Choosing your wedding date is a very important decision that you will need to make. You can only start planning your wedding after a date has been selected.
What may come as a surprise to many of you is that selecting your wedding date depends mostly on whether you want a particular reception venue and/or a particular church/ceremony venue.
Generally speaking, the more in advance you plan your wedding, the greater the choice of venue and church you will have.
Start 2 years in advance
It is suggested you start discussing the date with your partner around two years before, especially if you intend to get married in the most popular months of May, June, September or October.
You need to initially make sure that on your chosen date, parents, members of the bridal party and other close friends are available. Check beforehand as they might have committed themselves to other matters from which they would not be able to free themselves. Also check if any of your relatives are going to get married on the same date!
Prioritize – Venue or Date?
You have to decide what your priorities are: the reception venue or the wedding date itself?
If the venue is the most important to you, contact the particular venue manager to check availability. If you want an outdoor wedding, plan the date around the seasons to ensure you are not disappointed by the weather. Read this article for tips on choosing your wedding venue. (new window)
If the date is the most important factor, be ready to accept vendors other than the ones you may have originally shortlisted. Many popular venues are booked up years in advance and you are far more likely to find the less popular ones available.
When choosing your date, try to choose one that has sentimental value associated with it. For example, the anniversary of the first day you met or the first time you kissed. It is certainly more romantic to link the date with another occasion.
Be sure that there are no village feasts in the vicinity of your chosen church or reception venue. Consider the strong possibility of getting stuck in traffic and arriving late. See this article for the dates of feasts in Malta and Gozo.(new window)
On the other hand, it might be ideal to have your wedding on the eve of a Public or National Holiday. Chances are your guests will have that day off and can enjoy your wedding celebrations well into the night! See this for a complete list of Public and National holidays.(new window)
Finally…
It is a good idea to select a minimum of two dates to choose from. Having two days available at hand gives you more flexibility when booking the vendors you want.
If you are on a tight budget, do not opt to get married during May, June, September or October. These are high seasons and vendors may charge you less if you select a date during the other months.