Advice on Wedding Timing?

[HorseObsessed]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Hello All,
I (incoming 1st year DVM student) and my fiance (incoming first year DO student) are trying to figure out when the easiest time would be to plan and have a wedding during school.
-We both have summer off after first year but are worried about having to plan during busy first year.
-He does not have summers after second and third years
-We don't necessarily need a honeymoon so any stretch of three free days would work for us
-I have my 2026-2027 academic calendar but not beyond that; he has the next three years available so know when his breaks are.

Any advice from people who have done this? Is planning during first year a bad idea? Is having a wedding during the year a bad idea because we don't know when exams will be?

Thank you all.

 

[supershorty]

Hello All,
I (incoming 1st year DVM student) and my fiance (incoming first year DO student) are trying to figure out when the easiest time would be to plan and have a wedding during school.
-We both have summer off after first year but are worried about having to plan during busy first year.
-He does not have summers after second and third years
-We don't necessarily need a honeymoon so any stretch of three free days would work for us
-I have my 2026-2027 academic calendar but not beyond that; he has the next three years available so know when his breaks are.

Any advice from people who have done this? Is planning during first year a bad idea? Is having a wedding during the year a bad idea because we don't know when exams will be?

Thank you all.

Congrats!

I don't think planning during your first year is a bad idea, just don't try to plan the entire thing in one go. If you set reasonable benchmarks for yourself about how far out from the big day you want to have everything set by, it's very doable for wedding planning to not be a super stressful thing. FWIW, I used The Knot website a fair amount when I was planning my wedding because they suggest timelines for locking down various vendors and stuff (and have a checklist!) and it was SO helpful for me.

I also found that the earlier I booked things like photographer, DJ, etc., the more likely they were to give me some deal or payment plan or leeway, which was kind of nice too. It made paying for everything less stressful when I was able to do it in smaller chunks ahead of time like that. If you plan for a summer wedding and you start looking into things in the fall (or even this summer if you want to be really on top of it), I think it'll be fine.

 

[katiemcat]

I got married the summer after first year. It wasn’t really hard for me to plan the wedding with school tbh but I didn’t have a GIANT wedding. I wouldn’t recommend during the term bc you don’t know when exams are or what classes / labs have required attendances

 

[JaynaAli]

There is usually very little change to academic calendars year to year. Like maybe a few days here or there, but things usually stay pretty consistent. But definitely planning for a summer event makes the most sense, and the earlier on in school the better imo. There’s not usually a “summer” between didactics and clinics (unless you’re at UF or another place with an atypical schedule). First year is hard because it’s an adjustment, but I’d argue courses are harder second year. There’s never a great time to plan something like that, you just have to make time and do it. I would not plan to have a wedding during the school year because exams and required courses can pop up. Like there’s often major exams around spring break and Christmas which would make those last minute planning decisions much more stressful.

 

[vampyrica]

my partner and i agreed that to minimize stress (and money because vet school aint cheap lol!) we’re just gonna elope, (or have a micro wedding early next august)

i second shorty with “the knot” app! i’m not officially engaged yet (BUT IK ITS COMING !! MY FORTUNE COOKIE SAYS OCTOBER) but having the app help me plan out things and when to book a photographer or venue is helpful to give some perspective (and also help me budget. i dont wanna spend more than $10k on everything).

 

[SkiOtter]

My wedding was this past weekend and if you can fit one into your budget, I highly recommend a wedding planner! I did one that offered partial planning for a lower cost than full planning and she would help me find vendors. I sent her things that I wanted and she would get quotes and send me back a few options (especially vendors she had worked with before) and I chose from the selection. If I didn’t like the options she would send more, but having a limited selection definitely helped me not get as overwhelmed and decision paralysis. That will definitely help you with any stress of planning while in school.
If a planner is not in the budget but a day of coordinator is doable, I would at least recommend that because they just help keep everything running SO smoothly and you don’t have to try and rely on a family member to do all that. Mine helped set up decor and took everything down at the end of the night as well and that was SUCH a big help.

