Most Popular Wedding Dates for Fall 2009

Planning your wedding, you'll hear two things right away - you can never start too early, and "have you set a date yet?" If you've got a fall wedding in mind, you're probably thinking 2009 at this point. You'll be surprised how quickly some of the more popular reception locations, chapels and churches will be booked. If you've got one of the more popular dates in mind, it's especially important to get moving.

If your wedding is in the USA, here are some of the dates to consider, and New England is a perfect choice of location. Labor day weekend, September 5-7, gives guests time to travel, and a relaxing long weekend celebration. While many popular tourist locations will be having a last fling, if you send announcements out early enough you are likely to find that most of your guests will already have the time available. Weather will still be warm and the sunset will still be late enough for a nice evening reception as well.

You might also consider Columbus Day weekend, October 10-12, especially if you are planning a wedding in New England. A Vermont wedding during fall foliage season will give you beautiful scenery for your pictures outside a classic New England church. New Hampshire and Maine are great at this time of year, also, and Western Massachusetts has some beautiful small towns.

Depending on your location in New England, you can schedule your wedding to coincide with a nearby Oktoberfest, usually in late September or early October, or Apple Festival, common all over the New England states in October. You might also consider the Irish festival in Newport, Rhode Island.

Whatever your wedding location in New England, as GardenandHearth.com mentions, an Autumn Wedding is a tradition that goes back centuries, symbolizing "prosperity and abundance." You can harmonize your colors with the vivid fall foliage, the apples ripe on the trees, or blue-green ocean. It's a time of celebration as the crops are brought in and preparations are made for the New England winter, with sunny days to enjoy and crisp fall nights bringing your guests closer together. Country inns make great reception locations, often down a quiet winding road or even on a farm. Once you have your date and location chosen and secured, you can begin developing your vision of the perfect New England fall wedding.

"2009 Federal Holidays", http://www.opm.gov/Operating_Status_Schedules/fedhol/2009.asp

"Autumn Harvest Wedding", http://www.gardenandhearth.com/WeddingonaBudget/Autumn-Harvest.htm