When I got married and started spending hours in front of spreadsheets, trying to somehow organize my dream wedding on a shoestring budget, the one thing that stood out was how huge a markup certain dates demand.
Sandals Will Throw Your Wedding for Free
Stay 7 nights in a Club or Butler suite and Sandals covers the wedding: a personal planner, the ceremony, a private cocktail reception, a two-tier cake, your bouquet and boutonniere, plus $200 toward photos and $200 toward video. No venue hunt, no vendor juggling.
You'd think that your wedding would cost more or less the same when booking the same venue on the first or second week of the same month. That's far from the case. In fact, the wedding industry prices by demand. If you want to get married during the first weekend of June, you can expect to spend up to $1,800 more than the couple getting married at the same venue the following Saturday. And here's why.
| Vendor Category | Cost Difference (1st vs. 2nd Saturday) |
|---|---|
| Venue Minimums & Tier Shifts | +$500 |
| Photography Retainer Premium | +$500 |
| Catering Staff Overtime Rates | +$350 |
| Floral Supply Chain Surcharges | +$250 |
| Rental Company Delivery Fees | +$200 |
| Total Hidden Premium | +$1,800 |
1. The Post-Memorial Day Demand Surge
Memorial Day weekend is a highly sought-after wedding day, but couples who don't want to deal with the holiday inconveniences and the higher RSVP declines mistakenly assume they'd get a better deal on the first weekend after. And that's how the higher-than-average demand is created.
Most venues can only accommodate one wedding per Saturday (maybe two, at a stretch). Vendors tend to up their prices during highly popular dates by up to 20%.
2. Venue Peak Season Tier Shifts
Most venues use a seasonal tier system when deciding pricing. April and May are considered the shoulder season when couples can usually get some of the best rates.
As soon as June hits, all bets are off. Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration, but venues do anticipate high demand for their early summer weekends, especially Saturday weddings. Some venues keep the premium pricing up until late August, but you have a higher chance of getting a better rate if you look at booking from the second week of June onwards.
3. Higher Minimum Spend Thresholds
On top of premium venue-hire rates, venues in the first weekend in June will also charge a premium for a minimum spend. What makes that even worse is that if you miss the minimum, you end up paying out of pocket for the gap. However, when you shift to the second Saturday, you can save hundreds of dollars on the minimum alone.
In fact, when I say hundreds of dollars, I am underestimating. The difference in some of the most popular venues can go up to $1,500 between the first and the second Saturday in June.
4. The First-of-the-Month Payday Effect
This one might not surprise you, but people actually tend to spend more around payday. In fact, some people do most of their high-value spending in the first three days after getting paid. So naturally, your vendors will take advantage of this.
5. Floral Supply Chain Hangovers
Not everything on this list is to do with how popular June weddings are. Your floral arrangements cost more during the first week of June because the timing matches an industry-wide supply chain issue.
Just think about it: Mother's Day is when about 25% of the annual cut flower sales in the country happen. And with Memorial Day just two weeks later, that back-to-back demand can have a big effect on your florist's wholesale markets.
So usually, prices will be higher during early June, simply because of the low post-holiday inventory. However, by week three, prices do start to calm down a bit.
6. Catering Staff Overtime Rates
Most catering companies rely on gig and part-time workers, and Memorial Day weekend just so happens to be one of the busiest in the entire industry. This is why the vast majority of employees will expect the first weekend of June off, just to recover from the holiday rush.
Free Wedding Planning Checklist
Stay organized from engagement to "I do" — get our comprehensive checklist covering every task, deadline, and detail.
To entice their workers to come in on the first weekend in June, many catering companies will offer incentives such as time and a half. Those higher rates pass straight on to the consumer.
I would highly recommend you ask your catering company about things such as staffing surcharges or even holiday premiums before agreeing on a quote or putting down a deposit.
7. The Weather Superstition Tax
We all want that perfect wedding day with perfect weather and perfect photos. A lot of people mistakenly believe that the first week of June matches the ideal "sweet spot" between spring showers and summer heat. That's not quite accurate, but it doesn't stop vendors from charging a premium.
The truth is that weather won't significantly shift if you go for a mid-June or even early July wedding date. You will, however, save a fair chunk of change by being slightly flexible with your date.
8. Rental Company Delivery Surcharges
Rental companies need additional trucks and staff to keep up with the demand. More weddings mean more rentals, and naturally, they apply a surcharge that can add up to 25% to their base delivery fee.
9. Photographer A-Team Retainers
Most vendors experience a higher-than-normal demand during that coveted first Saturday, and that's especially true for photographers. The most popular studios can get more than 20 inquiries for a single day.
And then there's the added charge of booking a lead photographer instead of a less-experienced associate.
10. Local City Festival Clashes
You might think that you're only competing with other couples who want to secure the exact same Saturday for their wedding. But your first-week-of-June nuptials are also competing with an array of local festivals (think Pride, street fairs, and outdoor concerts).
A lot of these events mean local hotel room blocks can fill out up to 12 weeks out and the base rates can go up by 60%.
11. The School Is Out Travel Premium
This one is largely dependent on your area. But school summer break generally starts somewhere between late May and mid-June.
Naturally, that coincides with a spike in parents booking their family holidays, which, in turn, can affect flight rates and hotel costs for your out-of-town guests. Even if you've already secured a room block, if your guests leave it too late, they might be stuck paying a premium.
12. Vendor Burnout Pricing
We've already covered how vendors tend to raise prices during peak season. Burnout is another reason why you might see a price hike. To put it plainly, a lot of your preferred vendors might charge premiums for the first week of June because they need a break after working through peak season and Labor Day.
13. Historical Anniversary Competition
A lot of couples choose their wedding date to celebrate special memories, like the day they first met or their grandparents' anniversary. And for some reason, a lot of these sentimental dates tend to coincide with the first week of June.
The Bottom Line on Budgeting
If there is anything you can learn from my obsession with spreadsheets, it is this: when it comes to wedding planning, flexibility is key. Before falling in love with a specific date, reach out to your venue and other important vendors and see how their pricing changes by date. Just moving your date by a week could save you $1,800. That’s money you can spend on a better honeymoon, a down payment on a house, or just keep your budget from blowing up.
