Photo via iStock.

If you’ve just gotten engaged, congratulations! One of the first orders of business is to pick a wedding date. Although that might seem relatively simple, it might be one of the hardest decisions to make, given your venue and vendor options will be dependent on that chosen date. One of the easiest things to do may be to narrow down the dates that you shouldn’t choose as your wedding date. Here are our recommendations for the dates you should probably steer clear of.

Religious Holidays
This is an important one to consider—not only will you and your guests likely have other commitments, but your venue, if it is a place of worship, may also be unavailable to accommodate these dates. Holidays include:

• Palm Sunday
  April 5, 2020
  March 28, 2021
  April 10, 2022
• Easter Sunday
  April 12, 2020
  April 4, 2021
  April 17, 2022
• Passover
  April 8, 2020
  March 27, 2021
  April 15, 2022
• Tisha B’Av
  Beginning sunset on July 29, 2020, to nightfall on July 30, 2020
  Beginning sunset on July 17, 2021, to nightfall on July 18, 2021
  Beginning sunset on August 5, 2022, to nightfall on August 6, 2022
• Rosh Hashanah
  Beginning sunset on September 29, 2019, to nightfall on October 1, 2019
  Beginning sunset on September 18, 2020, to nightfall on September 20, 2020
  Beginning sunset on September 6, 2021, to nightfall on September 8, 2021
• Yom Kippur
  Beginning sunset on October 8, 2019, to nightfall on October 9, 2019
  Beginning sunset on September 27, 2020, to nightfall on September 2, 2020
  Beginning sunset on September 15, 2021, to nightfall on September 16, 2021
• Hanukkah
  Beginning sunset on December 22, 2019, to nightfall on December 30, 2019
  Beginning sunset on December 10, 2020, to nightfall on December 18, 2020
  Beginning sunset on November 28, 2021, to nightfall on December 6, 2021
• Christmas
  Wednesday, December 25, 2019
  Friday, December 25, 2020
  Saturday, December 25, 2021
• Kwanzaa
  Thursday, December 26, 2019 until Wednesday, January 1, 2020
  Saturday, December 26, 2020 until Friday, January 1, 2021
  Sunday, December 26, 2020 until Saturday, January 1, 2022
• Ramadan
  Thursday, April 23, 2020 to Saturday, May 23, 2020
  Monday, April 12, 2021, to Tuesday, May 11, 2021
  Saturday, April 2, 2022, to Sunday, May 1, 2022
• Eid al-Fitr
  Saturday, May 23 until Sunday, May 24, 2020
  Wednesday, May 12 until Thursday, May 13, 2021
  Monday, May 2, 2022 until Tuesday, May 3, 2022
• Eid al-Adha (these dates vary based on the individual)
  July 31, 2020
  July 19, 2021
  July 9, 2022
• Ram Navami
  April 2, 2020
  April 21, 2021
  April 10, 2022
• Krishna Janmashtami
  August 11, 2020
  August 30, 2021
  August 18, 2022

Long Weekends
Try to avoid scheduling your wedding on a long weekend. It’s a courtesy to extend to your guests, who may have long-weekend plans scheduled in advance, even though you may think that having your wedding on a Sunday, with an extra day off, will give your guests a day to recover before heading back to work. If you have many out-of-town guests, this is also something to consider—it may cost more for them to come on a long weekend, and accommodations may not be as easy to come by if they are not booked well in advance.

• Islander Day (for Prince Edward Island only)/Louis Riel Day (for Manitoba only)/Nova Scotia Heritage Day (for Nova Scotia only)/Family Day
  February 17, 2020
  February 15, 2021
  February 21, 2022
• Victoria Day
  May 18, 2020
  May 24, 2021
  May 23, 2022
• Good Friday
  April 10, 2020
  April 2, 2021
  April 15, 2022
• Easter Monday
  April 13, 2020
  April 5, 2021
  April 18, 2022
• St. George’s Day (for Newfoundland & Labrador only)
  April 20, 2019
  April 26, 2021
  April 25, 2022
• Canada Day
  Even though Canada Day doesn’t always result in a long weekend, people often take time off before and after the holiday.
  Wednesday, July 1, 2020
  Thursday, July 1, 2021
  Friday, July 1, 2022
• Civic/Provincial Day
  August 3, 2020
  August 2, 2021
  August 1, 2022
• Labour Day
  September 7, 2020
  September 6, 2021
  September 5, 2022
• Thanksgiving
  October 14, 2019
  October 12, 2020
  October 11, 2021
• Christmas Day
  Wednesday, December 25, 2019
  Friday, December 25, 2020
  Saturday, December 25, 2021
• Boxing Day
  Thursday, December 26, 2019
  Monday, December 28, 2020
  Monday, December 27, 2021
• New Year’s Day
  Wednesday, January 1, 2020
  Friday, January 1, 2021
  Saturday, January 1, 2022

Other Holidays And Special Dates
These are the days that don’t necessarily constitute a statutory holiday, but may still hold significant meaning to your guests—these occasions include Mother’s Day and Remembrance Day. Dates such as Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day might be busier for florists, and everyone knows that red roses cost a premium on this day!

• Valentine’s Day
  Friday, February 14, 2020
  Sunday, February 14, 2021
  Monday, February 14, 2022
• St. Patrick’s Day
  Tuesday, March 17, 2020
  Wednesday, March 17, 2021
  Thursday, March 17, 2022
• St. Jean Baptiste Day (for Quebec only)
  Wednesday, June 24, 2020
  Thursday, June 24, 2021
  Friday, June 24, 2022
• Mother’s Day
  May 10, 2020
  May 9, 2021
  May 8, 2022
• Father’s Day
  June 21, 2020
  June 20, 2020
  June 19, 2020
• Nunavut Day
  Thursday July 9, 2020
  Friday, July 9, 2021
  Monday, July 11, 2022
• Remembrance Day
  Monday, November 11, 2019
  Wednesday, November 11, 2020
  Thursday, November 11, 2021