Need opinions

Hello Girls,

Despite what is going around me at the moment, I asked FH to talk about wedding plans. I need to take my mind of things, so we are doing two small things within the next two days. Deciding between two churches and picking a date.

Now, we are planning to have a very small wedding with close family and friends next year. My problem is that I am still in school. Now I will be graduating with my BSW degree in May of 2012. In the fall of 2012, I will be going for my MSW degree. So I have off from End of May through third week of August. If we decide to be married during the summer months, we can take the honeymoon during that time as well.

If we wait to have a weddding in October/November, I will be during my master's program which includes my normal 40 hour work week, plus field work of 10-15 hours per week, depending upon the agency and a full time school work schedule of 3-4 classes. I have balanced this schedule for about 3-4 years already so I am very use to it. If we do the wedding then, we will wait to have our honeymoon till after Christmas when my finals have been completed.

I am very torn about this. I feel if we wait till the fall, especially November we will have savings across all vendors, which aren't many since we are having a small wedding. And we will have more time to save, plan, and find a place to live.

If we do it during the summer months, it will be much more easier for me since I wouldn' thave this crazy schedule.

In your opinion, what do you girls think?

I'm in a similar situation as you, except my wedding isn't very small (it'll be around 120 people). I'm graduating law school next May, but have to take the bar in late July, and *hopefully* have a job to start in September, so the only time I could really get married is in August. So that's what I'm doing (August 10th, followed by the honeymoon). I never really pictured myself having a summer wedding either, but it just happened this way.

I'm not so sure that you'd be saving a lot by having the wedding in November. Most of the venues that I visited said that now the wedding high season goes all the way into November, and that it's just as expensive to have a fall wedding as a summer one.

I could be wrong on this, but I don't think that the vendors really change their prices based on the season. Photographers usually have set packages, that you could customize based on your needs (i.e. adding parent albums, or a second photographer).

So if I were you, I'd have the wedding in August with the honeymoon right after, so you don't have to wait until having a school break. I feel like a honeymoon should be right after (at most like a week after) the wedding, so that you could relax after stressful planning and also enjoy the excitement of having just been married. But that's just my opinion. Good luck with whatever you decide!

I think you will be able to enjoy it so much more if you are not squeezing everything in between your grad work! I say do it in the summer, and maybe do a mini-moon to save some money on that, then go away for a big honeymoon in the winter, when it is off season.

I sympathize completely...I am starting my second Masters and my first year teaching this fall, while planning a wedding! I am trying to do everything this summer, because I know how crazy I will be once the school year starts!

Wow congrats to you!! Another busy busy bride here! Well we do have some hookups in the wedding. My FH's uncle is a professional photographer, so he is giving his work to us as a wedding gift which does save us a lot of $$.

I wanted to get married in 'Our Lady of Perpectual Help' in Sunset Park but since the majority of the people to be invited live in Nassau and so does FH, we will be getting married over there near his house. Since my dad can barely walk a lot, I need things to be accessible by ramps. The two churches I found in Nassau have them so I really like one, and I want to check out the other tomorrow.

Where are you getting married? & where in Brooklyn do you live? I am in Sheepshead Bay/Marine Park.

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Posted by lindseynaggle

I agree that you will not save any money in November. Most of the vendors I have spoken with say that fall is now the busiest time of year. I haven't really gotten any discounts on a March wedding, except the hall.

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I guess most brides are getting smart now to move their weddings into the fall. Same beautiful weather but cooler! I am surprised you didn't get any discounts if you're wedding is in March. I thought for sure you would have.

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Posted by Rob and Robin

I think you will be able to enjoy it so much more if you are not squeezing everything in between your grad work! I say do it in the summer, and maybe do a mini-moon to save some money on that, then go away for a big honeymoon in the winter, when it is off season.

I sympathize completely...I am starting my second Masters and my first year teaching this fall, while planning a wedding! I am trying to do everything this summer, because I know how crazy I will be once the school year starts!

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I think that is a nice idea too about the mini moon. I never thought about that! That's what I am doing. Trying to plan as much as I can this summer cause once school begins, I am in hiding.

Knowing we can do all this work and plan a wedding shows just how ambitious wives we will be =)

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Posted by BklynBabe1624

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Posted by Rob and Robin

I think you will be able to enjoy it so much more if you are not squeezing everything in between your grad work! I say do it in the summer, and maybe do a mini-moon to save some money on that, then go away for a big honeymoon in the winter, when it is off season.

I sympathize completely...I am starting my second Masters and my first year teaching this fall, while planning a wedding! I am trying to do everything this summer, because I know how crazy I will be once the school year starts!

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I think that is a nice idea too about the mini moon. I never thought about that! That's what I am doing. Trying to plan as much as I can this summer cause once school begins, I am in hiding.

Knowing we can do all this work and plan a wedding shows just how ambitious wives we will be =)

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ITA! There are some amazingly intelligent, hard-working, and driven women on this board! We chat all the time on here, but so many of us are working on advanced degrees, difficult jobs, raising children, etc! We are superstars!

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Posted by foodgirl785

I graduated with my MSW last May and couldn't imagine balancing a full caseload of classes, interning and working AND planning/having a wedding. If it were between the two, I would definitely plan to have the wedding over the summer so that I may enjoy the that time without everything else.

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Congrats to you!!! It's a lot to think about as you know. I am thinking I may take off a semester and begin graduate school in the Spring so I can really enjoy this! I am not really a summer girl, I love the cold weather so having to have this in the summer is not something I would prefer based on just a personal perference.

I'm looking in Manhattan,but we've found that in the city at least, prices are much lower in July/Aug. and Nov. is considered 'wedding season'

you should call around to some vendors you're considering, and price them seasonally before you choose a date.