There are so many factors when it comes to planning your wedding, it can feel quite overwhelming. One that you may not consider, but that has a huge impact on how your day runs and the feel of the day, is what season you get married in. In this blog post, I am outlining for you the pros and cons of getting married in each season, to help you decide when is going to suit you best to get married.
Spring
Pros:
Spring can be an incredibly beautiful time of year, and once you get to April time, there’s blossoms on the trees and the flowers are starting to bloom. This can make for some truly beautiful photographs, and some of my favourite things to photograph with are blossom trees. So often as well the blossom is white which just looks stunning for couple portraits.
Another great thing about the spring season is that the weather is starting to warm up, and can be very pleasant, but without the stifling heat that summer can bring which makes guests (and also grooms in their suits!) uncomfortable.
Cons:
Having said that the weather is starting to warm up, in Spring it can still be unpredictable and the old phrase “April showers” can be more than accurate. My wedding was in March 2015, and it was lovely and sunny but it was so windy! I had a huge full length veil and was in serious danger of taking off! So weather is a definite factor to take into consideration.
Another thought in regards to spring weddings is honeymoon destinations. If you are wanting to jet off straight after your wedding, your options may be slightly limited unless you are happy to go mid- or long-haul. The Mediterranean hasn’t quite warmed up yet in the spring, so a hot honeymoon may have to be further afield.
Also, depending how far into spring you’ll be will have a huge impact on your timings. If you’re going for an earlier spring wedding, say in March, the sun sets around 6-6.30pm. Therefore, if you were to have a later ceremony at 3pm ish, this doesn’t leave you much time for your group photos and couples portraits. This is a definite consideration if those group portraits are super important to you and you’re going to have a long list, or if there’s a significant travelling time between your ceremony and reception. Make sure you give a lot of thought to your timings, and plan accordingly.
Summer:
Pros:
It’s summer! The weather is (usually) more dependable, and it can be beautifully hot, meaning outdoor weddings are possible, and you have more flexibility in terms of outdoor drinks receptions and food vans (such as fish and chips vans, ice-cream vans etc).
If you’re in the summer holidays, the kids are off school and you may meet less resistance to having a mid week wedding, which in terms of venue prices can help you save on cost.
The days are long, so unlike in other seasons you have the luxury of time on your wedding day to take your group photos and couple portraits.
Cons:
The long days are great for the day time shots, but it does mean that night time photos such as creativity with lights and sparkler exits cannot happen. By all means you can have a sparkler exit, but it won’t be until 10pm or later and the photographer more than likely won’t still be there to photograph it.
If the weather is anything like last year, it will get scorching in July and August, and on a wedding day there is actually such a thing as too hot. Couples in full suits and wedding dresses are usually the most likely to feel the heat, so if you don’t cope well with being too hot, perhaps avoid these months.
Also sun. I know what you’re thinking, how in earth is sun a con? But sun for photographers is a big pain! For the group shots it means weird shadows and people squinting, but if you’ve got an awesome photographer (ahem 😉 ) then they will find a way round this. Patches of shade and a bit of cloud are a photographers best friend.
Autumn:
Pros:
Autumn colours… need I say more? All the heart eyes for autumn! There’s things I love about every season, but I think if I had to pick a favourite it would be autumn. The colours are sensational, and the weather is still warm enough in early autumn to be outside enjoying it.
The sunsets can be incredible as well, and anyone who knows me knows how much I love a sunset photo.
Another great thing is if your venue doesn’t allow confetti, you can use the autumn leaves as an alternative. Check out my blog post to see about alternatives to confetti if you’re in that very situation where your venue doesn’t allow it.
Also, venues prices can be a bit lower in the autumn as it’s considered the off season, so there could be some savings to be made there if necessary.
Cons:
As in spring, as the year draws to a close it can be very changeable and warm weather is of course not guaranteed. There is a higher risk of wet weather, which of course you may be insistent on avoiding dependant on how worried you are about getting your dress or suit wet! Although to be fair I also love a good rain photo! I keep umbrellas in my car just in case an opportunity presents itself!
Again, the time aspect starts to creep in again in terms of making such you get all the photos you want, so that is definitely something to bear in mind in terms of ceremony time if you decide on an Autumn wedding.
Winter:
Pros:
Lights, lights and more lights. I ADORE fairy lights, so winter is like a playground for me. They create stunning backgrounds to photos, and can be used super creatively to make some gorgeous couple portraits.
Christmas trees are also awesome for photos, the bigger the better in my opinion!
Because it gets dark so early, there’s loads of time for fun night time photos. I love nighttime photos! Sparkler exits or fireworks can be a great fun addition to your day, and be captured by me during the time that I’m there!
Night-time bride and groom portrait
There is also a chance of snow in the winter, which would be so much fun!
Finally, there are less weddings in the winter season, so you have a higher chance of the suppliers you want to book being available. If you want to drop me a message to check if I’m free on your date, head over to my contact page to do so.
Cons:
It’s cold. Soooo cold. I’m not great at being cold, so I always come to winter weddings well prepared. My colleagues always laugh at me and the amount of layers I’m wearing, but to do my job properly I need to be wrapped up haha! On a serious note, it will limit the amount of time you are able to spend outside doing group photos and couple photos. I really try to rattle through the group photos super quick to get everyone back in the warm. However, often people are reluctant to go outside, particularly once it gets really cold, so sometimes the only option is to find somewhere indoors to do them.
In terms of the couple portraits, I’ll usually try to do them as quickly as possible. Then if I’m doing some creative photos with lights outdoors, I’ll get it all set up, then come and get you, slot you in to get the shot super quick, then straight back indoors, limiting your time out in the cold. I then repeat this again if I have any other shots to set up.
The main limiting factors of a winter wedding is timings. It gets dark as early as 4pm in the depth of winter, so you really have to be careful of ceremony time. I would advise to have your ceremony as early as possible. If you had a 3pm ceremony for example, you wouldn’t be out of your ceremony until 3.30pm at the earliest and that leaves no daylight at all for group photos or couple portraits.
My Two Main Pieces of Advice
In conclusion, I would say I have two main pieces of advice when thinking about season. Firstly, look at your timings carefully. Timings are key to your day running smoothly, and if you have your ceremony too late in the day for a wedding at either end of the year, you may run into trouble fitting in all the photos you want. On www.timeanddate.com you can check what time the sunset will be at different times of year. Secondly, think about the type of couple portraits you want. Do you want them during the day time, bright and colourful, or artistic night time shots with lighting and effects? Whichever is your preference, make that a factor in deciding on the season to get married.
I hope this has been helpful for anyone unsure about when to book your wedding for… with so many factors to consider, hopefully I’ve managed to help you navigate this one!