Long Distance Wedding: Setting the Date, Most Popular Months For Wedding By State

Determine which months are popular.

For destination weddings, this process is relatively simple. A tour company or travel agent can usually tell you the high and low seasons for a specific location. Generally, tropical sites (the Caribbean, Hawaii, and so on) are busiest from mid-December to mid-April. Hence, the hotel rates are highest then, with Christmas, February, and March especially on the expensive side.
Meanwhile, bargains can be had in off-r months such as May through November. Interestingly, the weather often has little to do with a month's popularity in some tropical spots. For example, in Hawaii, the time of the year with the most rain is right near Christmas, yet this is the highest of high tourist times. The rainy season in the Caribbean is generally in the fall, although the rain isn't so extreme as to ruin your honeymoon. The bottom line: do some research on the site (the back of this book has some helpful tips for certain sites plus references for travel resources).
While the weather may not matter much in the tropics, it certainly affects the popularity of nuptials here in the United States. As you can see from the following chart, the most (and least) popular months for weddings can vary gready by region. Climate and religious influences seem to affect which months are busiest. Despite the many differences, there are a few common points. With the exception of Hawaii, every state reports June in its top three. Conversely, January is always among the least popular months. Of course, wedding merchants still have to pay their mortgages during those slow months, and as a result, many are willing to offer discounts during such times.
The chart on the next two pages gives you the low-down, state-by-state.

MOST /LEAST POPULAR MONTHS FOR WEDDINGS BY STATE

	STATE	Most Popular Months	Least Popular Months
	NEW ENGLAND:
	Maine	July, August, June	Jan., Feb., Mar.
	New Hampshire	July, August, June	Feb., Mar., Jan.
	Vermont	July, August, June	Mar., Feb., Jan.
	Massachusetts	June, Oct., Sept.	Jan., Feb., Mar.
	Rhode Island	Sept., June, Oct.	Jan., Feb., Mar.
	Connecticut	June, Oct., Sept.	Jan., Feb., Mar.
	MIDDLE ATLANTIC:
	New York	June, August, July	Feb., Jan., Mar.
	New Jersey	Oct., June, May	Feb., Jan., Mar.
	Pennsylvania	June, Oct, Sept.	Jan., Feb., Mar.
	EAST NORTH CENTRAL:
	Ohio	June, July, August	Jan., Feb., Mar.
	Indiana	June, July, August	Jan., Feb., Mar.
	Illinois	June, August, Sept.	Feb., Jan., April
	Michigan	August, June, July	Jan., Feb., Mar.
	Wisconsin	June, August, July	Jan., Feb., Mar.
	WEST NORTH CENTRAL:
	Minnesota	June, August, Sept.	Jan., Feb., Mar.
	Iowa	June, August, July	Jan., Feb., Mai-.
	Missouri	June, July, August	Jan., Feb., Mar.
	North Dakota	June, July, August	Jan., Mar., Feb.
	South Dakota	June, August, July	Feb., Jan., Mar.
	Nebraska	June, August, July	Jan., Feb., Mar.
	Kansas	June, July, May	Feb., Jan., Mar.
	SOUTH ATLANTIC:
	Delaware	June, May, August	Jan., Feb., Mar.
	Maryland	June, May, July	Feb., Jan., Mar.
	Wash. D.C.	June, Sept., August	Feb., Mar., Jan.
	Virginia	June, July, August	Jan., Feb., Mar.
	West Virginia	June, July, August	Jan., Feb., Mar.
	North Carolina	June, July, August	Jan., Mar., Feb.
	South Carolina	July, June, August	Jan., Feb., Mar.
	Georgia	June, July, December Jan., Feb., Mar.
	Florida	December, June, July Jan., Nov., Feb.
STATE	Most Popular Months	Least Popular Months
EAST SOUTH CENTRAL:
Kentucky	June July, May	Jan., Feb., Mar.
Tennessee	June, July, August	Jan., Feb., Mar.
Alabama	June, July, August	Jan., Feb., Mar.
Mississippi	June, July, December	Jan., Feb., Mar.
WEST SOUTH CENTRAL:
Arkansas	June, July, August	Jan., Feb., Oct.
Louisiana	June, July, December	Jan., Feb., Mar.
Oklahoma	June, May, August	Jan., Oct., Nov.
Texas	June, July, September	Jan., Feb., Nov.
MOUNTAIN:
Montana	June, July, August	Jan., Feb., Mar.
Idaho	August, July, June	Jan., Feb., Mar.
Wyoming	August, June, July	Jan., Mar., Feb.
Colorado	June, August, September Jan., April, Feb.
New Mexico	May, June, August	Jan., Nov., Oct.
Arizona	June, May, December	Feb., Oct., Jan.
Utah	August, June, September Jan., Feb., April
Nevada	July, June, April	Jan., Feb., Mar.
PACIFIC:
Washington	August, June, July	Jan., Feb., Nov.
Oregon	August, June, July	Jan., Feb., Nov.
California	June, August, September	Jan., Feb., Mar.
Alaska	August, July, June	Jan., Mar., Nov.
Hawaii	December, July, August	Jan., Feb., Mar.
US (TOTAL)	June, August, July	Jan., Feb., Mar.

