May and September are the most popular months to get married, but "most popular" and "best" aren't the same thing. The right month depends on where you're celebrating, what your budget allows, and how much you want to compete with every other couple in your market for photographer availability on a Saturday in October.
At Carats & Cake, we analyzed 2,181 weddings from our 2025 dataset to find out when couples actually choose to get married, what those patterns look like by region, and where the real planning advantages lie.
The Most Popular Wedding Months in the U.S.
Nationally, weddings cluster heavily into a five-month window. Based on Carats & Cake's 2025 dataset of 2,181 weddings, May leads with 15.5% of all weddings, followed closely by September at 15.4%, June at 13.8%, October at 13.0%, and August at 9.6%. Together, those five months account for more than two-thirds of all weddings in the dataset.
The least popular months are January (2.0%), February (2.8%), and December (3.4%). That gap between peak and off-peak is meaningful for planning: vendors, pricing, and venue availability all move with that curve.
One data point worth noting: November weddings in our dataset averaged 153 guests, the highest of any month, compared to a yearly average of approximately 126. Couples who marry in November tend to go big.
What the Best Wedding Months Actually Have in Common
The months that dominate: May, September, June, October. They share a few structural advantages. Temperatures across most of the continental U.S. fall into a comfortable range for outdoor ceremonies and travel. These months sit outside the extreme heat of July and August and before the unpredictability of late fall. Guests flying in from out of town face fewer weather disruptions. Daylight hours allow for evening ceremonies that end before sunset, which matters if you care about golden-hour portraits.
What those same months share that doesn't work in your favor: vendor premiums, limited Saturday availability 12 to 18 months out, and heightened competition for the most sought-after venues. Booking in May, September, or October requires a longer planning runway than any other time of year.
Month-by-Month: Pros, Trade-offs, and Who Should Choose Each
January and February
The off-season window. Venues and vendors offer their most competitive pricing, and you'll have near-total flexibility on date selection. The trade-off is weather in most of the country; outdoor ceremonies are a risk outside of Florida, Southern California, and destination markets like Mexico or the Caribbean. Couples who marry in January and February in our dataset skew toward hotel wedding venues and indoor event spaces rather than gardens and open-air estates.
These months work well for couples with a defined indoor vision, a flexible guest list that isn't heavily dependent on cross-country travel, or destination weddings in warm-weather markets where February is legitimately pleasant.
March and April
The shoulder season. Guest travel is easier than midwinter, temperatures start turning, and the pricing advantage hasn't fully evaporated. Florida couples in our dataset favor March specifically: it accounts for 15.6% of Florida weddings, tied with May for the top spot, for good reason: spring weather in South Florida is as close to perfect as it gets before the summer humidity arrives.
April carries some risk in markets prone to late-season rain (the Northeast, Pacific Northwest), but it's genuinely underused in the South and Southwest. In South Carolina, April accounts for 13.8% of weddings and represents strong value relative to peak-season rates.
May
The most popular wedding month in the Carats & Cake dataset, at 15.5% of all weddings. California leads the charge with 18.5% of its weddings in May, and May also tops the charts in Texas (16.9%), South Carolina (21.5%), Virginia (23.5%), and North Carolina (17.9%).
The appeal is obvious: late spring offers reliable warmth without summer heat, flowering gardens and greenery are at peak visual impact, and the school calendar creates a logical window for guests to travel. The downside is saturation. May is the hardest month in which to secure top vendors on short notice. Planning timelines of 12 to 18 months are standard for a prime-Saturday May wedding in most major markets.
June
June has a 2,000-year marketing advantage. The Roman goddess Juno, patron of marriage, lends the month its name and its reputation as the most auspicious time to wed, a belief that persisted through Victorian England and into the American wedding industry of the 20th century. Today, June accounts for 13.8% of weddings in our dataset nationally, but its dominance is more pronounced in certain markets.
In New York, June ranks second at 15.0% of weddings. In Europe, June ties with September as the top month, each accounting for roughly 22% of submissions. In Massachusetts, June is a close second at 21.4%. If your vision is a lush, flower-forward ceremony with long golden evenings, June consistently delivers in the Northeast, the mid-Atlantic, and across Europe.
