We all know that Montreal graces us with at least 6 months of weather that make us want to spend as much time outside as possible. May – October are our nicest months of the year, and are what we call “wedding season” … but have you ever wondered what wedding planners are doing from November to April? I’m here to spill the tea on 5 things we’re up to during the “off season”.
1. Corporate Season & Off-Season Weddings
October might be the end of the our high season for weddings, but many couples are increasingly choosing to get married in November as well (all of of those fall colours?? DELICIOUS), extending our prime season by another 2-4 weeks.
Guess what else happens in November and extends into December? Corporate & holiday parties. There are also many couples who opt for an off-season wedding in Montreal. Winter weddings definitely have their own romantic and magical feel (plus some venues offer off-season prices that are more affordable!). Most planners that have a hefty corporate event season usually won’t get to see some down-time until the new year comes around.
2. Recharging Our Batteries
Most planners work an average of 20-30+ events in just 6 months (it looks a little different for everyone but.. just do the math on that), the first thing planners could use after wedding season is some R&R. For some of us, that looks like jumping on the next flight or planning a road trip. For others, this means spending extra time with our families, friends, pets or partners and dedicating more time to our hobbies and passions that aren’t work related.
Here’s what it looked like for me..
In 2023 I jumped on a plane to Greece for 2 weeks solo (a bucket list item of mine). This year consisted of a few weekend cottage getaways with my closest friends. For me, moments to recharge really consist of anything that fills my cup. The long & extended multi-week breaks come at the end of a wedding season, but little moments of recharge exist year round.
It could be Pilates on a Sunday morning, visiting Au33Tours for some new vinyls to add to my collection (a very expensive hobby btw.. consider yourselves warned), spending an afternoon with my family, trying a new restaurant with my friends or just having a full day of laundry and household chores while blasting my favourite songs (sorry to my neighbours).
These moments of rest are so vital for us to be able to come back refreshed and let us show up as the best version of ourselves for our clients & everyone around us (and this helps how you show up for yourself too!). If you live a busy life, regardless of your occupation – let this be your reminder that you deserve rest and that it’s okay to slow down.
3. Planning For The Next Wedding Season
While there may not be many events happening during the “off-season” for some planners, we are busy planning events for the next season (or even the next 2 seasons). Most of us tend to book out the next year of events before that year even begins & understandably so, many weddings take about 12-18 months to plan.
On my end, the “off-season” is mostly spent working with couples getting married in the upcoming season (currently, 2025 couples), interviewing and booking all of their vendors, designing wedding invitations, wedding designs & building out the logistics of each couples big day.
It’s also spent working with couples that are getting married the year after (2026), beginning their venue searches and securing their major vendors.. early bird gets the worm, you know?
This is how I personally prefer to work, and this could look different for other planners. When we jump into wedding season things can get kind of… hectic, for a lack of better words. There is always a curve-ball or an unexpected detail that pops up. Making sure that 80% of the wedding is planned before wedding season begins allows me more time to handle unforeseen challenges & also removes a large layer of stress from our couples. Spring / Summer is usually when that “oh sh!t.. we’re actually getting married” feeling sinks in.. there is a peace of mind knowing that the to-do list isn’t 5 pages long when stress levels rise.
From venue visits, layout mapping, floral mock-ups, decor & table setting trials, we are definitely still hard at work.. even if you’re not seeing us talk about it online!
4. Refining Our Processes / Playing Catch Up
As my team & I work on events, there is a growing list of adjustments we make note of. It could be small things; like how we structure our operations or ideas of new tools and processes we could use to facilitate a task. I also add my ever-growing list of new ideas to that list (this blog was one of them). If I showed you my list of ideas.. you’d get the picture LOL
I use the off-season to implement all of these ideas and changes in order to set my team up for success once wedding season comes around. I also force myself to do the annoying and boring things that I’ve been putting off.. ex: preparing my taxes or finally fixing my e-mail signature (..which has finally been done as of this week)
I can’t imagine that I’m alone in this and would assume most planners use this time to do the same.
5. Getting Creative
Once I’ve taken a good moment to recharge and reset, I LOVE (and I cannot emphasize this enough) getting together with some of my favourite vendors and getting creative. I try to do one styled photoshoot a year to push my creative limits and quite truthfully… flex on ya’ll 🙂
These types of projects test my creativity and force me to create something a little left from what we’re seeing online. The takeaway? Being able to then implement my findings into my clients wedding designs & present an elevated concept while finding new ways to incorporate interesting visuals that represent the couple. To me this helps to create a unique experience that screams “this is us!”.. why would you want your wedding to say anything else?
I’ve put together 2 styled shoots over the years that have earned a few re-shares and publications. I’m really proud of these projects, they mean a lot to me & I can’t wait to put something else out there soon that shows you just how many screws I have loose (LOL).
Until then, I hope this has given you a window into the life of a planner & insight on what we do with our time during the off-season. Being an event planner is definitely a rewarding job, but is not for the faint of heart. A forever changing schedule, new & exciting challenges each season, the opportunity to create tons of core memories and put smiles on so many people’s faces… I wouldn’t have it any other way.
& now, it’s time for a coffee refill… see you soon
