Spring is a time of rebirth and renewal ¨C a perfect time for the new adventure that a marriage brings. Yet in the race for most popular time of year to get married, spring is a distant third place behind summer and autumn. This is good news if you're planning a spring wedding, as more top-notch vendors will be available, and you may be able to get discounted rates, especially on sites and travel.

If you're considering a spring wedding, start off by thinking about your favorite parts of the season. Is it crocuses poking up through snow? Perhaps you'll want to have a wedding early in the season, and offer the respite of floral abundance and warmth when guests come in from the cold. If it's the emerging sunshine, choose bright colors and May weather. Here are some ideas to get you started on planning your spring wedding:

When to Have a Spring Wedding:
If you're getting married in a church, talk to them about their Easter decorations. You may be able to save money by using theirs. Vendors and sites may be more available in the spring than in the summer, but remember prom; you may need to book limousines and tuxedos extra early.
Spring Wedding Dresses:
Most wedding dresses seem made for a spring wedding. Wedding magazines are full of large skirts that may be too warm for the summer, and sleeveless tops that may be too cold for winter. Look for a versatile dress that can be paired with a wrap if you're chilly, yet is still light and airy.
Many more brides these days are opting for a hint of color in their wedding dresses ¨C be it a baby blue sash, an allover hint of pink, or light colorful embroidery. These touches will look perfect at a spring wedding.

Attire for the Wedding Party:
When dressing for a spring wedding, keep in mind that the weather can be dodgy. You may have 70 degrees and sunshine, or you may end up with a damp, chilly day. Choose dresses with sleeves on them, give your bridesmaids wraps to wear as their bridesmaid gift, or go for a vintage look with cardigan sweaters.
Spring weddings are full of the classic (and sometimes dreaded) pastel bridesmaid dress. Make things easier on your bridesmaids by allowing them to choose the color or cut of their dress, and you'll hear far fewer complaints. Or go in a different direction with turquoise or lime green dresses, accompanied by pink bouquets. For a daytime wedding, men look dapper in tan suits, a colored shirts and coordinating ties.
Because of April showers, avoid putting your wedding party in satin shoes, and consider buying them matching large umbrellas, just in case. Don't worry if it rains; there's something so romantic about a bride and groom under a big black umbrella, shining and smiling in love.
Spring Wedding Menu Ideas:
Celebrate spring in your menu with fresh young vegetables such as baby carrots, baby asparagus (or regular asparagus), new potatoes, sugar snap peas, and haricots verts. Gently evoke Easter with a chocolate cake with coconut icing. You could also opt for carrot cake with a cream cheese icing. Strawberries, rhubarb, and apricots are delicious at this time of year, and mangos and pomegranates may work as well. Try phyllo dough cups with mousse or custard topped with strawberries.

Decorations:
The preppy pink and green color combination couldn't be more spring-like, and is perfect for a beautiful, fresh spring wedding. Accent your tables with polka-dot or gingham fabrics and ribbons, and use alternating pink and green chair colors. For a more elegant look, combine celadon green with white, using silver as an accent color. If you're having an outdoor wedding and a fair amount of children, a may pole does double duty as entertainment and elegant decoration. Instead of rice, consider asking your guests to throw rose petals, or release butterflies.
Spring Wedding Flowers:
Flowers in season include roses, tulips, hyacinth, lilies and Gerber daisies. Multi-colored calla lilies are very popular and look beautiful in a spring arrangement. Combine a dozen with lemon leaf or maiden hair, or create a simple hand tied nosegay.
For centerpieces, subtly evoke the Easter season by using white baskets filled with oasis floral form and an abundance of spring flowers. An inexpensive centerpiece for a garden wedding is a terracotta pot with a spring-moss or ivy covered Styrofoam ball affixed to it. Add small candles around it and/or some rose petals.
Consider tying your bouquet with polka-dot or striped ribbon in a bright or pastel color, adding a bit of unexpected pattern and freshness.
Spring Wedding Favors:
Give favors of seed packets or bulbs, with thanks for supporting the growth of your love. Consider giving birdhouses ¨C you can usually find these inexpensively at a dollar store or craft store. Around Easter, send your guests home with a chocolate Easter bunny, a ceramic Easter egg, or a birds nests (either from the craft store or made from chocolate and/or coconut) filled with robin's egg candies.

May through August is the number one most popular time of year to get married, and for good reason too. Summer weddings are full of sunshine and warmth, and allow you to get married outside in good weather. Take full advantage of the season and all it has to offer you when planning your summer wedding with these tips and ideas.

The Setting for Your Summer Wedding
Summer weddings are ripe for an outdoor setting such as a beach, a garden, or a beautiful yard. Take advantage of the long days with an afternoon wedding, or highlight the glorious sunsets by saying your vows as the sun goes down behind you. Use fresh fruits and vegetables to decorate -- perhaps including clementines and cumquats in your flower arrangements, or simply filling a large vase with bright yellow lemons. Bring light to an evening wedding with torches and strings of lanterns in the trees. An extra-summery idea is to use gingham tablecloths with a few sunflowers in metal watering cans as centerpieces.

