It seems like the first question anyone asks after you get engaged is, “when’s the big day?” Picking a date might seem harder than finding the right person! But it doesn’t have to be that way, and we’ll tell you how.

Do some planning

Before you start figuring out which dates work best, do some preliminary planning. You’ll want to establish your budget, determine who will be contributing (if anyone other than you and your partner), estimate a guest count, plan an approximate planning timeline, and establish any absolutes your wedding must have (this will come back into play when we help with the budget). You may also want to consider any dates that will be total no-gos for close family members and the wedding party (such as work obligations, graduations, other nuptials, etc.). From there you can compile a list of local venues you want to start touring, confirming over the phone when their earliest booking date is.

The budget is especially important because this can truly drive when your wedding takes place. If you’re looking to save some money, consider booking in the off season, which at The Iroquois Club is January through April. This can be a beautiful time of the year with winter in full swing (think of all the gorgeous snowy pictures) and the beginning of spring (all the new flowers in bloom!). You also likely won’t be competing with tons of other couples for the popular dates and vendors.

Don’t lock yourself in

You don’t want to have an end-all-be-all wedding date before you start planning anything. There’s a chance that this date could already be booked, which will severely limit your options. What you want to do is set a range of dates you would be happy with for the wedding. A rule of thumb is to figure out the year then the season. Fall is the most popular time for wedding receptions at The Iroquois Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, so if you’re considering a fall wedding, be prepared to book 12-14 months in advance.

The Venue’s calendar

Once you’ve landed on a venue, it’s time to figure out when the big day will be. Most couples who host their wedding ceremony or wedding reception at The Iroquois Club book their weddings 9-12 months in advance, which gives your family plenty of time to make accommodations, and it gives you enough time to plan the wedding of your dreams. Select your top dates and talk them over with anyone who is playing an important role in the wedding (wedding party, family, etc.). After you’ve talked over the dates with the key players in your wedding, it’s time to lock it down. Once you solidify the date, you can send out your save-the-dates (and finally get everyone off your back who keeps asking when the big day is).