July and August
July (7.4%) and August (9.6%) are underused relative to their position in the calendar, largely because heat is a genuine concern. A July wedding in Texas or Georgia requires air-conditioned indoor spaces or a late-evening ceremony start time. But in Colorado, July accounts for 14.3% of weddings, the third most popular month, because mountain elevations keep temperatures comfortable when the rest of the country is sweltering.
August offers a similar calculus. Couples who get August right tend to choose venues with strong architectural shade, waterfront locations where the breeze helps, or mountain settings. In Canada, August is the second most popular month at 19.6% of weddings. In Massachusetts, July (14.3%) and August share the third position.
August also carries a meaningful light advantage: sunsets run late, extending the golden-hour window for portraits into the 8 p.m. range in northern latitudes. For couples who prioritize photography, that's a tangible benefit.
September
In several major markets, September is the dominant wedding month, not just a strong performer. Colorado couples choose September for 30.2% of their weddings, the highest concentration of any month in any single market in our dataset. New York favors September most heavily, at 22.9% of weddings. In Europe, September leads at 22.8%.
The through-line is post-summer comfort. September brings the heat down without bringing the cold in. Foliage in the Northeast and Mountain West begins its turn by late September, giving ceremonies a natural backdrop that photographers and couples both seek out. Vendor demand in September rivals May, so the same booking-timeline pressure applies, especially in New York, California, and Colorado.
October
The most popular wedding month nationally according to industry data (The Knot's 2024 report places October at 17% of U.S. weddings), and the top month in several Carats & Cake markets: Georgia (17.8%), Virginia (19.6%), Illinois (20.4%), Massachusetts (23.8%), and South Carolina (15.4%).
October's appeal in the mid-Atlantic, Southeast, and Midwest is the fall foliage backdrop, and it's a genuinely photogenic choice in a way that few other months can match. The trade-off is that October has become the most competitive month for vendor booking in most of these markets, and outdoor evening ceremonies run a real risk of hitting cold temperatures by 7 p.m. Have a contingency plan and communicate it clearly to guests.
November and December
November is underestimated. In Texas, it's the second most popular month at 12.1%. In Mexico, it accounts for 13.8% of weddings. Our data shows the highest average guest count of any month, at 153, meaning couples who choose November tend to host larger celebrations rather than intimate ones. November pricing in most U.S. markets is meaningfully lower than the September-October peak, vendor calendars are substantially more open, and the visual palette of late-fall light is warm and distinct.
December weddings are the most intimate in our dataset, with 3.4% of all submissions. Holiday conflicts create real RSVP headaches, but venue spaces that lean into candlelight and interior design, like hotel ballrooms, historic estates, and museum galleries, play beautifully in December. For couples who want a small, specific, visually cohesive celebration and aren't constrained by holiday travel complications for their guests, December is genuinely underrated.
Best Wedding Month by Region
The national conversation about wedding months tends to flatten regional variation that actually matters. Based on Carats & Cake's submissions data, here's what the calendar looks like in major U.S. wedding markets:
California: May (18.5%), September (17.0%), October (13.0%). The mild climate makes nearly any month workable, but May through October represents the core window. June and July are underutilized relative to weather conditions, as coastal breezes keep temperatures manageable, but the competition for vendors in May and September is real.
New York: September (22.9%), June (15.0%), May (14.4%). September dominates New York more than any other domestic market in our dataset. Hudson Valley foliage and the return of comfortable temperatures after summer create a powerful pull toward September and October.
Texas: May (16.9%), November (12.1%), April (12.1%). The heat window makes June through September a challenging choice for outdoor ceremonies, which explains why May, April, and November cluster at the top. November in Texas offers genuinely comfortable weather and a cost structure that rewards couples willing to go slightly off-peak.
Florida: March (15.6%), May (15.6%), October (12.8%). Florida is the inverse of almost every other market: late fall and winter are peak seasons in the southern half of the state, while summer months bring humidity and hurricane-season risk. March is tied with May as Florida's top wedding month, a distinction that belongs to no other major U.S. market.
Colorado: September (30.2%), June (15.9%), July (14.3%). The mountain concentration drives this. September in the Rockies offers cooler temperatures, peak foliage, and conditions that make outdoor wedding venues genuinely spectacular. This market is a genuine outlier: September's 30% share is nearly double what the second-place month achieves.
