and a leg because it’s a popular day; or caterers whose rates are crazy high just because it’s a Saturday?  Yes, Saturdays are convenient, but that is the reason many other people are scheduling their weddings on those days as well.

Oddly, Sunday afternoons are good for weddings – if any attendees go to church, they would be able to attend church and still make it to your wedding.  This day seems to be picking up in popularity, though, so you will also need to keep in mind which season you want to have your wedding in.

Fall, winter and spring are probably the better choices for weddings, depending on what part of the country you’re in.  Summers are going to be the most popular for weddings, so shy away from this season if at all possible.  That is why statistics show that June is the month with the most weddings, and is the one month you will probably want to avoid if you want to keep your wedding under budget.

Also, avoid major holidays for obvious reasons.  I mean, no one goes into a marriage with the explicit intent of getting a divorce, but think about it – if you get married on say, Christmas, and then a couple years later the two of you are through and you part ways, chances are you will probably hate Christmas from then on.  Well maybe hate is a strong word, but it certainly wouldn’t exactly be “happy holidays” anymore.

And especially don’t get married on Valentines Day.  Vendors are going to squeeze you for every dime they can just to take advantage of the type of holiday it is if you choose to have your wedding on that day.  And for the same reason I suggested avoiding getting married on Christmas, if there isn’t a “happily ever after” – you don’t want to be hating on ol’ St. Valentine and crying into your cookie-dough ice cream every February 14th if things don’t go well!

So to recap – avoid Saturdays, the summer season, and major holidays.  Anything else inbetween is pretty much game, but remember if you want to have your wedding outside to plan according to the average weather patterns.  The last thing you want is for “April showers” to dump all over your wedding guests and your wedding party!  Nevertheless, always have a backup plan in case the weather does a 180 on you.  Either that or pray that Mother Nature (or God if you’re inclined) will keep the sun shining just long enough for you to say “I do” before you have to make a mad dash into the nearest building to avoid the downpour!