Advice for Seasonal Wedding Planning
When it comes time to set a date for your wedding your instinct may be to plan for a summer day. The sun ablaze, ambient temperature mild and comfortable, and if you live in the PNW, hopefully no rain clouds in sight.
But what if I told you that there are three other seasons you could plan your wedding to be in? Crazy I know, but altogether true! All jokes aside, some people really do prefer to host their wedding in a non-summer season for one reason or another. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that! In fact, the benefits can be huge! Of course, if you're going to plan your wedding for the winter months, you’ll have a totally different set of challenges to work with than someone who plans a spring or summer wedding. I’d like to offer some advice, things I’ve picked up throughout my many years in the industry. Most of what I’ll have to say will pertain to the concerns of hosting an outdoor wedding, but you can still apply this advice even if you're indoors!
Spring
Starting with the spring season, there are some things that you’ll want to account for and plan around. The first being your daylight hours; they vary greatly from the beginning to the end of the season, with light staying around longer the closer you get to summer! You really don’t want to lose your light before your ceremony and portraits are done, especially if you're hosting an outdoor wedding. Plan to start your wedding earlier in the day, perhaps around 11am, that way you have ample time to fit everything in before the light starts to fade! If you live in the PNW you should account for the chance that you may get rained on. Your odds of this are greater if you plan a wedding earlier in spring, there's sadly no way to know for sure what the weather will be like in the PNW. So, plan for the rain. Purchase clear umbrellas (the larger ones look better in photos than the small ones), make sure that you have a backup plan for your venue if you're hosting outdoors and remember to dress for the weather. It’s probably gonna be chilly, even without the rain, so bring shawls and jackets. You can even incorporate your jackets into the look of your bridal party if you want! When it comes to choosing your venue, you may have a slightly smaller selection to choose from as some venues don’t offer non-summer weddings. However, you will more than likely be greeted to a more open availability and possibly even a discounted price due to it being a slower season!
Summer
Summer weddings have a different set of challenges compared to their counterpart seasons. For one thing, the heat in summer, yes even in the PNW, can get to be a bit much for anyone (unless you're from Cali I suppose). With this in mind I recommend planning the wedding for later in the day. The sun can be quite harsh anywhere from noon to 3pm on a usual summer day, so bear that in mind when planning things like the ceremony and family portraits. Alternatively, you could plan the ceremony and portraits for the morning, in order to strike before the sun gets hot! This of course means that unless you want to hang around all day, you’ll miss the best time for photos, which comes during sunset. Please remember to plan for the heat of the day when choosing the groom and his party's attire. A full three-piece suit in dark gray or navy is going to be excruciatingly hot. Go for a cooler gray or even no suit jacket at all; you could opt for some fancy suspenders and bow ties instead! All in all, I'd recommend a later in the day wedding but, whichever way you choose is up to you! Most summer weddings have a reception that parties long into the night! If you desire to do the same make sure to check that your venue will allow you to stay late. Some venues even offer you the rental for the full night until sometime next day. You may also want to consider having a late-night snack option for you and your guests, especially if you plan on alcohol entering the equation! Finally, be prepared to have slimmer pickings for venues during the summer season. Unless you get a jump on them, venues during the summer fill up like there’s no tomorrow! You should also know that venues are generally at their most expensive during the summer season, due to the popularity of getting married under the sun!
Fall
Again, like with all non-summer seasons, you need to plan for a lack of daylight. While your daylight hours are still long in September once October hits you will find that you lose daylight faster and faster with the sunset sometimes occurring as early as 4pm. There are some added benefits however! Fall weddings usually have a sun that is more “golden” in hue thanks to the tilt of the Earth. You can also plan your wedding for midafternoon, thanks to the sun's heat not being so harsh! As with the spring season, be aware that you may encounter rain. If your week before forecasting predicts rain, then play it safe and get some umbrellas to have on hand. It’s also a good idea to have a backup venue should things get dicey with the weather. As an added comfort, bring some blankets and cold weather clothes (jackets and shawls) to make sure that everyone stays warm. Finally, make use of the fall season! Incorporate some fun themed treats into your wedding day! You could have a campfire and S’mores or a custom hot chocolate and apple cider bar! Like the spring season, you may find that more places have open availability, although the wedding season (in the PNW at least) does generally run from May to September, so you may still have to book early. I also wouldn’t expect a huge price discount until you get into October.
Winter
Winter weddings are something truly special. However, the sun sets earlier than in any other season, so you need to plan for that! This may require having a morning to early afternoon wedding, in order to fit in all the events of the day and portraits! If you're going to plan a winter wedding then choose a space with snow! It not only looks absolutely amazing in any photo, all that white just screams “bridal”! This being the case, make sure to prepare for the cold. You may have to modify your wedding attire but there are plenty of ways to make it fashionable and warm! For example, a cute pair of snow boots that can be hidden under the dress or worn to accent it, is a great way to make sure your feet don’t go numb! A faux-fur shawl is also a wonderful addition to any outfit and a great way to keep warm! The nice thing about a winter wedding is that your chances of rain, though not zero, are very low. Truth be told, the rain will more than likely be replaced by falling snow which can only add to the beauty! Again, you may have a harder time finding a venue as not all locations offer winter weddings, however you may be greeted to a nice discount! If you’re looking to have a winter wedding I’d recommend checking out some venues on the mountain. Timberline lodge hosts a beautiful event space and you’ll be surrounded by snow!
In closing, there is no right or wrong time to get married. People have to choose their seasons for a variety of reasons. While it is true that most people get married during the summer I have shot many weddings outside that season and they all turn out wonderful! The point isn’t that you got married in one season or another, it’s that you got married! At the end of the day, that’s all that matters!
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