June Weddings Still Prevail And Friday Night's Moving Up...
June weddings are back - not that they ever went away -- and most New Jersey couples opt for a traditional Saturday night wedding, according to an opinion poll of 300 randomly selected Northern and Central New Jersey married adults, commissioned by The Crystal Plaza in Livingston.
The NJ Wedding Survey reported that June remains New Jersey's most popular wedding month, but not by as wide a margin at it used to be. While 15 percent of married couples exchange vows in June, 13 percent choose to wait for October's fall foliage to brighten their wedding photos before walking down the aisle. Overall, you can expect to hear wedding bells ring during the Summer (35 percent) and Fall (29 percent) months in the Garden State.
While the majority of New Jerseyeans may prefer to get married on Saturday (57 percent), Friday weddings are rising in popularity. The wedding poll uncovered that 26 percent of those married most recently (under five years) opted for that day, which marks an 18 percent increase from couples celebrating 15-plus years of marriage. Sunday remains a fairly consistent choice, with 20 percent of all couples, regardless of age or length of marriage choosing that day. Sunday seems to be the popular day for large New Jersey weddings with more than 200 guests. In fact 32 percent of respondents fitting the "larger guest list" profile chose Sunday, even though Saturday still remained the prime day among 44 percent of this group. The survey found that time of day was also of significance, with evening receptions accounting for half (49 percent) of New Jersey weddings compared to 39 percent who opted for afternoon receptions and six percent who walked down the aisle in the morning hours. Evenings, chosen by 71 percent of those 18 to 34 years-old, are slowly replacing the afternoon receptions enjoyed by nearly eight in 10 (79 percent) married people in older age groups.
The poll also found that engagement lengths varied across the board. Formerly, when most single people lived under the parental roof, betrothal was a time for collecting trousseaus and preparing for a simple wedding planned by the bridal family. Today's courtship environment and engagement periods often take on a complexity stemming from geographical distance between couples and their parents, elaborate gift registration lists, active participation of families with diverse tastes, and allocation of financial responsibilities. Almost four in 10 (37 percent) of the survey's respondents were engaged between one and two years. Another 30 percent were engaged for between six months and a year, while only 16 percent were married within six months. Couples in the 18 - 34 age group were most likely to be engaged for more than two years. The shorter the engagement period, however, the more difficult it may be to find the ideal place, time of year, and day of week for a dream wedding. Engaged couples to decide on an acceptable time period for the wedding and then, once that is defined, they should secure the most important elements of their plans, especially for the high-volume months. Choosing a site as soon as possible for the ceremony and reception is crucial and being somewhat flexible about the day and time, and even time of year may play an important role in this. What many couples have found is that once they have determined their wedding locale, everything else soon falls into place. Most full-service facilities in New Jersey are positioned to assist with every detail necessary for a memorable affair.
