Consider this one more win for fans of January: Not only does the first month bring less highway traffic, cheaper flights, easier-to-secure restaurant reservations and the accompanying sense of calm, it also comprises part of the slow season in the wedding industry, along with its neighbors December, February and March. In Clark County, Nev., where marriage statistics are publicly available, these are the months when the fewest marriages take place.
That is exactly why couples who choose to get married in these months may reap the benefits, like more vendor and venue availability, not to mention guests often have lower expectations and higher enthusiasm. When Ali Angco and Ian Chua, both 29, married on Jan. 6 in Vancouver, many of their guests were excited to have a social gathering of any kind. “No one parties the week after New Year’s,” Ms. Angco said.
Sofia Crokos, a wedding planner from New York, said that her clients were more likely to secure trendy spots — places like Manhatta, 620 Loft and Garden, Cipriani and Chelsea Square — in the winter months. Some vendors and venues also have lower rates during the slow season.
“January tends to be a softer-demand month, with requests increasing in February and March as we approach the busy spring season,” said Tracey L. Brown, the director of catering and events at Cipriani South Street. “January typically offers more flexibility for available dates and pricing,” she added.
Molly Hunt, 38, and Harry Rimalower, 36, had both previously married in September — Dr. Hunt, a psychologist, in 2015; Mr. Rimalower, a lawyer, in 2018 — when searches for available vendors and venues were arduous and long waits for availability were the norm. When they married each other on Jan. 6 at A.O.C., a restaurant in Los Angeles, they had only booked their venue two weeks before the wedding date.
“I was mildly shocked by how well it came out,” Dr. Hunt said of the wedding, adding that January was a good time for a last-minute wedding — the couple spent only two months planning — and that there was less pressure.
Ms. Angco and Mr. Chua’s photographers, Silas and Danaea Godard, who are from Vancouver, said that they did not have any other weddings booked until April. But from June through September, they typically shoot about six weddings per month.
Another perk: Customers who marry early in the year get their photos back in about a month, Ms. Godard said. Their clients who get married in the summer wait up to three to four months for their photos.
And, while January is cold and gray in many places, including Vancouver, the Godards appreciate shooting winter weddings.
“They’re cozy, and we like the architecture and the light in the winter,” Ms. Godard said. “It’s actually quite pretty and soft.”
It’s also just plain fun. “It’s always lovely to receive an invitation in January and February,” said Chenai Bukutu, the founder of ByChenai Events, a wedding-planning company based in London. “It’s something to look forward to in the bleakest months.”
