Valentine’s Day weddings: Here's why they can be a bad idea as bookings soar by 61%

Whilst Saturdays are typically the most popular day of the week to get married, new data from leading wedding vendor marketplace, Hitched.co.uk, has unveiled some surprising trends around particular days and dates for 2025 weddings.

Valentine’s Day weddings are on the rise, with 280 Hitched users having planned a wedding for February 14th this year, an increase of 61% compared to 2022 when only 174 weddings were planned for the same date.

Zoe Burke, leading wedding expert and editor of Hitched.co.uk says planning a wedding on a popular holiday such as Valentine’s Day can be both a blessing and a curse.

"Valentine's Day is synonymous with romance - but it can sometimes feel a little corporate, or cliche. There are pros and cons to choosing a holiday such as Valentine’s Day to tie the knot on - you’ll never forget your anniversary, that’s for sure, but your guests might have plans and you might find yourself regretting not choosing a more unique date.

“It definitely helps that Valentine’s Day falls on a Friday this year, and with it being on a Saturday in 2026, I’m sure we’ll see even more V-day weddings in the pipeline!”

Zoe shares some pros of getting married on Valentine’s Day:

Pros --

• The date is easy to remember so there’s no excuse for forgetting anniversaries - and there will always be great cards and gifts to choose from readily available
• It is a very romantic day to choose to celebrate your love for each other, and friends and family will be feeling extra loving on your big day
• There’s the chance of potentially getting a deal on your vendors as February is typically considered ‘off season’ and if the date falls mid-week then there are even more discounts to be had!

Cons --

• Because of the popularity of the date for all couples, not just those getting married, some venues or vendors might be booked already with non-wedding related events
• You’ll forever share your anniversary with an entire population, making getting reservations for your own celebrations more difficult later on
• Guests might already have their own plans, celebrating their own relationships (or anniversaries!) and may not be able to attend your wedding

Mid-week weddings are on the rise as the popularity of Saturday weddings falls out of favour with 2025’s nearlyweds as more couples opt for early and mid-week wedding days.

Interest in tying the knot on a Saturday has fallen by 23% since 2022, while Monday dates have increased by 50% and Tuesday and Wednesday wedding dates have risen between 76% and 88% as well. In fact, couples planning to get married on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays in 2025 make up a quarter of all weddings for the year, compared to the 39% that are planned for a Saturday.

Spring weddings are also rising in popularity with couples as the traditional summer wedding begins to decline out of favour.

More than a quarter of all weddings in 2025 are planned for the Spring, an increase of 23% since 2022, and this year will see around 4% less Summer weddings taking place. Interest in May weddings have surged, with 41% more May weddings planned for this year than there were in 2022, while March and April weddings are also up year on year.

2025 will see 13% fewer Winter weddings than 2022, while Autumn weddings remain a strong contender with 22% of this year’s weddings planned for the transitional season. December in particular will see fewer weddings than the last four years, with 45% less planned than 2022 and 16% less than last year.

Despite this, January is rising in popularity amongst couples, with 35% more weddings planned for the beginning of the year than in 2022.

Zoe Burke, says that the shift toward mid-week weddings reflects a growing interest in cost-saving opportunities by opting for choosing off peak and mid-week dates to plan their wedding.

“Venues and vendors often offer significant discounts for Monday through Thursday bookings, which is likely fueling this trend. Additionally, with flexible work arrangements becoming more common, couples and guests alike are better able to accommodate weekday celebrations without the logistical challenges they might have faced in the past.

"Similarly, the drop in Saturday weddings is a clear indicator that couples are re-evaluating traditional norms. While Saturdays remain popular due to convenience, the rising costs associated with peak demand may be pushing couples toward alternatives. This shift also suggests that couples are prioritizing budget-friendly and personalized options over sticking to convention."

For the second year in a row, the 23rd is the most popular date to tie the knot in 2025, with each of the top five most common dates to get married falling on the 23rd of the month.

Almost 8,000 couples have chosen Saturday the 23rd of August as their wedding date, followed by Friday the 23rd of May (7,016 weddings), Tuesday the 23rd of September (6,593 weddings and 2024’s most popular date to get married), Monday the 23rd of June (6,375 weddings) and Wednesday the 23rd of July (5,478 weddings).

For the full list of most (and least!) popular days to get married, please visit: https://www.hitched.co.uk/wedding-planning/news/most-popular-wedding-dates/