Choosing Your Date - Less Stress, More Savings

Submitted By: Cayce Callaway Photography

You just got engaged and you can't stop looking at the ring on your hand. Your mind is reeling with thoughts about your wedding. Every person you meet asks the same question, "Have you picked your date?" "No, not yet," you mumble. You're feeling pressure from all sides and you just want to get it decided so you can move on.

Freeze. Take a breath. This decision means more than you think.

Believe it or not, what date you choose can determine how much stress you experience in your planning and how much money you spend as well.

First, the stress. I get wonderful emails every single day from brides who love my photography. It saddens me to have turn yet another one away because her date is booked. June 20th, May 30th, April 25th, have all been booked for some time for 2009, but the emails for those dates still keep coming. And I'm not the only one. The photographers I refer work to are also booked, as well as the ones they refer. These are just sample dates, but the point is, think carefully about choosing the dates that seem perfect, because they were likely perfect to many others as well. This means you're going to find your search for vendors is less about who you want and more about who's available.

I recommend you narrow your search to a of couple dates. Call the prime vendors you can't live without (venue, photographer, caterer, etc.) and ask about their availability. No one will hold your date without a contract and retainer, but you'll at least have a good idea of what you're up against.

Now the money... Everyone is striving to keep wedding budgets low during this tough economy. What if I told you the single more important factor in the cost of your wedding is the date you choose. It's true, for a number of reasons.

For one, many vendors, including myself, discount for non-Saturday weddings. It's usually right around 10% (although for venues it can be more). Add that up over all your vendors and it can save you precious dollars. In addition, it will limit the number of people who can make it to the wedding. "That's bad," you think, but not so fast. Meet with a few caterers and start to tally that per person charge. You will worry less about whether the out-of-town cousin you haven't seen since you were five can make the trip. Remember - the people who are closest to you and your fiance will cross the Alps on their knees to get to your wedding. You're only going to jettison the ones who will come if it's convenient.

For even better savings and far less stress, consider off season weddings. Atlanta has generally good weather most of the year, so picking a winter date rarely means ice and snow. It's not uncommon at all for February and March to be beautiful (with a lot less sweat!). Also, your vendors will all be fresh and excited and turnaround on phone calls, photos and meeting times will all be quick and friendly. In addition, your wedding guests won't have already been to four weddings, so their tendency to look glassy eyed and excuse themselves after the cake cutting (taking with them your dreams of a dance filled fun time for all) will be diminished.

If you're planning your wedding over a year in advance, you'll have a far easier time with availability, although popular venues book very quickly and next year's pricing can sometimes come into play. But if you just recently got engaged and you haven't finalized your date, do yourself a favor and chose wisely.

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