The short answer
Choose the season, then the day of the week, then check the date against holidays, religious dates and your venue’s calendar. Saturdays in early fall (US) or summer (UK) cost the most and book first. A weekday or a winter month is where the savings are.
2027 dates to check before you choose
| Date in 2027 | What it is | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Mon, May 31 | Memorial Day (US) | A long weekend: easy travel home, busier roads and airports |
| Sun, July 4 (observed Mon, July 5) | Independence Day (US) | Guests may already have plans; holiday travel is heavy |
| Mon, September 6 | Labor Day (US) | A long weekend in a popular month |
| Thu, November 25 | Thanksgiving (US) | Family plans and the year’s busiest travel |
| Fri, December 31 | New Year’s Day observed (US) | New Year’s Eve 2027 falls on a federal holiday |
| Mon, May 3, May 31, August 30 | Bank holidays (England and Wales) | Long weekends in the UK’s busiest season |
| Mon, August 2 | Summer bank holiday (Scotland) | Scotland’s August long weekend comes earlier than England’s |
| Mon, October 4 | Labour Day (NSW, ACT, SA) | A long weekend in Australia’s most popular month |
| About February 8 to March 9 | Ramadan (projected) | Fasting by day; dates depend on the moon |
| April 21–29 | Passover | Many Jewish families travel or host |
| October 1–3, 10–11, 15–22 | Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkot | They take in Saturdays October 2 and 16, in peak season |
Weekdays worked out from the official dates. Ask guests about any date that matters to their faith or culture; this list is a start, not the whole of it.
Sources 7. US Office of Personnel Management: Federal Holidays · 8. GOV.UK: UK bank holidays · 9. Tourism Australia: Australian public holidays · 10. Hebcal: Jewish Holidays 2027 · 11. The National: When is Ramadan 2027? (updated October 6, 2026)
Start with the season, not the date
Season is the first decision for most couples. Easy Weddings asked more than 4,200 Australian couples how they chose, and 47% said their favorite season came first, against 23% who went by when the venue was free.
The popular months depend on where you live. In The Knot’s study of 2024 US weddings, fall was the top season and October the top month, with 17% of weddings. The same study expected September 20, 2025 to be the busiest date of that year, the third year running that a September Saturday came first.
In the UK, Bridebook’s survey of more than 7,000 couples married in 2025 put August first at 17%, then May at 13% and September at 12%, and says summer still leads with autumn catching up. In Australia the pattern flips: October leads at 17% and March is second, so spring and autumn carry most weddings and midsummer is quiet.
Saturday, Friday or a weekday
Saturday is still the default, but less than it was. Bridebook found 47% of UK weddings in 2025 were on a Saturday, the first time under half, with 17% on a Friday and 27% between Monday and Thursday. Easy Weddings expects 53% of Australian couples to marry on a Saturday in 2026 and 20% on a Friday, down from 62% on Saturdays in 2017.
A weekday is where the savings usually are. Bridebook suggests weekdays, and January or March, to couples who want to spend less.
Don’t assume Friday and Sunday are bargains. Easy Weddings, writing for vendors, tells them to keep Monday to Thursday cheaper but not to discount Friday or Sunday in busy months if those days still sell out. In quiet months it suggests treating Friday like a Saturday and adding extras rather than cutting the price. Ask each venue for its rate on the exact day you have in mind.
Off-peak months and what they cost
Bridebook points couples who want to save at January and March. None of the surveys gives a price gap by month, and the percentages that circulate online did not lead back to one, so get quotes for two or three dates from the same venue and compare them yourself.
For scale, The Knot’s couples married in 2025 spent an average of $34,000, about $292 a guest. Zola’s 2026 report puts the average budget at $36,000. When a venue quotes a lower price for a quieter month, compare it with those figures to see what you are really saving.
Holiday weekends: easier for some, dearer for others
A long weekend gives guests a day to travel home without taking leave, and a New Year’s Eve wedding can suit a group that celebrates together anyway. The costs fall on guests. Salt Lake Bride, a wedding magazine, warns that flights and hotels tend to rise, traffic gets worse, and a Saturday wedding on a three-day weekend makes Friday a hard travel day.
AAA expected a record 72.2 million Americans to travel over the July 4th period in 2026, with car rentals about 10% dearer than the year before. In 2027 July 4 falls on a Sunday, so the long weekend runs to Monday, July 5.
If many guests are flying in, a holiday weekend may cost them more than your savings on a Friday. If most guests live nearby, the extra day off can make a Sunday wedding easy.
How far ahead to book
Zola’s 2026 report puts the average US engagement at 18 months. Bridebook’s UK average is 23.8 months, and Easy Weddings puts Australia at about two years.
The venue usually decides the timing. Australian couples book their venue about 11 months before the wedding on average, photographers and florists about nine. Once UK couples first contact a venue, 79% book within four weeks, so dates go quickly once you start asking. A few US couples, 7% in Zola’s data, book a venue before they are even engaged.
Check these before you sign
Look the date up against the table above and against anything that matters to your families: a religious festival, a grandparent’s birthday, a sibling’s exam week. Several Jewish holidays land on Saturdays in October 2027, the busiest month of the year.
Find the sunset time for your date and place before you plan an outdoor ceremony or photos, and look at average weather for that week rather than the month. Check whether a big local event, such as a college game or a marathon, is filling hotels the same weekend.
Ask the venue to hold the date in writing before you announce it, and send save the dates only once the contract is signed.
Pick the season first, then let the venue’s free dates narrow it down.
What couples also ask
What is the most popular month to get married?
In the US, October, with 17% of weddings in The Knot’s study of 2024 weddings. In the UK it was August at 17% in Bridebook’s 2025 survey, and in Australia October at 17% of planned 2026 weddings.
Is a Friday wedding cheaper than a Saturday?
Often, but not always. Vendors are advised to discount Monday to Thursday and to keep Friday and Sunday at full price in busy months if those days sell. Ask for the exact day’s rate.
How much does a weekday wedding save?
No survey we found gives a reliable figure, and the percentages quoted online don’t trace back to one. Ask the venue for its weekday and Saturday rates on the same weekend and compare.
Should we avoid holiday weekends?
Not necessarily. Guests get an extra day to travel home, but flights, hotels and roads are busier. Weigh how many guests are flying in.
How far ahead should we pick the date?
Pick it when you book the venue, which Australian couples do about 11 months ahead on average. Average engagements run 18 months in the US and about two years in the UK and Australia.