The Best Times of the Year to Get Married in Alabama

Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November… Unless, of course, you’d like to have a June destination wedding, then it probably seems like there are not enough days on the calendar for your wedding venue to fit your wedding into its already-booked June calendar of wedding events.

Old mnemonic folk poems aside, finding the right day for your wedding is just one of the challenges you’ll encounter when you’re trying to decide on the best time of year to have a southern destination wedding in Alabama. In this quick wedding planning guide, we take a look at the best/ most popular time/s of the year to get married and the pros and cons of each.

Best Months at a Glance for Destination Weddings in Alabama

Spring Months: May is the Most Popular Month

The Pros…

When it comes to spring weddings, you’ve got a bit of the Goldilocks thing going on in the month of May. It’s not too hot. It’s not too cold. In fact, for most soon-to-be-marrieds, it’s just right. By the time May rolls around, the thing that causes spring weather to swivel between warm and beautiful and the edge of a new cyclone season has passed. Having real, as opposed to silk, flowers becomes a possibility, and many of your favorite people still have the time to attend your wedding because their summer plans have not yet commenced.

The Cons…

Venue availability will start to become a bit of an issue because late spring to early fall is wedding season for most wedding venues, like Pursell Farms. While your friends and family may not have fired up the engines on their RVs yet and headed off for summer vacation, that doesn’t mean they’re completely available to attend your wedding. Most will still have kids in school, and almost all will have jobs, which means your best bet at having them attend your wedding will be to hold the wedding on the weekend.

However, this comes with its own slew of problems. Other like-minded individuals also want to marry on Saturdays and Sundays in May, making competition for the venues and local wedding pros, like caterers, a little fierce on those days.

And if the venue offers activities, like

• Spa days for the bridal party
• Golf for the groom’s party
• Pedal boat activities
• The Marble Valley Festival
• Etc.

get booked up early, which means wedding planning gets a bit more challenging as couples try to find replacement activities for their southern destination weddings.

Summer Months: June is the Most Popular Month

By the time June rolls around, most people have gotten their summer plans underway, and yet, the season is still young enough that most people won’t have it fully booked. The most creative floral arrangements imaginable are possible for summer weddings during the month of June because flowers are in full bloom. Those planning Southern weddings also have the option to have outdoor luxury weddings without much fear of being rained out, and many destination wedding venues have so many onsite activities that wedding guests can use the wedding as an excuse to start their vacations early.

The cons…

The drawback, of course, is that pretty much everyone else possesses the same exact reasoning for wanting their wedding in June, too. For those whose wedding planning includes destination wedding activities, like stay and play golf packages, competition for venue amenities stands at its peak.

Most wedding caterers and florists as well as wedding musicians, officiants, and a host of other wedding personnel have been booked for months. All of this costs more money. The competition factor also means that you may miss out on the venue that you love unless you book long in advance, sometimes up to a year or two. Finally, it also starts to get hot and muggy in Alabama making some weddings, even luxury weddings, feel like they’re taking place in a Finnish sauna.

Fall Months: October is the Most Popular Month

The Pros…

Were it not for the explosion of reds, browns, greens, and golds, you’d be forgiven for thinking that fall in the South had been replaced by spring. The weather temps are often similar, which means it’s still warm enough to enjoy many of the outdoor activities, like hiking, biking, and archery that make destination weddings at golf resorts in Alabama so much fun.

But you also get more decorating options. While flowers are still popular as wedding design elements, the fall fruits of the season, like pumpkins, preserved cattails, and apples, can become part of your wedding’s design motif, making it visually more memorable than many spring weddings in many ways.

The Cons…

As it is with spring, fall weather becomes a bit more unpredictable, which means holding an outdoor wedding in fall becomes a sometimes precarious proposition. As well, kids have returned to school, and much of the time, wedding planning must work around activities, like fall homecoming events, football season, and the fall holidays, like Halloween and Thanksgiving. Many venues get booked with tailgating activities that help football fans celebrate the football season in style.

And speaking of tailgating, don’t be surprised if some of your would-be guests have a hard time choosing between attending that tailgating party or attending your wedding. It’s helpful to keep in mind that your guests have as much of a passion for football as you do for your intended.

Winter Months: December is the Most Popular Month

The Pros…

If ever there is a season where love is in the air in its purest form, it’s December. Wedding venues deck their halls with their own boughs of holly, spicy pine trees, and glistening icicles. Brilliant accents of red and green and a booth for Santa make festive backdrops for wedding photo booths, and couples who get married in such venues pay less for decorations simply because the hotel or resort has already paid for them, making winter weddings a real bargain for many couples.

Additionally, people often have time during the winter holidays to attend a destination wedding in Alabama on their kids’ Christmas break. As such, wedding planning can become a lot simpler if you’re willing to be flexible in your decorating tastes as they might be dictated by where you choose to get married.

The Cons…

Cold becomes a factor, making roads icy and travel more difficult. People also feel stressed by the endless to-do lists that dominate the holiday season. Naturally, money seems to disappear faster than most people can earn it as the gift-giving season gets fully underway.

Additionally, those who have their hearts set on having a brilliant bouquet of red, long-stem roses as their bridal bouquet may either pay through the nose for them or must opt for silk arrangements instead. Finally, December’s kind of a busy month for members of the clergy. Getting an officiant for your wedding might be a challenge as well.

The Best Months to Get Married: The Final Decision

As you can see, every season has its benefits and downfalls as a potential wedding season, and while there are more popular months to get married, really any month and any season can be perfect for a wedding with the right amount of wedding planning and with the right venue. All you really need is an engaged couple ready to be wed and a wedding venue that can work out the perfect wedding proposal for you.

If you’d like to get a proposal for your wedding ceremony, reach out to Pursell Farms today.