 

[MixedAnimals77]

Got married over summer year 2-3. I never really wanted a wedding but my husband did for his side of the family...then covid happened so everything got messed up. Technically we got married in my best friends kitchen 😂 110% recommend eloping/ court room wedding if youre not sold on the idea of a wedding. That being said my mom did alot of the planning thankfully. Def recommend doing it over summer or a break vs trying to do it during school. My friend was in a wedding and ended up having to make up/take early like 4 exams because it was out of state so she was gone for like 4-5 days and just got unlucky with how the calendar fell during our exam block. She was stress 😬 I think each year is going to bring different challenges for planning so I dont think planning during 1st year is unrealistic

 

[HorseObsessed]

Thank you all! I would, unfortunately, be quite sad if I didn’t have a wedding. We are debating summer or winter break 2027. To add fun, I am also supposed to be a bridesmaid December 14th 2026, allll the way across the country and during finals 😔 I am already stressed out but feel I would regret it if I didn’t have some kind of wedding. If it were just me, we would def do summer after 2nd year, but my fiance already starts rotations for med school that summer.

 

[HorseObsessed]

My wedding was this past weekend and if you can fit one into your budget, I highly recommend a wedding planner! I did one that offered partial planning for a lower cost than full planning and she would help me find vendors. I sent her things that I wanted and she would get quotes and send me back a few options (especially vendors she had worked with before) and I chose from the selection. If I didn’t like the options she would send more, but having a limited selection definitely helped me not get as overwhelmed and decision paralysis. That will definitely help you with any stress of planning while in school.
If a planner is not in the budget but a day of coordinator is doable, I would at least recommend that because they just help keep everything running SO smoothly and you don’t have to try and rely on a family member to do all that. Mine helped set up decor and took everything down at the end of the night as well and that was SUCH a big help.

Congratulations on your wedding!!! We are hoping for a planner,..but not sure of the budget yet. If not, I am a little bit hoping my mom would be willing to play planner.

 

[BlackCatsRuleTheWorld]

I got married summer after first year! It was stressful at times but it will be stressful planning a wedding no matter what, especially during vet school. Once I was in second year I was glad that I wasn't planning a wedding during second year 🤣

 

[pp9]

I think you can get it done whenever you want it honestly, but it is easier if you have family that can help with some of the legwork. I'm pretty sure one of my classmates got married over winter break (and she had a full wedding, not a courthouse/elopment wedding). Do it ASAP if it has any bearings on your tuition

 

[Polocrosse2017]

We had a huge calendar of when we were both available. Summer after first year would have been good but we weren't quite ready to do it then. She started PA School when I was a third year. We ended up finding 2 weeks in August soon after I started my 4th year. We could pick one rotation and say it was firm so I chose that 2 week rotation for vacation while she was off school. It worked out. You just need to see how your calendars work together. I worked a lot during the summer after second year. She had a wedding planner and we had a smallish destination wedding.

 

[cardamom23]

I planned my wedding (Hawaiian elopement in oct and then large wedding with fam and friends the following June at a backyard home venue) during MBA courses and working full time. It was extremely stressful, but I was also doing most of the leg work and financial planning of it all. And I got pregnant that February LOL. Emergency dress alterations were needed. What I did to make it as attainable as possible is I broke it up week by week, and tackled one thing at a time. If you go through a classic venue, unlike me, they usually had preferred vendors which makes the planning so much easier!!! I recommend doing that if you can consider that route. Getting married in rural SW Washington state is not for the weak hahah. So excited for you and this new chapter of marriage. It’s the best!

 

[overcastkidjuno]

To give the perspective of someone who decided to postpone getting married until after I graduate. I wanted to just sign the papers and not have any celebration but he wants to have a bit more of a traditional ceremony / reception type thing. So the compromise is he can get his wedding but has to wait until after 2028 because I'm really not interested in planning or being involved in anything until after vet school. I originally liked the idea of getting married during school but I found it just too stressful. I needed my time off to relax during the semester to be able to succeed in school and during the summer I felt I needed a break from doing anything majorly consequential after having been so busy for months. YMMV obviously depending on how important getting married within the next 4 years is to you.

 

[battie]

I will say, I have zero regrets for my DMV wedding. 🤣

 

[_rae_]

^Agreed. Courthouse wedding, very small celebration with school friends, flew home for a few days for parents and grandparents only. Plan to do the big shebang for extended family/friends after I graduate, but wanted to get the paperwork signed for a variety of reasons.