Best Time to Get Married
How to choose the time of year for your wedding in Sydney
Your life leading up to getting married was all butterflies and roses.
Pretty awesome actually. One day, your partner of five years takes you on a romantic journey and takes you by surprise!
Your partner finally decided to put a ring on on your finger…HOORAY!!
Next, you need to plan your wedding day! There’s so many things to consider, should I elope or have a wedding in Sydney? When should I get married? Who should I invite? There’s so much to do!!
But, often the first thing thing to consider is WHEN. The date of the big day! Once you have that, then all other decisions on the wedding day will be based off this one choice you have made.
Unless you already had your wedding date in your mind your entire life, the first decision is usually what season should I do it in.
Should you get married in winter when the weather is cooler? Is getting married in Summer a bad idea because it’s too hot?
All I can say is, each season has its positives and negatives, challenges and benefits so that’s why I’ve decided to write this guide, to hopefully answer all of your questions so you can make the best decision for YOU.
Hang on for the ride, because this might be long post. But I’m sure you’ll thank me for it later 🙂
Keep reading to learn which is the best time to get married in Sydney
Summer Weddings in Sydney
Summers in Sydney can be a hot and sticky affair, much like your relationship when you first started dating. It’s pretty awesome, but can quickly fizzle if you’re not prepared to go for the long haul.
Think 30 plus degree days, long balmy evenings when the sun does not set until late. Couples who love warm weather will choose summer because of this.
However, it’s the least predictable of seasons, I’ve photographed weddings in 45 degree heatwaves, torrential downpours and howling winds in Summer.
In saying this, it’s not all bad. Here’s why
Why you will love it
- The days are so much longer and you have more daylight to enjoy your wedding day
- If you like warm weather, this is the time for you
- You can choose to have your ceremony later in the day to take advantage of the warmer evenings
- Beach weddings and summer = Awesome!
Why you may not love it
- The sun is out for longer, and can set around 8 or 9pm making sunset photos trickier to get (unless I can convince you otherwise to stop whatever you’re doing and come with me for 10minutes)
- It’s warmer than all the other seasons. No lying about that.
- There’s a higher chance for thunderstorms
- The wettest month of the year in Sydney is February
- You will need to schedule your ceremony for later in the day to avoid the hot blazing middle of the day sun
- We live in Australia so there are flies and mozzies about (I am allergic to mosquito bites)
- If you’re planning a European honeymoon, it will be in their winter and it’s much colder than ours
Autumn Weddings in Sydney
One of the in between seasons where it’s neither super hot or nasty cold, Autumn is one of the most popular seasons of the year for weddings in Sydney for that reason. It is just really nice.
Why you will love it
- The weather is neither too warm or too cold. It’s nice and comfortable for everyone involved
- The colours are just so awesome, particularly the red and orange leaves if you have it around you
- The sun sets earlier so you can go enjoy your party sooner than later
- The light is just so nice for photos
Why you may not love it
- Can be a little windy and unpredictable
- It is a popular time of year to get married in Sydney so you need to book things early so you don’t miss out
- Autumn is officially the wettest season in Sydney so you may need a wet weather backup
- Occasionally we will have a late summer in March and still be really hot
- Public holidays galore, so make sure you book people in before they take Easter holidays
Winter Weddings in Sydney
Probably the most underrated season to get married in Sydney, winter has had a bad reputation of being cold, wet and miserable but in reality, winters in Sydney are not like those in Iceland.
It doesn’t get any colder than about 16 degrees during the day nor will it snow on you (snow in Sydney would be pretty epic though)
With some of the reasons below, it may change your mind about winter weddings. If there’s anything to go by, I chose to get married in June so be like me and choose winter. It’s great!
