The Best Wedding Dates for 2021 and 2022 According to the Experts

If there’s one thing you can count on as a newly engaged couple it’s that within minutes of making the announcement, you will be asked “So, have you picked a date yet?” at least once a day, for the foreseeable future. While the ring certainly lets everyone know it’s on!, an actual wedding date says “it’s soooo on,” in the best possible way—so time to buckle up and nail it down. 

Do you set it for the anniversary of the day you met? Over a three-day weekend? The first day of Comic Con? Or do you look to the stars?

Melanie Obeid, Psychic Medium & Intuitive Astrologer of Beyond The Vale advises her clients to pick a date that holds a special meaning for both partners. From there, Obeid says, “look for the best dates, which are those that break down to the number 2 or 8, and/or are divisible by 2. Or, simply keep these specific dates in mind: 1, 2, 4, 8, 11, 22, the idea being that you want to cultivate the togetherness energies of the number 2 and/or the number 8 for abundance.”

That said, whether you follow the wisdom of the stars or not, with more than 700 dates to pick from between now and the end of 2022, which ones are the wedding date sweet spots? We have a few hot dates in mind, so cue up your calendar and let’s narrow the field: 

If you missed out on 1/21/21, you’ll get a few more chances this winter for some graphically cool-looking and sounding dates: 2/1/21, 2/11/21, 2/12/21 (President’s Day Weekend), and 2/21/21. Christa DeHuff of A Central Park Wedding Inc. says, “Wedding dates that have a symmetry or a nice ring to them are always in style. For next year, 2/2/22 and 2/22/22 will definitely be in demand despite it being winter!” Other hot yet cool, stylish winter dates to consider in 2022 include 1/2/22, 1/21/22, 2/1/22, 2/2/22, 2/11/22, and 2/22/22.

For couples craving sun and a warm, beachy destination wedding, at an easy-to-get-to resort area like coastal Mexico, seasonal weather forecasts matter. Areli Vega, Marriott Puerto Vallarta’s  in-house wedding coordinator likes January and February (and November too!) because the weather is just plain lovely—not too hot, not too cool and low humidity. (That sounds like a lot of good hair day options to us!)

Got a particular three-day holiday—like President’s Day Weekend—in mind for 2022? Start inquiries now. With a year head-start, you’ll have an excellent shot at landing the date you want. 

Expecting wedding guests from overseas? Keep in mind that huge celebrations, like Chinese New Year and the Hindu festival of Purna Kumbh Mela, two of the world’s largest human migrations—roughly 520 million people combined—often happen in January and/or February. So, check-in first with your far-flung relatives before locking your date down. Chinese New Year 2021 starts this February 12 and runs through the 26th—and in 2022, it kicks off February 1. Purna Kumbh Mela runs mid-January through April 2021, but the next one after that is in 12 years!

If your dear ones are primarily located in the U.S., in 2021, they’ll still be dealing with the current travel challenges, juggling WFH and at-home learning plus the usual school and religious holidays in March and April. Passover starts on March 24, Easter falls on April 4 and Ramadan starts on April 12. Then there's Spring Break 2021, when beaches in the southern U.S., the Caribbean islands and Mexico fill up with party-loving college kids, possibly crowding you out of the dates you may want. 

If 2022 is on your radar, remember that the religious holiday schedule shifts for this year and the three big spring holidays all into April, with Ramadan starting April 1, Passover on the 15th, Easter on the 17th, while Spring Break season runs from mid-March through April 24. 

Heading on into late spring, Vega also likes the transitional season, May through mid-June, with a 6:30 p.m. service—perfect timing for snapping those romantic sunset-over-the-Pacific wedding photos. If you’re open to the summer low-season months, think late June, July, August through to October, you’ll still get warmer days, higher humidity, and occasional showers but smaller crowds.

Couples will likely also appreciate the lower lodging rates at that time of year, says Asociación Industria de Romance Puerto Vallarta Riviera Nayarit chief, Leslie Frausto. Another tip? Frausto recommends enlisting a local planner to negotiate on your behalf (and read the fine print on those contracts!) to get the best deals and most flexibility possible, whether you’re booking for 2021 or 2022.

Ah, summer. Let’s say you’re thinking June, July, or August. Good times for rates and dates in Mexico and the Caribbean but prime time in scenic, cooler climes in the US and Canada. In 2021, as we emerge from the pandemic cocoon, outdoor weddings will be the order of the day, and with 14 weeks between Memorial Day and Labor Day, expect guest and venue calendars to fill up fast with graduations, reunions, and of course, wedding weekends. Here, however, is where couples can get creative, by opting for weekday weddings when, as DeHuff suggests, vendors can be more flexible on both dates and rates. 

What’s the hottest weekday option for weddings in 2021? Thursdays, like June 3, 10, and 24 or  July 8, 15, 22, and 30. As far as August is concerned, you’re looking at the first half of the month, namely August 5 and 12—before people take off for their last-two-weeks-of-summer vacations. For 2022, summertime Thursdays to keep on your shortlist are June 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30; July 7, 14, 21, and 28; and August 4 and 11.

Not crazy about a Thursday wedding? Then put Friday on the list, which is, according to Astrologer Alysa Bartha, the best day of the week because it’s associated with Libra which is the zodiacal sign of partnership.

Two of the most gorgeous months of the year in the northern hemisphere are September and October. Trouble is, September is also one of the most overstuffed months, making it a tricky time to marry no matter what year it is.

In 2021, the month starts with Labor Day and Rosh Hashanah on Monday, September 6, back-to-school in the northern half of the country on Thursday, September 9, and Yom Kippur on September 15. In between, there’s New York Fashion Week, starting September 11, if that’s your thing. For 2022, the jam-packed cycle repeats, with Labor Day falling on September 5 and the Jewish holidays landing on September 25 and October 4.

Even though the actual number of days you have to work with are somewhat limited, astrologically, the end of the month in 2021—September 23 through October 22nd —comes out on top. “It’s Libra Season,” says Bartha, “and Libra is all about partnership, marriage, and bonding!” And what couple wouldn’t like the sound of that?

November or December are another two action-packed months with everyone jumping through the holiday hoops and racing to wrap up the year. To sidestep the Thanksgiving travel crush followed by Hanukkah from November 28 – December 4, any time before November 19 is your window. From there, December follows a similarly frantic pace, with Christmas and Kwanzaa bearing down fast, on December 25 and 26 respectively. So, you’re going to do it in 2021, consider getting ‘er done by December 17 or so.

On the other hand, during this time of short days and deep winter, Alysa Bartha says there’s an astrological sweet spot from December 21, 2021, to January 21, 2022, when the sun visits Capricorn and commitment is most aligned with success.” As Capricorn loves loyalty and making things last forever, couples who are in it for the long haul may not want to miss out on the celestial opportunity! 

Though there’s rarely a truly bad time to get hitched—except, perhaps when Mercury is in retrograde—it’s safe to say that just about every engaged couple that’s made it through these very difficult times is “eager to celebrate their love with their friends and family in whatever capacity is allowable and they are comfortable with,” says Gena Chen, The St. Regis San Francisco’s Director of Catering and Event Management. “After a year staying safely distanced, any date and season are appropriate to celebrate in this year and next”—and we couldn’t agree more!