Just Ask Bruce: Seasons of Love – Weather you like it or not!

Wedding professionals in the industry look at the peak wedding season timeframe in Minnesota starting late in the month of April and running through the end of October. Everyone has their favorite time of the year, just like their favorite color for their wedding. With the first big snow fast approaching this week, I will save Winter for last in this “Just Ask Bruce”.

Spring:

After the April 2018 snowstorm, I don’t think there are many couples looking at the month of April for their wedding in Minnesota as I have heard from many venues. However, prior to 2018, the last time Minnesota had measurable snow at the beginning of the wedding season was June 9, 1935, with 1.5 inches. The latest in the wedding season was on August 31, 1949, when just a dusting delighted wedding-goers in Duluth. Obviously, the springtime has more moderate temperatures, however, let’s remember as we all learned in elementary school April showers bring May flowers and it also cleans up the dirty snow from winter! Springtime is also when most wedding professionals really start to kick into high gear with weddings, so plan accordingly for time-sensitive decisions. In May, for example, rental companies are crazy busy with graduations and weddings, some are so busy they have no chairs or tables – or tents available. It may be time for a cake tasting for your Fall wedding but remember the bakeries and cake designers are busy making wedding cakes for the weekend, so plan ahead!  In the month of May, we are finally into a greener outlook, starting with Lilacs in just in time for Memorial Day. There are key things happening in Minnesota in Spring, so you will need to think about scheduling around things like the MN State Fishing Opener, Mother’s Day, and of course Memorial Day weekend with opening cabins up north!

Summer:

The season of Summer to me starts in June. June has traditionally been the month of love when school is out, graduations are coming to an end and guests are able to travel with children without worrying about school homework. Summertime weather is somewhat 50/50 on temperatures between 65 and 85 degrees which is really great for the guys in suits and if the bride is wearing a big ball gown. As we can start to not worry about the rain, now we need to welcome tornado season with 37% in June and 25% in July. Obviously, Summer is the perfect time for all things focused on flowers and the varieties available to you. Summertime in July can be very hot in Minnesota with temperatures reaching into the High 90’s with humidity to match. In Minnesota, you will find fewer weddings taking place because of the heat. So guys make sure you’re prepared if you are wearing suits and brides make sure you drink plenty of water. Remember when you see brides constantly pulling up their strapless gowns, one of the main reasons is because they are dehydrated! July is a fun month because you have the 4^th of July Holiday which gives your guests extra travel time. I think the fun thing about designing a wedding in July is having a relaxed Americana vibe, picnic baskets, and blankets on the lawn. August is now the busiest time of the year for weddings now surpassing the spring and summer months.  Why you may ask? Over the years, people believe the month of August is the start of more dependable and predictable weather patterns – I know right – just when summer is starting it seems to be coming to a close by the end of August.

Fall:

For us and many wedding industry professionals, September means back to school, and which, for engaged couples, means back to wedding planning.  With couples getting back into the swing of planning after likely attending the weddings of their friends, we help by kicking off our bridal show season including our Twin Cities Bridal Show in Saint Paul, our UNVEILED Rochester, and UNVEILED Minneapolis shows from September to November. Fall will have more tempered weather with the start of cooler evenings and with that comes shorter sunlit days. The leaves are changing and the colors are screaming for your attention.  Jewel tones are big in the Fall. Guests have some time to travel and of course, remember the Labor Day Holiday really kicks off the Fall wedding season. Depending on your venue and catering selections, the Fall also means more comfort foods, different brews for the bar, and what appears to be a more relaxed time of the year with bringing Halloween into the mix and closing out the season with a few weddings trailing into November.  For those couples venturing into the months of November keep your eye on Thanksgiving and Black Friday!

Winter:

Wintertime – The Most Wonderful Time of the Year and for couples who don’t want to wait 12-18 months for their wedding, your venue options are tenfold compared to other times of the year. There is just something about winter that creates the most magical, mystical, and ethereal weddings with snow shimmering like diamonds falling from the sky and the embracing backdrop of bare nature seemingly endless. I know it’s an old movie but if you really want awesome inspiration for a winter wedding, you need to watch the movie Doctor Zhivago, romance at its best – and, you can thank me later. Glowing candles warming the colors of white and hews of light blue mixed in with a faux fur lounge for guests to relax and enjoy conversations. In December which for many is the most expensive month of the year make yourself aware of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, and Omisoka – a Japanese traditional celebration on the last day of the year. With the holidays in full bloom, remember to see what rules apply to removing décor for your own décor in venues and ceremony locations. The days of red poinsettias on fur muffs for bridesmaids are rarely seen today. Over time I have seen weddings in the wintertime be a bit smaller and intimate, where you can offer sleigh rides for arriving guests for the ceremony. I know this will sound crazy but I do think there would be nothing more magical than an evening wedding ceremony outside in the snow surrounded by trees, candles, and a full star-lit sky embracing it all. Travel can sometimes be very worrisome during this time of year but if the guest list is small perhaps they can take a day or two in front or after the wedding for travel arrangements.

Whatever the season you pick it will be filled with joy and love for your family and friends.  So as I tell every couple, when we design their wedding – take a moment as a couple and step aside and just watch all the people in the room, allow yourself to take it all in, you will remember it always.