Why you will love it
- Finding your favourite wedding venues in Sydney and wedding vendors will be much easier. Some may even have special winter rates as its normally off season. You’ll save $$$ (who doesn’t like that)
- The guys can wear a suit without having sweat patches on their shirts
- The sun sets much earlier so you’ll can have those sunset photos earlier and enjoy the rest of the evening
- The light is much softer due to the angle of the sun being lower in winter = better photos
- Have you wedding in winter and go on honeymoon to Europe/USA in their summer YAY!
Why you may not love it
- It gets cold in the evenings. And you don’t like cold weather
- It gets dark early. Pitch black at 5pm 🙁
- Your day will be shorter and everyone likes to go home early and hibernate
- The girls will be colder in a dress. My wife’s lips turned a bit blue wearing her mermaid dress…meanwhile I was all snug with my suit
Spring Weddings in Sydney
Arguably the most popular time to get married in Sydney, the air is fresher, the flowers are out in full force and everything just looks pretty. It is no wonder close to 40% of people choose Spring as their season to get married.
Why you will love it
- It’s so damn pretty! The flowers are out, the grass is lush, the trees are taller.
- Warmer than autumn in general so you’ll have amazing weather
- Outdoor ceremonies in Spring are the best
Why you may not love it
- Peak booking season for weddings so you need to book way in advance to lock in your favourite wedding vendors and venues. Sometimes even 2 years in advance!
- No chance for a discount with anyone!
What is the best season to get married in Sydney?
According to Easyweddings, 37 per cent of weddings occur in Spring so it’s no wonder why it’s popular amongst the crowd and by far the the crowd favourite. Autumn is second at 26%, followed by Summer with 19% and winter 18%.
For those of you who love to analyse charts and graphs (yes I know who you are), here is the annual temperature and rainfall of Sydney according to Weatherzone.
One thing I can conclude from this weather chart is
- Its nearly impossible to predict the weather
- Its nearly impossible to predict the weather
- The weather does what it likes and does NOT consider your wedding day as special
There really is no best season,
What is the most popular months to get married in Sydney?
Easy Weddings has been doing a annual survey every year for awhile now, and over 2,300 couples take part, so I would say they have a pretty good idea of the latest trends right now.
October is the most popular month, followed by April and September a close second and third.
June and July are the least popular months.
The most popular days to get married in Sydney
Any guesses which day is the most popular day to get married?
You guessed it, SATURDAY!!
A whopping 62 per cent of people get married on this day. If you decide to choose Saturday, just bear in mind there is VERY good chance someone else is thinking about your date too. Just make sure you get a wriggle on!
Next most popular day being Friday at 15%, and Sunday was the third most popular day to get married at 11% popularity.
However, I have noticed a trend on my clients choosing Tuesdays, Thursdays and even Mondays to get married.
Some Advice – The Best time of year to get married
- There is no “Best” time of year to get married in Sydney, just pick a season, pick a nice date and see where it takes you
- Have a wet weather backup plan in the case of rain, or simply pick an indoor venue that serves as both a backup and Plan A
- If you are getting married in a church, rain hail or shine you’ll be fine 🙂
- Some cultures have dates and numbers which are considered “lucky” so if you know what they are, then book those dates early! Eight is considered lucky in with the Chinese so the 8th of August will always be popular
- Rain on your wedding day isn’t really that bad! In most cases it makes for awesome wedding photos and a great story to tell afterwards.
- You simply cannot control the weather so don’t let it control what you do. It’s your day and you can do it however you like
- Don’t completely write off mid-week weddings. Especially for a more smaller intimate wedding or elopement
If you’re still stuck on how to plan your wedding, I’m here to help. I’ve seen over hundreds of weddings and I know how hard it is to plan one (I’ve been there myself too!)
Here’s a few more articles that I prepared earlier that I’m sure you’ll find useful when planning your Sydney wedding
22 of the Best Sydney Wedding Venues
Planning your honeymoon? I’ve got something for you here too
6 Easy Tips for a Perfect Honeymoon
If you would love to chat more about your wedding photography, I’d love to hear from you. Just book in a time with me here via my calendar and we’ll make it happen
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