Setting the Date Part 2

And now for part two of the setting the date series.

4. Consider both of the football team schedules.
    Or baseball, or soccer, or whatever sport is king in your house. We live in Alabama, where football is religion. Don't believe me ask Harvey Updyke. (Don't know who is? Look it up. Or don't, and consider yourself better off for not having to watch/listen to/read about his ignorance.) But I digress. Here in Alabama, we don't have pro sports- we have college football. And not just one team-we have two college teams Auburn University and the University of Alabama. (Thank you Troy, Faulkner, Huntingdon, Samford, and anyone else I forgot. We know you have football teams. But you don't count. Sorry.) Your allegiance to one of the schools is one of the first things determined after birth or arrival in our great state.
    We love our football here and rarely miss a game. So we had to consider Auburn's football schedule when picking our date. We knew that scheduling our wedding on a major football Saturday was not an option, so we had to look at non-televised away games, off weekend, and small games that could be missed if necessary. Because the off weekend was later than we wanted and the only other viable weekends were taken by weddings of friends or family members of the bridal party, we knew it would have to be Labor Day weekend or earlier if we wanted a fall-ish wedding.
    We also had to look at Alabama's schedule. While we could care less if they have to miss a game, I know the family of one of my bridesmaids (and some of our guests as well) wouldn't be very happy with me if I chose, for example the Alabama vs. LSU game weekend.
     So with that being said, if you are a huge soccer fan, schedule around the World Cup. If you are a huge hockey fan, winter may not be your best season. Consider your sports. Your fiance (and friends) will thank you for it.

5. What colors do you want?
    Red and Green? Pastels? Black? All of these are great options, but could dictate the season in which you choose to get married. Red and green are Christmas. Im sorry, but a red and green wedding in May just looks silly. If you dream of pastels, spring and summer are your best bets. Black is typically formal and visually heavy, so you may want to think about a fall or winter wedding. If you want to use black in the warmer months, don't do it outside in the day. Black is hot, and again, the melty look just isn't pretty.
    I have known from long before I met Ben that my colors would be orange and blue. The shades have varied over the years, but orange and blue has always been my thing. I knew that a winter wedding would silly with navy and burnt orange, so I knew that late summer/early fall was where I wanted to look for that theme.

6. Do you have any deadlines/budget constrains?
    Ben and I knew that we wanted to be married before Christmas of 2012. To recap, because of archery, we knew that February to early August was out. Because of football, Saturdays from September to December 1st were all out. We wanted orange and blue, so August-October was our best bet. So we came up with two possible dates: Saturday August 25th and Sunday September 2nd. I don't recommend having only two options. Its stressful and you run the risk of not getting all the vendors that you want. But that's what we had, so that's what we worked with.
    If you know that you have a tight budget, January, February, and March are typically cheaper during these months, so you may be able to get your dream wedding for much less. If you have your heart set on a summer wedding, consider a Friday or Sunday. Owners are usually thrilled to have their spaces filled on typically slow days, and are often willing to negotiate a lower price. If you want a destination wedding, look at the off season. Resort's prices are cheaper in the off season, so you may be able to get more for your money.
   If you know you want to get married before a certain event, like deployment, birthday, or even baby due date, keep that in mind when you are trying to set a date. Sounds like a no-brainer, but you need to keep those things on your calendar for the whole planning process.

7. Don't try to make everyone happy.
    It is your day. And when I say your, I mean you and your fiance. Seriously. You will not make everyone happy. Do what you want, and go with your gut when making choices- and that includes more than just picking your wedding date. We had people trying to tell us to go for one date or the other. Or why a certain day wouldn't work. And believe me, people will have opinions, and no, you cant ignore them. All you can do is smile, say thank you, and that you will consider it. Your relationships will be better if you don't try to argue.
    Like I said before, we had two possible dates. We checked with all the vendors we knew we absolutely had to have. Luckily for us, all the important pieces fit into both dates. So it was all up to us to pick our date. If you know the you absolutely have to have a certain venue, photographer, florist, etc, rule out the dates they aren't available. You'll be happier that you went with what YOU wanted rather than pick a date because someone told you that was the best choice.
    Eventually we started to lean towards one date more than the other. Then we found out that if we wanted that date, there was the possibility we couldn't have our rehearsal and rehearsal dinner Saturday night. So ultimately, we went with availability when we chose our date. We didn't make everyone happy. But here is the way I feel: if someone is going to use your date as an excuse not to come to your wedding, they probably weren't going to come anyway. So go with your gut. Pick what you want and focus on your future with your fiance.

Oh, and in case you are wondering, Ben and I will be getting married August 25th, 2012!

PS: I'm really excited about Monday's post. I'll be sharing an interesting piece of wedding tradition history so come back Monday!