The Hidden Cost of Peak Season Weddings

There’s a reason June through September commands premium pricing. Every couple imagines golden hour photos in warm light, guests mingling on terraces, and that dreamy summer evening atmosphere.

But here’s what the brochures don’t mention: peak season doesn’t just affect your venue cost. It creates a domino effect across your entire budget.

The Vendor Premium

Your florist, photographer, band, and caterer are all in demand during these months. Many operate with peak-season pricing that can add 15-30% to their standard rates. Some won’t even quote it separately — it’s simply built into what you see.

When I review budgets with couples, I often find they’ve unconsciously absorbed thousands in peak-season premiums without realising it.

The Availability Tax

Beyond the financial cost, there’s the availability constraint. The photographer you loved on Instagram? Booked eighteen months out for Saturdays in August. Your dream florist? Only taking two weddings per weekend and yours didn’t make the cut.

Peak season doesn’t just cost more money. It costs you choices.

The Alternative Calculation

A Friday in late September or a Sunday in May might save you €8,000-€15,000 across all vendors. That’s not a small number. That’s your honeymoon. That’s the string quartet you thought you couldn’t afford.

I’m not saying avoid summer. I’m saying run the numbers on alternatives before you assume Saturday in July is the only option.

Questions to Ask Yourself

• Would guests genuinely struggle with a Friday evening or Sunday afternoon?
• Is the specific date more important than having your first-choice vendors?
• What would you do with an extra €10,000 in your budget?

The couples I work with who’ve shifted to shoulder season often tell me the same thing: they got more of what they actually wanted, and spent less getting it.

That’s not compromise. That’s clarity.