Recently, The Knot posted this
article about dates you might want to consider skipping when selecting your wedding
day.
The religious and cultural holidays seemed the most
appropriate to consider. I know when my husband and I got married, several of
my relatives on my Jewish father’s side couldn’t make it because our date
happened to be a Holy day that year. We would have loved to have those
relatives with us, but we chose our date because it had special significance to
us as a couple, and any other date wouldn’t have meant as much to us. But if
your family is especially religious, or you know a holy or special date would
be a real conflict for many of your potential guests, it’s certainly worth
keeping that in mind when selecting the date for your big day.
The article mentions many three-day weekends, but I actually
like weddings on three-day weekends because it usually means that you can spend
more time with the people you came to see. And if you traveled for the wedding,
it gives you an extra day to explore the area and/or make the return trip so
you don’t have to take off of work—unless you want to, though often people
can’t.
Certain dates, September 11 among them, I can see because
they are sensitive for some people, rightly so. My personal opinion is that
dates like that should be filled with as many new, happy memories as possible;
though if you or your family were directly affected, you may want to gauge
whether or not anyone would be offended. We went to a wedding on September 11,
2010 and it was a wonderful celebration. September 11 existed as a potential wedding
day before 2001 and all of those people still celebrate it as their
anniversary; I don’t think it needs to be automatically taken off the table.
Last year, my mother-in-law remarried on New Year’s Eve.
Before they firmed up the date, they asked everyone they were inviting (less
than 100 people) if they would be willing to travel during the holiday.
Everyone was enthusiastic about coming, regardless of the holiday. The ceremony
started at 6p, the reception at 7p and ran until 11:30 at night when the décor
was switched over in the cocktail area, champagne and desserts were put out,
and boas, top hats, confetti, and streamers made for a great way to ring in the
new year all together. My husband’s cousin held his wedding on December 27, and
everyone traveled for that, too. We brought our Christmas presents with us (my
husband’s uncle’s birthday is also Christmas Day) and we just made the whole
week a huge family celebration. If you have your heart set on a holiday
wedding, check with your friends and family first. You may have a few people
who aren’t able or willing to attend, but I bet most people would.
There are some dates in the article that seem a little out
there though:
Like checking with your parents about having to share
Mother’s or Father’s Day weekends? Do people treat Mother’s and Father’s Days
so solemnly that they cannot be shared with any other event? That seems like
the biggest stretch of all in the article. They also mention considering that
you’d be sharing your own anniversary with those days, were you to have kids,
but I think that just sounds like a nice full weekend of celebrating the people
and relationships that mean the most.
No matter what date you choose, it will be a beautiful day
and you’ll be surrounded by friends and family who love you, and that trumps
everything.
What date did you choose and were there any you actively
avoided?
