What Season Is The Cheapest To Have A Wedding?

When it comes to planning a wedding on a tight budget, timing really is everything. Different seasons can cause your costs to rise or fall, so knowing what season is the cheapest to have a wedding can be advantageous.

To find out what the least expensive time of year to get married is, we gathered cost quotes for venue hire, food, accommodation, and more for all four seasons to help you pick potential wedding dates.

What Wedding Costs Can Be Affected By The Time Of Year

Not all of your wedding costs will be affected by what month or season it is. The cost of a wedding dress, for example, is unlikely to fluctuate as the year goes on.

However, some big costs are influenced by the time of year, including venue hire, live music bands, entertainment, flowers, food, and more. It comes down to demand and whether it is a popular time of year to tie the knot or not. But if you need to cut back and save money, the month of the year for the ceremony and reception venues is the biggest way to make a significant difference.

Newlywed couples say that rain was the biggest worry as can impact wedding photos

What Affects Seasonal Demands?

There are lots of factors that can affect how many couples choose to get married in a particular month. For example, weather and school summer holidays can have a massive impact on the popularity of certain times of the year, which can lead to venues and entertainment getting booked up. Peak wedding season is usually down to:

1.   Weather

For that perfect wedding photo or outside venue, many couples rely on good weather. That usually means dry weather so there’s no risk of muddy puddles ruining white dresses or rain drops causing makeup to run.

So, when the weather is less predictable or more likely to be cold and wet, the demand for weddings drops. However, a quest for a white wedding covered in snow can also cause demand to rise. So although the weather is an important factor, it doesn’t mean that a winter wedding is cheaper and considered fully off peak season.

2.   Calendar Events

Big occasions, like Christmas and Valentine’s Day, can drive a surge in demand, despite the weather or season. Valentine’s Day is inherently a romantic time of year, while other events like Christmas or New Year can be special to couples in different ways. For example, families often get together at Christmas and so it might be a logistical decision to have a wedding when more people are local to attend.

3.   School Holidays

Whether the couple has children in school or not, the timing of school holidays can affect the demand for weddings and really hurt that wedding budget. Generally, during school breaks, more couples choose to tie the knot as families are more likely to be together or their own children can attend the special day without missing valuable time in school.

Wedding Venues are often cheaper in winter months of January and February

What season is the cheapest to have a wedding?

So, to choose the cheapest wedding seasons to get married you need to work out which seasons experience the least demand.

Typically, the cheapest time of year to get married is Winter as the weather is less predictable and children are in school. However, demand for venues rises dramatically at Christmas with places being booked up for other events not just weddings.

So, to plan your wedding on a budget, you need to look at the cheapest months for your wedding.

In the UK, we have worked out that the cheapest month for a wedding is January as demand is low. This means that venues have much more availability and can offer more competitive costs. Live bands and DJs are typically quiet in January too after the Christmas period, so you may be able to get better rates.

November is also a quieter time for weddings in the UK, which may mean it is a cheaper option for your wedding date. However, remember that many venues are gearing up for the festive season and may not have the same availability or pricing discount as they can offer in January.

Unlucky Months To Get Married

An important point to address is that there are superstitions about getting married during certain months in the UK.

“Marry in the month of May, and you’ll surely rue the day”

Although it is unclear where and why this old saying came about, some couples err on the side of caution and choose not to marry in the month of May.

However, if you are not superstitious, then you can use this to your advantage by booking your wedding during a month that many will avoid. Doing this might help you to bag a bargain when it comes to cost and availability as demand may drop with people following the superstitious belief about May.

What season should you get married in?

It all comes down to budget. The truth is you will have a fantastic wedding day if all the right people are there, and you can have bad rain on a summer day in the UK.

Late spring (May) and early fall /Autumn (September and very early October) can be great weather and considered off season by many venues. Plus introducing the natural seasonal colours into the colour scheme can be stunning.

What Day And Time Should You Get Married?

We found out that it is not only the month and season that can affect how cheap or expensive your wedding is. The time of day and the day of the week you choose to get married can have a big effect on the cost too.

Read out blogs on the best time of day to get married and the best day of the week to get married to find out more.