Picking A Date!

Hi fellow Wed-heads!

First, let me say congrats to you and your fiance'!!! Because if you're reading this, you now have the ring and are on your way to planning your big day.

And if you're anything like me, you love all things weddings! I am most passionate about several things when it comes to weddings; bringing design to life, staying organized, and helping my clients stay on budget.

My name is Taryn Renee', and I am the owner of Simple Elegance Event Planning.  I am a member of the prestigious Association of Bridal Consultants, and a member of the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce, Middletown, CT.

My business was founded in 2009 on one simple principle, that every couple should be able to have the wedding of their dreams, even on a small budget. And after planning many weddings, milestone birthdays, bachelor parties, and a family reunion these last few years, I believe that through organization, attention to budgets, and a lot of creative thinking will allow you to have all the things you want most at your wedding, even if you are not rich and famous.

It’s HOW you approach it that’s key. In this age of Do-It-Yourselfers, most brides are opting out of hiring full service event planners. I applaud your enthusiasm. And I'd love to give you a step by step guide to creating a magical day. Just remember, you will have to be smart, savvy, strict in some areas, and flexible in others. I’m here to show you how!

Step One: Pick A Date

When selecting a wedding date, you should do one of the following:

• Choose a date that is significant to you and your fiance. Some couples like to get married on or around their dating anniversary. While in recent years, some couples have chosen holidays such as Halloween, Valentine's Day and New Years Eve as their big day and design a theme around the holiday. Stats also show a significant increase of couples choosing trendy, once in a lifetime calendar dates such as 7-7-2007 or 4-4-2014. And some couples just go with the flow; choosing whatever date their desired ceremony/reception location has available!
• Select a date that works best for both of your families. When picking a date, you want to make sure you do not choose a day when another wedding or family event is going on. Sometimes it can not be helped, but if you already have an invitation to your cousin's wedding in June, don't pick that date! Or if you know this is the year for the big family reunion out of state, definitely stay away from that date as well. What you do not want to happen is that family members choose the family event over your wedding and not come. You want a date when the majority of everyone can conveniently attend.
• Time of Year.  Obviously, the Spring and Summer are the best times to travel if you live in the New England area. Selecting a date during the better weather months is always a considerate thing to do for your potential guests. But choosing a date over a holiday weekend such as Memorial Day or July 4th is never good. Many people plan their vacation around holiday weekends, so this may cause conflict if their trip is the same weekend of your wedding. Unless you don't want alot of people to attend, LOL, pick an otherwise boring weekend for your big day.

So the bottom line is, picking the perfect date will assure the maximum amount of guests that will attend and share this special moment with you. Be smart and choose a safe date!

Next week, I will begin discussing when to start making plans. Until then, Happy Planning Wed-heads!