Note: Months are listed in order of popularity. For example, "July, August, June" means that July is the #1 month, followed by August, then June. The least popular month is listed first, followed by the second least popular and so on.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources

In New England, it is interesting to note that differences even occur within the region. In northern New England, for example, July appears to be most popular, followed by August and finally June. Southern New England must have an affinity for fall weddings, since October and September show up in the top #3—beating out the traditional summer months. In Rhode Island, for example, September weddings outnumber June affairs. Perhaps this is due to the number of churches in New England that do not have air conditioning, making summer nuptials less attractive.
This trend continues further down the coast, with New Jersey and Pennsylvania reporting October as a top-three month. New York, however, appears more traditional with summer months capturing the top spots.

Further to the west in the Midwest and Great Plains, traditional June/summer weddings seem to reign unchallenged. The only exceptions may be Minnesota and Illinois, which report September as one of the top months. Kansas is the only state in the Great Plains to cite May as a popular bridal time.

In the mid-Atlantic, we note that May also is popular with Delaware and Maryland couples. As you travel further south, something funny happens. The big popularity of Christmas weddings make December busy in states like Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Florida. In fact, December is the #1 month for nuptials in Florida—no doubt many brides and grooms bring down their relatives from cold northern climates to combine a vacation and wedding in the sunshine state.

While December is hot, so to speak, in the south, it's neighboring month November is much less popular. In Texas and Oklahoma, early spring warmth in March probably explains why that month's- weddings-outnumber November—a change from the rest of the United States.

Out in the mountain states, it's definitely a mixed bag. Dry August weather probably contributes to that month's popularity in Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming. Late spring snow storms seems to have discouraged brides in Colorado and Utah from considering April for weddings. On the other hand, this might be good news for brides interested in planning a spring destination wedding/ski honeymoon in the Rockies.
The Desert Southwest is a prime example of how weddings are affected by the weather. Most weddings in Arizona are spread out rather evenly throughout the year. December is a popular month to tie the knot, while October and February are not. In New Mexico, fall weddings also appear out, while late spring nuptials in May are in.
In the Pacific Northwest, soggy June weather makes that month less popular. Instead, August is tops in Washington and Oregon. California has more traditional June weddings, although September nuptials appear to be strong.

Pick an off day of the week or time of day.

If you still want to get married in a peak bridal month but you'd like to save money, choosing an off day of the week like Friday night or Sunday can be a good.strategy for long-distance brides. Also, a morning or afternoon wedding on Saturday may offer some of the same advantages.

Many services offer discounts for non-Saturday night weddings and receptions. Another advantage is that you have less competition for the best businesses, churches and reception sites if you pick off days of the week or times of the day.

Eighty percent of all weddings occur on Saturdays. Occasionally, you may run up against religious restrictions for certain times. Jews cannot marry on the Sab-bath (sundown Friday to sundown Saturday). In Oklahoma, many churches prohibit Saturday night weddings, making Friday night and Saturday afternoon the most popular times to wed. (One bride explained this to us by noting that most churches want to make sure the church is clean for Sunday services.)

The choice of a wedding day is fraught with different challenges for destination brides. For example, you can get married any day of the week in Hawaii—but the marriage license bureau is only open Monday through Friday. Hence, if you arrive on a Saturday, you can't get married on a Sunday since you won't be able to get a license until Monday. Similarly, some states and countries have waiting periods and residency requirements.

Avoid holidays.

Granted, holiday weekends (Labor Day, Memorial Day, Christmas, etc.) may seem convenient to you, but they're just as convenient for thousands of other brides. Again, the key is to avoid competition, so unless you absolutely must plan your wedding on a holiday due to time constraints, stay away from them.

Plan far enough in advance.

Whether you choose a slower time of the year (or the week) or a popular holiday date, planning well in advance is imperative. This gives you time to shop around, collect bids and evaluate packages and businesses. If you plan to visit your wedding location, advance planning will help you avoid a waste of your precious time and money.

In the high season, brides planning a destination wedding should leave a good six months to line up the details. While slower times of the year may require less planning (say, three months), the choice wedding/honeymoon sites book up quickly. Long-distance brides need more time to pull together the event, especially if there are one hundred or more guests expected. In major metropolitan areas, planning twelve to eighteen months in advance for a June wedding is not unrealistic. In smaller metro areas, leaving nine to eleven months of preparation time for the peak wedding season is preferable. Slower times of the year require slightly less advance planning—in major cities, six to nine months and in small towns, four to six months.
What if you don't have that much time? Don't despair. Some hustiing and help from friends and family may be able to get the job done. However, you may have to make compromises to accommodate the short time frame. For example, you may have your heart set on marrying in a restored mansion, but by the time you contact the appropriate sites, they may all be booked and you'll have to settle for an alternative plan. Flexibility is the key in setting a date for your wedding.
Theoretically, a destination wedding could be planned on a moment's notice. If there are two seats available, the airlines would love to fly you to Jamaica with one day's notice. That's because you're going to pay a zillion dollars for the privilege. Of course, the best fares require twenty-one or thirty-day advance purchase. In addition, you may need more time (filing periods, document translations) to get a marriage license in some countries.

The bottom line: whether you are planning a wedding in your hometown or in some exotic tropical location, it's best to leave several months to plan.