Europe (destination): September (22.8%), June (22.1%), May (15.2%). European destination weddings are heavily concentrated in the late spring to early fall window. September leads narrowly over June, with Italy and Greece drawing heavily in September, when the heat breaks and the crowds thin slightly relative to peak summer.
Budget and the Off-Peak Advantage
Venue pricing and vendor rates in the U.S. wedding market follow the same curve as demand. Peak season (May through October, with Saturday premiums in September and October specifically) commands the highest rates. The off-peak window (November through April, with January and February at the floor) offers genuine pricing flexibility.
The delta is not trivial. Venue minimum spends on Saturdays in October in New York or California can be 30 to 50% higher than the same venue on a Saturday in January or March. Photographers, florists, and planners booked in shoulder months frequently have more time to invest in individual clients than they do when running back-to-back bookings through peak season.
The couples who extract the most value from off-peak timing tend to be those with a defined indoor aesthetic, one that doesn't depend on gardens or natural light, or those willing to consider a Friday or Sunday date, which compounds the pricing advantage regardless of month.
Vendor Availability: The Invisible Constraint
Most couples approach wedding timing by thinking about weather and budget. The constraint that actually determines their options is vendor availability.
In major markets during peak months, the best wedding photographers, florists, and planners are frequently booked 12 to 18 months out. That's not universal. A couple planning 18 months ahead for a May or September Saturday has the full field of vendors to choose from. But a couple who gets engaged in January and wants a September wedding nine months later will find the tier-one vendors in most major markets already committed.
The off-peak advantage on vendor availability is as significant as the pricing advantage. January through April and November offers substantially more access to top vendors on shorter planning timelines. For couples who prioritize working with specific photographers or wedding planners over getting married in a specific month, that trade-off is often worth making.
What the "Best" Month Actually Means for Your Wedding
No single month is objectively best. May and September lead our dataset nationally because they balance weather, light, and a comfortable planning window for the largest share of couples in the largest share of markets. But the best month for your wedding is the one where your venue looks its best, your top vendors are available, your guests can reasonably travel, and your budget produces the wedding you want.
Two questions cut through most of the analysis: What does your venue look like in each season? And which vendors do you want, and when are they available? The answers to those two questions will narrow the calendar more efficiently than any national statistic.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most popular month to get married?
May and September are tied as the most popular wedding months in Carats & Cake's 2025 dataset of 2,181 weddings, at 15.5% and 15.4% respectively. National industry data from The Knot places October first, at 17% of U.S. weddings in 2024. The difference reflects sample composition: Carats & Cake's submissions skew toward higher-budget weddings in markets where May and September have stronger appeal.
Is June still a popular month to get married?
Yes, though its historic dominance has spread across a longer season. June accounts for 13.8% of weddings in Carats & Cake's dataset, making it the third most popular month overall. In New York and Europe specifically, June remains near the top, ranking second in both markets. The expansion of wedding season into September and October has reduced June's statistical share without diminishing its appeal.
What is the cheapest month to get married?
January, February, and March offer the lowest pricing on venues and vendors in most U.S. markets. November and early December represent the best value within the warmer part of the year, still comfortable in much of the country, with meaningfully lower vendor rates and weekend availability than the September-October peak.
What month is best for an outdoor wedding?
It depends on location. Nationally, May and September offer the most favorable conditions for outdoor ceremonies across the widest range of markets. In Florida, March and October work better than national averages suggest; in Colorado, September is dominant (30.2% of all Colorado weddings in our dataset); in Texas, May and November are the outdoor sweet spots. Match the month to the specific climate and geography of your venue, not national averages.
When should I book my wedding vendors?
For peak-season dates (May, September, October, and prime June Saturdays in major markets), the top tier of vendors in most cities books 12 to 18 months in advance. Off-peak months (November through April) offer more flexibility, with strong vendors often available on 6 to 9 months of lead time in most markets. The date and market determine the timeline more than any general rule.
Once your month is locked, the vendor search is next. Build your vendor team on Carats & Cake — search by location and category to see who's based in your market, then reach out directly to confirm availability against your target dates. Most top vendors list their booking windows on their profiles, which makes it easy to pressure-test your timeline before you commit to a date.
