Pick the perfect date for your Virginia wedding by starting with this quick calendar guide. Listed are three day weekends that might be a go and holidays and events that might make some dates a no.
Step 1: Black Out Personal Dates
Check your calendar for college reunions, family weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, and pregnancy due dates if you have them. You can cross out dates with big, family vacations or events. Some families have annual summer vacation plans or they are up to their necks in softball tournaments. In some cases, people have regular medical treatments like infusions for MS that have to be done on a schedule. You can’t accommodate everyone, but you can take things into account that matter most.
Step 2: Black Out Big Town and City Celebrations
You don’t want to compete with spring breakers or lost tourist traffic. Look up big conventions or festivals in your area (check out your local chamber of commerce and visitor center websites first). Anything an area is using or potentially using to promote its town from arts and craft festivals to lake festivals to marathons can change traffic patterns or make parking lots inaccessible or unnecessarily tricky for out-of-town visitors.
Step Three: Highlight Three Day Weekends
Why choose a holiday weekend? People have a Monday off to travel and recover. However, it might be a standard weekend for families to get together and make plans. So if you are giving people a significant amount of notice, book it! If you are only giving people a couple of months notice, don’t be surprised if families go to Kings Dominion or Great Wolf Lodge instead. Here are some popular three day weekends!
Three Day Weekends 2017, 2018, 2019
Martin Luther King Jr. Day (always a Monday)
Weekend of January 14–16, 2017
Weekend of January 13–15, 2018
Weekend of January 19–21, 2019
Presidents’ Day (always a Monday)
Weekend of February 18–20, 2017
Weekend of February 17–19, 2018
Weekend of February 16–18, 2019
Memorial Day (always a Monday)
Weekend of May 27–29, 2017
Weekend of May 26–28, 2018
Weekend of May 25–27, 2019
Labor Day (always a Monday)
Weekend of September 2–4, 2017
Weekend of September 1–3, 2018
Weekend of August 31–September 2, 2019
Columbus Day (always a Monday)
Weekend of October 7–9, 2017
Weekend of October 6–8, 2018
Weekend of October 12–14, 2019
Step Four: Black Out Special Holidays
If you still don’t have a date you are happy with among the three day weekends, here are dates to skip. Depending of how you feel some of these dates and their branding might not be a date you want to choose, either because you don’t want to share the date or because it is in conflict with your feelings for the date.
Mother’s Day (always a Sunday)
Weekend of May 13–14, 2017
Weekend of May 12–13, 2018
Weekend of May 11–12, 2019
Father’s Day (always a Sunday)
As you would with your moms, check with your dads about doubling up on this day. And grooms
Weekend of June 17–18, 2017
Weekend of June 16–17, 2018
Weekend of June 15–16, 2019
Independence Day
Tuesday, July 4, 2017
Wednesday, July 4, 2018
Thursday, July 4, 2019
Halloween
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Thanksgiving (always a Thursday)
November 23, 2017
November 22, 2018
November 28, 2019
New Year’s Eve
Sunday, December 31, 2017
Monday, December 31, 2018
Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Step 5: Skip Religious and Cultural Holidays
In some cases it may be because of when you can book a church, but in other cases it might be just inconsiderate or impossible. Whatever you reasons are, here is a short list of dates of religious or cultural import to avoid. It is by no means a definitive list and some are very obvious, but others might be a nice reminder that the whole calendar isn’t wide open if it isn’t Christmas or Easter.
Religious and Cultural Holidays
Palm Sunday
April 9, 2017
March 25, 2018
April 14, 2019
Easter Sunday
April 16, 2017
April 1, 2018
April 21, 2019
Passover (begins at sunset)
Monday, April 10, 2017
Friday, March 30, 2018
Friday, April 19, 2019
Tisha B’Av (begins at sunset)
Monday, July 31, 2017
Saturday, July 21, 2018
Saturday, August 10, 2019
Rosh Hashanah (begins at sunset)
Wednesday, September 20, 2017 until nightfall on Friday, September 22, 2017
Sunday, September 9, 2018 until nightfall on Tuesday, September 11, 2018
Sunday, September 29, 2019 until nightfall on Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Yom Kippur (begins at sunset)
Friday, September 29, 2017 until nightfall on Saturday, September 30, 2017
Tuesday, September 18, 2018 until nightfall on Wednesday, September 19, 2018
Tuesday, October 8, 2019 until nightfall on Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Hanukkah (begins at sunset)
Tuesday, December 12, 2017 until nightfall on Wednesday, December 20, 2017
Sunday, December 2, 2018 until nightfall on Monday, December 10, 2018
Sunday, December 22, 2019 until nightfall on Monday, December 30, 2019
Christmas
Monday, December 25, 2017
Tuesday, December 25, 2018
Wednesday, December 25, 2019
Step 6: Remember Remembrance Days
There are dates that are not only historically significant, but also are heart and soul important dates like September 11, Patriot Day, and December 7, Pearl Harbor Day. There may be other dates specific to your region that might feel inappropriate. Being sensitive to that is respectful. It is worth noting families also have personal remembrance days due to tragic accidents and events.
Step 7: Forget Super Fan Dates
Whether your crew are football fanatics or basketball maniacs, if they have to spend time in a stadium or in front of a big screen, there are times that you just can’t compete with a favorite sport’s time. It might be a case where your local sport team has had a crazy successful season for the first time in a decade.
Super Bowl Sunday
February 5, 2017, in Houston, TX
February 4, 2018, in Minneapolis, MN
February 3, 2019, in Atlanta, GA
Final Four During March Madness
Saturday, April 1, 2017 and Monday, April 3, 2017, in Glendale, AZ
Saturday, March 31, 2018 and Monday, April 2, 2018, in San Antonio, TX
Saturday, April 6, 2019 and Monday, April 8, 2019, in Minneapolis, MN
Step 8: Forget it Being Perfect Except Perfect for the Two of You
At some point, you just have to pick a date or decided smaller crowds are the best crowds for your Virginia wedding. There isn’t a perfect date for everyone, so consider this is the date that you and your partner will be celebrating as an anniversary for the entire stretch of your relationship. Working with a wedding planner to set the date can simplify everything.
– Virginia Bride Magazine features the best Virginia weddings and Virginia bridal shows. Find it all in one place. Check our blog posts regularly for the latest show information.
