Holidays and Weddings: Creating a Perfect Marriage

Posted November 21, 2023

As special dates to look forward to, holidays and weddings share a common denominator as
times of anticipation and excitement. However, among wedding industry professionals, opinions
vary greatly as to whether holidays and weddings should ever be combined. The list of pros and
cons are equally long, and couples should consider all factors before choosing a wedding date
that risks being overshadowed by holiday celebrations – instead of being a stand-alone
celebration that succeeds in spite of any other holiday-themed events on the calendar.

When considering a wedding that coincides with a holiday, the top items for concerns are cost,
guest schedules, and vendor availability. These items would also be top concerns at other non-
holiday times of the year, but become heightened in importance when a couple attempts to insert
a wedding event into an already-busy holiday season. It’s at times like this when costs for
venues, photographers, and musicians increase due to competition for locations and services. In
addition, travel is also increased during some holiday seasons, assuming guests can even
schedule to attend, as they consider their own family holiday plans. All of these factors lead to
the question: Can a holiday wedding be planned and carried out successfully?

While planning a wedding during a holiday season is a good idea in thought, in reality, it can
also bring with it a lot of additional stress. Some of the best advice for couples that are set on
having a holiday wedding is to plan and prepare as far in advance as possible. This will allow for
venue, vendor, and scheduling arrangements to be made, while still allowing time for changes.
The planning of a holiday wedding is also a great time to consider consulting with a wedding
planner, whose contacts may be invaluable to couples looking for budget-friendly services
during seasons of extravagant spending.

Some of the top tips to keep in mind with holiday weddings are:

Look beyond the potentially higher costs of Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas
seasons. Wedding experts suggest considering New Year’s, Independence Day, and
Labor Day as alternative – and more cost-effective – holidays for wedding planning.
Keep in mind that while Valentine’s Day may be the most romantic time for a holiday
wedding, it will most likely be the most expensive time for flowers.
Save money by using less wedding-themed décor and more budget-friendly holiday
décor.
Consider a wedding date a week before or a week after a holiday, so that the wedding
itself isn’t only linked to the holiday date forever.
Make reservations and get RSVPs in advance to help budget wedding costs.

An additional suggestion from wedding industry experts is to focus on three-day holiday
weekends for planning a wedding event. This allows guests to attend the event over the weekend,
and still have an additional day to travel home. This option has proven successful with more
guests being able to accommodate a personal weekend trip that doesn’t affect their professional
weekday obligations.

Ultimately, while planning a wedding on or near a holiday can create holiday-related issues,
many couples see holiday weddings as way to celebrate their love at any time of the year.

Photo courtesy of Organic Moments Photography

Photo courtesy of Kent Drake

Photo courtesy of Corbin Gurkin

Brenda Silva

Brenda is a contributing writer located in Vero Beach who has written about the floral industry and weddings for many local and national publications.