The Hardest Decisions Come First Part 1: Setting the Date

When the excitement of getting engaged dies down and the planning begins, some of the first wedding planning decisions engaged couples have to make are the wedding date and venue. I had no idea these would be two of the biggest wedding decisions we would have to make!

For our wedding date, my preferences were all over the map. My fiancé proposed just before Christmas 2010 and I was convinced we could pull off the planning in time for a 2011 wedding. We’ve already been together seven years – I didn’t want to wait! 

But immediately I felt the pressure of planning and saving for a wedding in less than a year. We’ve already been engaged six months and the time has flown by – looking back I’m glad we decided on a 2012 wedding!

I was also in love with the idea of a winter wedding. Note, I live in Western, NY which is known for having some pretty brutal winter weather… 

But I loved the idea of strings of white lights.... 

...a rustic room decorated with pine cones...

...and giving personalized tree ornaments as favors.

I thought how fun it would be if my fiancé and I with our bridal party put on our winter boots and trudged through the snow for outdoor photos...

I imagined I could wear a white fur wrap with my dress and the bridesmaid would wear shawls...

We could have “winter wonderland” photos with a horse drawn sleigh and everything would be beautiful.

But, of course, there was the issue of the weather.

What if there was a storm that made traveling difficult for our guests? Even if the only distance they had to travel was from their homes to the venue within the same town – blustery winter weather can make traveling even short distances treacherous! 

And then there’s always the possibility of a thaw. If all the snow melted leaving behind dead grass, piles of slush and puddles of mud - so much for the winter wonderland. 

So my fiancé suggested a September wedding – we might still get the warm summer weather along with the beautiful landscape of the start of fall with changing leaves. 

When we decided on September 2012, I immediately felt a weight lifted off my shoulders. It would give us time to save some money and would eliminate some of our stress.

In the end it was the right decision but it wasn't exactly easy to come by!