January May Be the Best Month to Get Married. Here’s Why.

Consider this one more win for fans of January: Not only does the first month bring less highway traffic, cheaper flights, easier-to-secure restaurant reservations and the accompanying sense of calm, it also comprises part of the slow season in the wedding industry, along with its neighbors December, February and March. In Clark County, Nev., where marriage statistics are publicly available, these are the months when the fewest marriages take place.

That is exactly why couples who choose to get married in these months may reap the benefits, like more vendor and venue availability, not to mention guests often have lower expectations and higher enthusiasm. When Ali Angco and Ian Chua, both 29, married on Jan. 6 in Vancouver, many of their guests were excited to have a social gathering of any kind. “No one parties the week after New Year’s,” Ms. Angco said.

Sofia Crokos, a wedding planner from New York, said that her clients were more likely to secure trendy spots — places like Manhatta, 620 Loft and Garden, Cipriani and Chelsea Square — in the winter months. Some vendors and venues also have lower rates during the slow season.

“January tends to be a softer-demand month, with requests increasing in February and March as we approach the busy spring season,” said Tracey L. Brown, the director of catering and events at Cipriani South Street. “January typically offers more flexibility for available dates and pricing,” she added.

Molly Hunt, 38, and Harry Rimalower, 36, had both previously married in September — Dr. Hunt, a psychologist, in 2015; Mr. Rimalower, a lawyer, in 2018 — when searches for available vendors and venues were arduous and long waits for availability were the norm. When they married each other on Jan. 6 at A.O.C., a restaurant in Los Angeles, they had only booked their venue two weeks before the wedding date.