Let Hand Picked Hotels guide you when picking the best month to get married and provide plenty of inspiration for the perfect wedding location in the UK or Channel Islands.

Picking the best month to get married isn’t easy. For many, the ideal wedding season will fall somewhere between late spring, through summer, but the perfect time for you to tie the knot will depend on what kind of event you’re ultimately looking for. To help you decide which month will be most suitable for you, Hand Picked Hotels have created the below guide, looking at different wedding trends as well as pros and cons of each. Let us help you plan the perfect day! 

The first step to picking the ideal month to get married in is, of course, discussing what your dream ceremony looks like and then working around it. Having a ‘brief’ for your ceremony and day should drive many of the decisions you make and, depending on whether you’re committed to a singular vision or happy to be flexible, will determine how best to find a suitable month to get married in. 

Spring
The spring season is the second most popular time for weddings; air loses its crispness and the days get longer, lending many weddings a fresh and bright setting. March, as it’s relatively cold and sometimes unpredictable, tends to be the cheapest with April and May’s costs rising due to an upswing in demand. Spring months will give you an opportunity to plan an event that’s at least partly outdoors and enjoy some sunset hours for great photographs. 

Whist March and April can bring some spring rain, May is more reliable for weather, overall. The price for venues and vendors will be reflective of this pattern with prices rising towards the end of the season. If you would like to have a spring wedding and save a little on the costs, then we would suggest mid to late April for its reasonably good weather and longer days. 

Summer
Summer in Britain can be wonderful – long sunny days and warm evenings that put everyone in a good mood. The summer months are traditionally the most popular ones, with prices climbing to their highest, alongside limited availability, making them unsuitable for weddings with a short planning period. June will give your events the longest days out of the year with plenty of opportunities for good photos whilst July and August are likely to be warmest, with least chance of rain. 

If a summer wedding is your ideal then you may need to be flexible with the date; approach your chosen venue with a range of suitable dates or ask about their availability, planning around their schedule. Summer weddings will be costliest since so many couples will be looking to get married then, thus driving demand and prices. 

Autumn
Autumn can be quite a magical season with nature doing a lot of the decorating for you, providing a rich background of golden and ruby leaves against which to capture your ceremony. Weather will vary but September can be relied on for mild temperatures. October and November, whilst chillier, will be cheaper too as the wedding season will officially start to wind down, so if cost is the biggest factor then this will be a good option for you. 

Outdoor heaters will make it possible to have at least some of the ceremony outside or you can plan for an indoors celebrations. The autumn months do unfortunately bring the highest chances of rainfall, so you may want to scout out good indoor photography locations should it get drizzly on your big day. 

Winter
With the exception of Christmas time, winter weddings are likely to cost the least as wedding venues and vendors experience lowest demand. Crisp winter days can make for a beautiful event background, especially if you’re lucky enough for it to snow or frost over. Realistically, a winter wedding is likeliest to take place indoors with a few good outdoor hours for sunset photography. 

January and February are the cheapest months throughout the year and the Christmas period, understandably, experiences a temporary price spike. Winter is a great time to have a wedding if you have a dream location or venue in mind that’s otherwise solidly booked during the ‘traditional’ period and you might save a little on costs too. 

Whatever you decide, it’s always best to have some inbuilt flexibility as you will likely have to compromise on venue, month, or length of engagement during the planning process. Have a conversation together about the most important aspect of your wedding (for example, you may have a dream venue in mind) and then work around it to create a beautiful event. If you’re still struggling on how to choose a wedding date then browse Hand Picked Hotel’s stunning wedding locations for inspiration and potential wedding venues that offer something special for any wedding style.