The best time of year to get married in Dorset

Everybody wants late June. I understand why. But I've worked weddings here in every month of the year, and some of the loveliest have been the ones nobody was competing for.

Here's an honest run through the Dorset wedding year — including the coast, which behaves differently to everywhere else.

Spring: April and May

My quiet favourite. The light is soft, everything is green, and the county hasn't filled up with holiday traffic yet. Flowers are at their best value — tulips, blossom, ranunculus, the first peonies at the very end of May.

The catch is that it can rain sideways, and it can be genuinely cold in the evening. Plan the wet-weather option properly and have somewhere warm for after dark. Prices are usually below peak and good suppliers still have dates.

Summer: June, July and August

Long days, light until nearly ten in June, warm evenings and the best chance of an outdoor ceremony. It's peak for good reason.

It's also the most expensive and the hardest to book — venues and photographers go eighteen months to two years ahead for a summer Saturday. And there are two things people don't expect. Dorset roads in August are full of holidaymakers, so build in extra travel time for everyone including suppliers. And heat is a real factor: a marquee in full sun at 2pm is hot, guests wilt, flowers wilt, and shade and water matter more than you'd think.

Early autumn: September and October

If I had to pick one, it would be September. Still warm, still green, the light in the late afternoon is extraordinary for photographs, and the roads have calmed down. Dahlias and grasses are in full swing, so the flowers are beautiful and reasonable.

October is a proper autumn wedding — colour, candles, log fires. Days are shorter, so your timeline needs to move earlier if you want daylight photos. Plan the ceremony for early afternoon, not four o'clock.

Winter: November to February

Underrated. Candlelight, an intimate room, everyone in from the cold. Venues are often significantly cheaper, and you can usually have your first-choice suppliers.

You need an indoor plan with no compromises, a venue that's genuinely warm, and an early ceremony — it's dark by four. Marquees are possible in winter but need heating and a real budget. Flowers are more limited and imported blooms cost more, so lean into foliage, candles and texture instead.

March

A gamble. Occasionally glorious, occasionally horizontal rain. Great value, and fine if you're relaxed about being indoors.

A word about the coast

Weddings near Weymouth, Studland, Lulworth or Highcliffe are wonderful and windy. Even in July. Wind affects hair, veils, aisle florals, marquee sides, candles and outdoor sound. It doesn't stop anything — you just plan around it with weighted arrangements, pinned hair and a proper sound system rather than a speaker on a stand.

The thing that matters more than the month

The day of the week. A Friday or Sunday in September will often cost you 20–30% less than the Saturday either side, with the same weather and the same suppliers. Midweek is cheaper again. If your budget feels tight, move the day before you cut anything you actually care about.

And whichever month you choose, plan for rain. Dorset in any season will do exactly what it likes, and the couples who have the best day are the ones who've already decided it doesn't matter.