Picking a date is driving me NUTS-O!

Thanks everyone for your opinions. I am really a ppl pleaser so this is a tough one for me!!!

Kate (Lala), are you paying a lot extra to do your wedding in Dec.??

Hopefully the decisions will get easier from here...

Btw, no one has answered my question: When should you have your date chosen?? Is there a general rule on this?

P.S. The wine at dinner did me good

Jaime....I don't know if there is a right or wrong answer to this question...but I personally decided on a location that I wanted first, then decided on a date I would like and I thought would work for the most important people then I checked to see if available. It was, so we went with it. Then I had to change the date to a couple days sooner and it was still available. Then, I wanted to change hotels and my date wasn't available for that hotel...

So, I would say pick a couple dates within the main time frame you want (nov, dec, etc...) and pick a couple locations you want and then go with it and see what works and what is available.

Just know, that things do book quickly, so I would say at least decide a year a head of time. When I first picked my date it was a year ahead and now I wanted to change it at 11 mo prior to and that place was booked....

Thanks for the tips Michelle - I will keep them in mind

K, so this is what I've found in regards to Holidays in the U.S.:

USA Federal Holidays and Celebrations

Work schedules may or may not be affected by these holidays.

* New Year's Day, January 1st.

* Birthday of Martin Luther King, third Monday in January.

* Inauguration Day, January 20th every four years, starting in 1937.

* Washington's Birthday, third Monday in February since 1971; prior to that year, it was celebrated on the traditional date of February 22.

* Inauguration Day, March 4th every four years, pre-1937.

* Armed Forces Day, third Saturday in May.

* Memorial Day, last Monday in May since 1971; from 1868 to 1970 it was celebrated on May 30, and was called Decoration Day for part of that time.

* Flag Day, June 14th.

* United States of America's Independence Day, July 4.

* Labor Day, first Monday in September.

* Columbus Day, second Monday in October (federal holiday since 1971).

* Election Day, Tuesday on or after November 2.

* Veterans Day, November 11th (except from 1971 to 1977, inclusive, when it was celebrated on the fourth Monday in October; formerly known as Armistice).

* Thanksgiving Day, fourth Thursday in November.

* Christmas Day, December 25th. I have finally included this since it is a federal holiday, although it is not based on a secular holiday.

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Those in bold are our top choices, Memorial Day being #1. That would be May 25th, 2009. Ooooh, I'm getting excited now! Keep your fingers crossed for me, I think May would be PERFECT!

Jaime...are you thinking May of 2008 or 2009?? Your profile says summer of 09. I am getting Married Memorial Day weekend of 2008!!! It was going to be memorial day but now it's the saturday. Just thought I would mention!!

The rates are the high season rates in December - just because it's in that Oct - March window. I'm not paying extra for vendors or anything. Our per person room rate at Dreams for the room block was $180.

Brett wanted me to put this guy in here.

Makes perfect sense!!