Prosperity Mansion is a new wedding venue. We have just completed our first season of hosting weddings. I recall when we started out that I was told that we would be off from November till March. So we were so very excited to have five full months off each year. Little did I know how wrong that information was. I was blind sided that this was a 12 month a year job and that I would be working 7 days a week.
Wedding Season begins in December because that's when lots of couples get engaged. The biggest engagement dates are Christmas, New Years and Valentines Day. So the computer and phones are really buzzing starting at Christmas. If you know what date you are hoping to get ….get started now !
But before you decide on a date, check potential problems such as other close friends and family members that have dates that would conflict with your wedding. You cannot please everyone but its good to try and see if there are other things that could get in the way. Also check for big functions in your town on your big day. You don't want to learn that hotels are full.
Peak wedding dates are also the most expensive, with weddings peaking in May through October. According to our 2017 Real Weddings Study, 78 percent of all weddings take place between May to October. To be specific, September (16 percent), June (15 percent) and October (14 percent) are the most popular months. For many couples, things like warm weather, an outdoor venue or fall foliage are important. But obviously, this is the busiest time of year for venues and vendors, so costs will likely be higher. We don't want to see the disappointment in your face when you learn that the wedding venue that you wanted is booked. Or that you have to take an off day to have your event at a particular location. Did I mention that prices at many venues go up as availability does down. The law of supply and demand. Did I also mention that your favorite caterer may be booked as well as other must have vendors for your wedding.
Off months to actually hold a wedding can save money but they are off months for a good reason. The off months are winter, November, December, January , February and March. Why are they “off”. Its the weather of course. Snow and ice plays a big factor due to the risks that you will take that its doesn't snow and ruin your wedding. Most venues do not give refunds for snow dates, you are just plain out of luck. So is saving a few hundred or even a thousand worth risking no wedding at all ? Only 5 percent of weddings take place during winter.
Even though we are an outdoor / garden venue we are open 12 months a year for tours. We like to schedule the tours to Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays but we also want to accommodate our couples and their families so a tour can be any day. Someone times a venue may be so booked up with tours that you will be weeks or a month out before you can get in. That means that the great prime dates are going fast.
Then we have the last minutes brides. They are the ones that for whatever reason decide a few months before their wedding to start looking for a venue. So now in November and December ( my off months)
the phone and email is going nuts with the last minute brides hoping to find a home for their wedding. Think of the stress that causes. When wedding venue after venue either never responds to you at all or simply says “sorry booked”. Prosperity Mansion tries to offer what ever date that we have that's is as close as possible. But we only host one event per day so when a date is gone its gone.
I suggest that all couples have a venue BOOKED at least one full year before their wedding day. I am also getting calls for 2020 and 2021. There really is so much to do. If you give yourself plenty of time you will not feel overwhelmed. No one wants a bridezilla especially the bride herself.