Tuesday, September 13, 2011

The "Off Season"?

Well, my friends, September is upon us which means another wonderful wedding season is winding down… right? NOPE! This winter-bride is happy to report that “off-season” weddings are on the rise and keeping us wedding planners nice and busy!!


You might ask why this is the trend?


Well first off, I believe that most brides are realizing that there can be significant cost savings associated with being an “off-season” bride. A lot of vendors will offer discounts for those brides that book during these non-peak months (not including around holidays, like Christmas…) or throw in added perks. Having been a February bride myself, I can tell you that a lot of vendors are eager to book weddings in these slower months and will offer incentives for your business. One cautionary point.. be careful of your date. My wedding was one week before Valentine’s Day… and as a result, our flower budget got spent multiple times over!!


Secondly, why not do something different? Spring and Summer weddings are so common that even with planning a year or two ahead, most people have trouble finding the exact date and location they want or getting all of their guests in attendance. Why not think about having a large scale, fun filled event during those fall and winter months when everyone is sitting at home bored? While most weddings can expect around a 15-20% rejection rate, off-season weddings typically experience closer to a 10% rate of negative responses.


Lastly – let’s face it… we live in Michigan. You’re going to worry about the weather no matter when you get married! It could snow on your April wedding day and it could be 150 degrees with 100% humidity in August. Sure, you might end up with a foot of snow on your wedding day (ah hem… Mr. and Mrs. Donoughe…) but you could also end up with a surprisingly nice wedding day! So why not consider the traditionally left-behind “off season” months… they need love too! ☺