As a wedding photographer and videographer in a very heavily populated LDS area, I have shot my fair share of LDS weddings. (See LDS bride guide) A common trend that seems to happen at all these weddings is that a majority of them fall on a Saturday.
Saturdays are a great day to get married, I got married on Saturday! But in my professional opinion, Saturday weddings at the temple can be very hectic.
In the Idaho area, the newest temple is the Meridian Temple so naturally that’s where the most LDS couples are getting married right now. It truly is a beautiful building and one of my favorite temples to photograph! That temple has several sealings rooms which means they can be doing several sealing at the same time. That sounds like a great idea except when the couple exits. At that point you can have about two or three couples waiting to exit the temple at the same time. (This definitely happens on the popular weekends you’ll read about later.) This can cause quite a bit of congestion when it comes to taking pictures. There is one spot at the temple that has a lot of shade and is the ideal spot for a big group family picture. You really only have about 5 to 10 minutes to take the family pictures before the next couple exits from the designated exiting area.
I’m all about supporting each other and being happy for the other couples getting married that day, but on your wedding day you want it to be all about you. The last thing you want to be thinking about is how fast you have to take all of your family pictures in order to get out of the way for the next couple. Even when I got married a few years ago in the Boise temple I still had to share a getting ready room with two other brides! Doing it this way will ensure that you don’t have to share your special moment with several other couples.
This brings me to my main point: getting married on a weekday is one of the best things you can do if you’re getting married in the temple.
If you’re worried about attendance, the people you actually want at your wedding will make an effort to be there regardless of the day. As important as your wedding day pictures are, the people who made an effort to go to your wedding are also very important. If you get married on a Saturday and are constantly rushed you won’t have that good one on one connection time with your friends and family who came to support you on your best day. If you have a lot of time on your wedding day before the next couple comes out then you can actually talk and enjoy each other‘s company instead of just trying to get through the day as quickly as possible. I’m a big supporter of enjoying every moment of your wedding day and that starts with giving yourself more than enough time. MORE time than you think! Ultimately, the decision is up to you! I have been at this for a few years and I found that the couples who get married on a weekday don’t seem as stressed because they have so much extra time.
Also if you are getting married in an LDS temple, odds are you have not been engaged for much longer than 7 to 9 months. (No shame in the game! I was only engaged for 4 months before getting married!) Most wedding photographers and videographers get booked out about a year to a year and a half in advance. If you have a favorite photographer or videographer odds are they will probably already be booked out for the Saturday that you have planned. If you get married on a weekday they are much more likely to have that time available for your wedding. Fridays are GREAT options! Its still easy for people to make it to your wedding and its an awesome day for a reception! Since its a weekday, reception venues often won’t be booked that day either and you might even get a weekday discounted rate.
A trend I see a lot of LDS couples do is get married the first and second Saturdays after the semester of school ends. It sounds like a great idea until you realize that every other engaged couple at BYU, BYU Idaho, or whatever other school had the same exact idea. Those dates in April, August and December are very very very busy at the temple. I highly recommend avoiding those weekends, but if you do choose those dates, here are some tips that might help:
- Get married early in the morning or in the evening. From 10 AM to 3 PM there are constantly couples coming out of the temple about every 10 minutes. In April, one of the weddings we shot had !!!27!!! couples get married that day!
- Take your temple bridals BEFORE the wedding day. That way you can choose a time of day that has the best lighting AND you don’t have to wait for another couple who is taking pictures in that spot. (Guys- TRUST me! This happens!)
- Think about getting married not at the popular temple in your area. There might be less people getting married at one of the other temples!
- Don’t get married on a Saturday hahaha
Your wedding is meant to be the best day of your life. The little things you do now in your planning will add up and aid you in having a stress free wedding day!
