The holidays are a wonderful time for celebrating. They bring people together and create beautiful, lasting memories. They can also be a great time to host a Wedding. If you and your soon-to-be spouse have a special connection to a certain holiday, like the Fourth of July or New Year’s, planning your wedding around those times can make your special day even more memorable. If planned during a holiday weekend, your guests may also have time off from work already, so there’s more time to celebrate together.
With planning a wedding around a holiday, there are some big things to consider and keep in mind, such as cost, guest travel, vendor availability, and guest availability. While there can be some downsides to getting married on a holiday, it may still be worth considering if the day is significant to your relationship.
Colors and Motifs Associated With Favorite Holiday
Once you’ve decided which holiday you’d like to celebrate along with your big day, consider colors and motifs that reflect your choice. There are lots of ways to incorporate your holiday of choice into your wedding, without going too over the top.
For Christmas, consider darker colors such as reds, greens, and deep blues to evoke a wintry feel into your ceremony. Including garlands, red ribbons, berry accents, and seasonal flowers for decor are also great ways to pay homage to the holiday. Lastly, serving festive cocktails infused with eggnog, peppermint, and cranberry will be sure to delight your guests.
New Year’s is the best time to go all out with your color palette and feature golds, silvers, and even rose gold. Sequins, glitter, and metallic accents are also great to add some shine to your ceremony. These can be added to your decor and accessories to make everything pop. For your wedding party, consider champagne bridesmaid dresses to really stay on theme, especially during the Fall wedding season. Of course, serving champagne is also a must for this sparkly and bright celebration.
Valentine’s Day is another popular holiday for weddings. Keeping to a romantic and soft color palette filled with pinks, reds, and whites is best. Decorating your venue with these colors, as well as with roses and fairy lights, is sure to send your guests swooning. Be sure to include lots of chocolate for food.
Work With the Right Wedding Vendors
The holidays are a busy time for most people, especially wedding vendors, as they may already be booked up or taking time off. When you have determined the date of your big day, start asking your vendors about their holiday availability as soon as possible. If you have your heart set on a specific holiday or holiday weekend, you may have to wait longer to secure your preferred vendors.
The same is true for your venue. You will need to plan very far in advance, perhaps even more than a year, if you decide to get married on a popular holiday. Talk about your options with your significant other, and decide if getting married sooner is your priority or getting married on a specific date. Once you’ve decided, it will be easier to move forward with planning all the details.
Plan Your Guest Availability
With your date secured, the next thing to consider is your guest’s availability to celebrate your special day. While they might have time off from work for the holiday you’ve decided to get married on, they may already have their own plans and cannot attend your wedding.
It will be critical that you send out save-the-dates at least six months in advance, preferably sooner, if your big day aligns with a popular holiday. If possible, avoid family-oriented holidays such as Christmas and Thanksgiving, where guests may already have commitments. Holidays such as Labor Day and Memorial Day are great alternatives.
You will also need to ensure a proper guest experience by providing as much information about their travel plans as possible. Creating a website with detailed information about travel, accommodations, transportation, and more is a must, especially since the holidays are notoriously busy and expensive for travel. Ease your guests’ experience by researching budget-friendly options way in advance.
Get Ready to Celebrate
Planning your special day on a holiday weekend means your guests will have an extra day or two to celebrate. Use this time to plan additional events like a post-wedding brunch, or dinner party, or make the festivities last longer than a single day. Whatever you choose to do, the extended time with your loved ones will create lasting memories you’ll cherish forever.
