Weddings have a definitive peak season, which means there’s also a time when there are fewer people competing for the best dates and vendors. Wedding season generally gears up in the late spring and continues through early fall. Picking a date that does not fall during these popular months offers you considerable advantages. Consider these three reasons to have an off-season wedding before you settle on a date for your nuptials.

Venues Are Cheaper

While not every vendor offers better rates during the off season, you will likely see some deep discounts on many elements of your wedding. You will also have more room for negotiation since many vendors are simply looking to fill spots during the slow season. Event venues are the most likely place that you will see the biggest discounts when comparing a January wedding to a July one.

Less Competition

By avoiding the most popular months to wed, you will also enjoy less competition from other couples. This is especially important if you have your heart set on a particular photographer, band, or another vendor that can only accommodate one wedding each day. Some of the most popular vendors are booked more than a year in advance during the busy summer wedding season. By choosing an off-season date, you have a better chance of securing all of the vendors of your choice. By assembling an all-star lineup of vendors, you can have the wedding that you have already dreamed about.

Honeymoon Destinations Are Less Crowded

When thinking about setting your wedding date, be sure to consider more than just the feasibility of the ceremony and reception for that day. You also need to think about your honeymoon choices when finding the perfect day to start your new life. You will generally see fewer crowds and better prices at most vacation destinations if you are traveling during the off season. For example, honeymoon destinations, especially places with beaches, are less crowded after September. Be sure to do some research about your preferred honeymoon destination and its weather conditions during the winter months if you choose a wedding during this time frame.

Not only will you stretch your wedding dollar further by choosing a date during the off-season, but you will also be afforded a host of additional benefits. You can still have the wedding that you have always wanted even if you do not decide on one of the more popular months to wed.

If you’re looking for a great tuxedo to wear on your special day, schedule a visit with us to try some on!

A lot of planning goes into pulling off a wedding. Between sending out the invitations, picking the venue and caterer and lining up the tuxedos and gowns, there are a lot of details to check off that planning list. What sometimes gets lost in all that planning is that a marriage is a legal contract between consenting adults. That status change for a couple can have a ripple effect throughout their lives. That is why it is important to get all the legal matters resolved before the vows are exchanged and the “happily ever after” can begin.

Marriage License

Every state requires a couple to obtain a marriage license in order for that marriage to be deemed legal. The place where marriage licenses are issued varies in each city. It might be a city hall or a municipal courthouse. It is important to check the “expiration” date. Marriage licenses are given in anticipation of a ceremony and they might become invalid if that ceremony isn’t carried out in a specific amount of time. There are also several documents that are required before obtaining the license. Additionally, both parties need to be present at the time of filing for that license. The person who is officiating your wedding ceremony will need to see a copy of the license before the ceremony. The license is also location specific. You might only be able to use a license in the jurisdiction it was issued. That is something to consider for destination weddings.

Prenuptial Agreement

Prenuptial agreements lay the groundwork for divorce proceedings, and facilitate a more beneficial and amicable resolution for all involved. This is a vital legal contract that can protect the interests of both parties, especially if they are coming into the marriage with significant financial assets. It will set up the equitable distribution of those assets if there is a divorce. The controversy around prenuptial agreements is that it is admitting that there is a chance that the marriage is going to fail. No one sets out getting married thinking that the marriage won’t last. However, being prepared with a prenuptial agreement is like having an insurance policy. You hope you will never need it, but you are glad you have it just in case.

Life Insurance

Getting married doesn’t just change your tax filing status. It also adds to the burden of responsibility for providing for your family. A life insurance policy can set up benefit payments to help your family maintain the standard of living that you’ve provided for them if you aren’t around to do that any longer. There are different kinds of life insurance, depending on your needs and where your family is at. When the family grows with kids, that life insurance policy might also have to grow. The insurance can become your legacy and that makes it a very valuable legal matter to set up.

The sooner you can take care of the legal issues surrounding your pending marriage, the better. Taking care of those things will make your marriage go much smoother and make sure you are both taken care of. File those documents in a safe place and enjoy the wedding.