2025 The Best Wedding Dates to Avoid

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Choosing a wedding date is a personal decision. Some couples spend a lot of time deciding on the perfect day, while others choose a wedding date on a whim.

Neither approach is wrong, but it is important to think carefully about the date you choose. Not only do you have to think about a date you do want, you also have to think carefully about dates you don’t want.

Here are some of the best wedding dates to avoid in 2025 so you can experience a memorable wedding celebration with your friends and family.

Religious Holidays
Religious holidays are among the best wedding dates to avoid in 2025. That’s especially true if you or your friends and family are of the Jewish faith. Passover is on Saturday, April 12, 2025, and Tisha B’Av is on Saturday, August 2, 2025.

If you’re flexible and willing to have your wedding on a day other than Saturday, there are plenty of other religious holidays you may want to avoid. Just a few include:

⦁ Easter: Sunday, April 20, 2025

⦁ Christmas: Thursday, December 25, 2025

⦁ Kwanza: Friday, December 26, 2025, to Thursday, January 1, 2026

⦁ Ramadan: Friday, February 28, 2025, to Saturday, March 29, 2025

There are many more religious holidays to consider, but the most important thing is to consider your religion and those of your guests. For example, you might want to be mindful of Indian holidays if you have loved ones from India, but you might ignore Jewish holidays because none of your friends and family celebrate them.

International Holidays for Destination Weddings

Not only do you want to consider religious holidays that are important to your friends and family, but you also have to consider international holidays if you’re planning a destination wedding.

The particular dates will depend on where you’re having your wedding. A few of the best wedding dates to avoid in popular countries for destination weddings include:

⦁ Día de la Independence in Mexico: Tuesday, September 16, 2025

⦁ Independence Day in Jamaica: Wednesday, August 6, 2025

⦁ Bastille Day in France: Monday, July 14, 2025

No matter where you’re having your destination wedding, you should do your research so you don’t pick a date that’s important to the culture where you’re getting married.

Meaningful Sporting Events

Sporting events are among the best wedding dates to avoid because your big day can be seriously affected by a game, even if it isn’t a game you’re interested in. You don’t want your guests huddling around a cell phone screen, rooting for their favorite team in the middle of your reception. Or worse, they decline your invitation because they’ve already got tickets to the game.

Just a few to consider include:
⦁ Super Bowl: Sunday, February 9, 2025

⦁ Men's March Madness Final Four: Saturday, April 5, 2025, and Monday, April                                                               7, 2025
⦁ Women's March Madness Final Four: Friday, April 4, 2025, and Sunday, April                                                                     6, 2025
⦁ US Open for Tennis: Monday, August 25, 2025, to Sunday, September 8, 2025

⦁ Masters Tournament: Monday, April 7, 2025, to Sunday, April 13, 2025

That doesn’t mean you have to avoid every sporting event. Just like you only have to avoid religious holidays that are meaningful to you and your guests, so too should you only avoid sporting events that you know your guests enjoy.

That includes local sporting events. You might want to avoid college football games or your nephew’s big baseball tournament.

Unlucky Dates

Your cultural background can impact the best wedding dates to avoid because many cultures consider certain dates inauspicious, or unlucky.

For example, Diwala, which is the Hindu festival of lights, takes place on the day of a new moon, which makes it unlucky. In 2025, that day falls on Tuesday, October 21.

Chinese brides and grooms have inauspicious wedding dates to avoid as well. Generally, March, July, and September are considered unlucky wedding months because they contain festivals that are related to death. Dates that contain the number 4 or 7 should also be avoided, as they are said to represent death.

There are some unlucky dates you might want to avoid that don’t have any cultural ties. The Ides of March, or March 15, is considered unlucky by some. With March 15, 2025 falling on a Saturday, it might be a date you want to avoid.

You might also want to avoid Friday, June 13th, since Friday the 13th is considered unlucky. If your family is from Spain or you’re having your wedding in Spain, you might want to avoid Tuesday, May 13, 2025 for the same reason.

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Local Festivals and Events

Whether you’re having a destination wedding or you’re staying closer to home, it’s a good idea to look at the calendar of local festivals and events, as they can interfere with your big day.

For example, you might want to avoid the week of the state fair if you have family members who attend regularly or who work the fair. August can be a challenging month to have a wedding if you have family members who are teachers or students who have to head back to college. Other types of festivals and events to look out for include:

⦁ Renaissance fairs

⦁ Heritage festivals

⦁ Art festivals

⦁ Oktoberfest

⦁ Music festivals

⦁ Grand openings

These are some of the best wedding dates to avoid, but once again, it’s a personal decision. Only the festivals and events that impact you and your guests should be avoided.

Long Weekends

It might sound like a good idea to have your wedding on a three-day weekend, like Labor Day or Memorial Day, because everyone has an extra day to recover. Although you can definitely make a three-day weekend work, it’s actually among the best wedding dates to avoid.

First, travel costs can spike on long weekends. Hotel accommodations can cost more, as can gas. Venues and vendors might charge more too.

Second, your guests may already have vacation plans. Some families plan vacations six or more months in advance, with some families keeping a tradition of returning to the same spot year after year. You don’t want them to skip your wedding. You don’t want them to show up grumpy because your wedding interfered with their vacation plans either.

Any Date That Will Be Frustrating on Your Anniversary

Most lists of the best wedding dates to avoid focus on your actual wedding date. It’s important to think about the day-of, but you should also think about how the date you choose will impact your anniversary for years to come.

For example, a 4th of July wedding may sound like fun, but do you want to compete with barbecues and family gatherings every year on your wedding anniversary? The same is true when it comes to having your wedding on other holidays, like Thanksgiving, New Years, and Halloween.

Give special consideration to birthdays and other important anniversaries. Do you really want to celebrate your anniversary on your birthday or compete with your aunt’s big birthday bash every year?

Choosing the Best Wedding Date is a Personal Decision

There is no universally wrong date to have your wedding. The best wedding dates to avoid all depend on you, your family, and where you’re having your wedding. What’s important is that you take the time to think about potential conflicts. That way you choose a wedding date that you and your partner will love celebrating now and decades into the future.

FAQ

What is an inauspicious wedding date?

An inauspicious wedding date is a day that is considered unlucky for brides and grooms to get married. Inauspicious wedding dates differ depending on the culture and superstitions of the bride, groom, and their families.

What are the best wedding dates to avoid in 2025?

The best wedding dates to avoid in 2025 include religious holidays like Christmas, Passover, and Ramadan. Wedding dates that coincide with meaningful sporting events, local festivals, and other important dates, like birthdays, should also be avoided.

Should I avoid long weekends for my wedding in 2025?

You should avoid long weekends for your wedding in 2025 because they can be more expensive for you and your guests. Your wedding date could conflict with vacation plans your guests already have, and it can interfere with how you want to celebrate your anniversary in the future.