Summer Wedding Dresses and Attire for the Bridal Party
The bride who marries in the warmth of May, June, July or August is a lucky one; over 75% of dresses that you'll find are sleeveless and/or strapless, making them perfect for the season. Look for light fabrics such as organdy, linen, chiffon, crepe, georgette, and other light weight silk, so as to not add too much bulk.
At a beach wedding, look for an easy and elegant slip dress such as Carolyn Bissette wore when she married John F. Kennedy Jr. in Hyannisport. The bridal party can all go barefoot, and the men can wear dress shirts with slacks, or linen suits. For a garden wedding, ; consider big straw hats, either for just you or for all the bridesmaids. You might choose brightly colored dresses or short floral cocktail dresses for the bridesmaids to really evoke the season. The men in the bridal party can go for the classic navy blazer with khaki slacks, or beautiful suits. For a more formal affair, there's no reason not to choose morning suits or tuxedos (depending on whether it's an evening or daytime wedding) but give a nod to the season by replacing the black tuxedo jacket with a natty white dinner jacket.
Of course, for all the women in the bridal party (and some of the men!), you must think about what heat, humidity and moisture will do to your hair. Most importantly, don¡¯t try to fight your hair in the summer: straight hair will get straighter and limper, and wavy hair will get wavier and frizzier. Updos by a professional who will design a long-lasting style are one of your best bets. A crown of flowers, or a single large flower tucked into your hair will look summery and beautiful.

Food for Your Summer Wedding
Celebrate the bounty of the season by filling your menu with fresh fruits such as watermelon, and berries, and fresh vegetables such as corn. Between courses, or as an additional dessert, offer refreshing granitas and sorbets. An elegant summer wedding menu could include a bevy of fresh seafood, including lobster and oysters. For a more casual affair, consider a backyard barbecue, or traditional picnic food including potato salad.

Wedding Favors
Send your guests home with a taste of the season: in August, a fresh pear, or earlier in the summer, a ripe peach. For a beach wedding, you might consider giving out perfect sand dollars, seashells, or beach-themed candles. Summer weddings are is also perfect for seeds or small pots of flowers as favors. If it will be warm or extra sunny, give out beautiful wooden fans or paper parasols to use during the ceremony and then take home.

Summer Wedding Flowers
You can't go wrong with an abundance of flowers at a summer wedding. There are so many varieties in season, you may have a tough time narrowing your choices down! Fill the scene with bright and cheerful flowers such as roses, sunflowers, red and yellow calla lilies, dahlias, gerber daisies, cosmos, mums, and zinnias. Bright purple dendrobium orchids are much less expensive during the summer months, so you can feel like a queen without the budget of one.
An alternative idea is an airy summer look with mostly white and light colored flowers such as roses, stephanotis, white phlox, elegant white calla lilies, huge and fragrant casa blanca lilies, hydrangea, snowball mums, and daisies (also known as Shasta daisies).

If you are looking for a warm and intimate wedding reception, consider a fall wedding. As people start thinking about coming home more, and spending more time with their families, it's a romantic time for a wedding. Here are some fall wedding ideas to get you started.

Where to Have a Fall Wedding
Think of storybook fall setting such as inns, 18th century churches and meeting houses, old mills and even barns. A fall wedding can be casual yet elegant set in a beautiful old barn. You might also look at an apple orchard, a vineyard, or any place that will have a view of fall foliage. If you live in a climate where the leaves don¡¯t change, look for a venue with lots of rich dark wood and warmth such as a gentleman¡¯s club or university club. A fireplace is an extra special touch.

The D¨¦cor for Your Fall Wedding
Set the tone for your fall wedding as soon as your guests enter with sheaths of wheat or corn at the entrance. Choose either rich jewel tones to decorate the room, or a traditional fall color scheme such as reds, oranges, browns and yellows. A modern fall color scheme uses only chocolate brown with light-blue accents. Fill the room with the bounty of the season - pumpkins, cornucopias, acorns, and gourds. Make jack-o-lanterns with decorative patterns rather than scary faces, or use paper bag luminaria for a similar effect.

Fall Wedding Flowers
Generally you can find Mums, roses, daisies, yarrow, fall leaves, tallow berries and both natural and dried wheat for inexpensive prices during the fall. A spray of wheat or a mum accented with a pheasant feather makes an elegant boutonni¨¨re. Consider hollowing out pumpkins for your centerpiece containers ¨C if you don¡¯t have the time, many craft and home stores now sell realistic fake pumpkins. But if you go with the real thing, consider white or blue natural pumpkins for an elegant and unique touch.

Attire for Your Fall Wedding
I recommend that an autumn bride look for cream and off-white dresses with gold beading and accents. Bridesmaids will look wonderful in jeweltone dresses; match the groomsmen¡¯s vests to their dresses. Look at rich fabrics such as brocades and velvets for a luxurious touch. Remember that weather in the fall can be tricky ¨C in many areas of the United States, it will be hard to know long in advance whether your wedding day will be warm or chilly. I suggest that the bride and bridesmaids wear strapless dress with capelets, stoles or wraps. On a warm day, the overlayer can be easily removed, but you won¡¯t be left shivering on a chilly day.

Planning the Menu
The most traditional fall dinner is a roasted turkey with pumpkin pie for dessert, but there are so many other options for a fall wedding menu. From roasted quail to standing rib roast, choose a hearty meat that will pair well with heavier side dishes such as squash and mashed potatoes. A mushroom ragout evokes the season and provides a nice entr¨¦e for your vegetarian guests. You might start the meal with a hearty soup served in a hollowed out pumpkin, accompanied by whole grain rolls. Serve warm apple cider in glass mugs with a cinnamon stick stirrer, and offer an alternative to wedding cake with a baked apple dessert.

A Fall Wedding Cake
Really you can serve any wedding cake at a fall wedding, but you can add to your autumn theme by serving a spiced cake or a spiced chocolate cake. Consider having an all chocolate cake, decorated with marzipan fruit. Or omit the cake altogether to serve pumpkin bread and apple, pecan and pumpkin pie.

Favors
Give a favor in keeping with the season such as a beautiful apple tied with a gold ribbon, or a bottle of maple syrup. If you have a sweet tooth, give guests caramel apples wrapped in cellophane, or give a DIY kit of a caramel apple recipe with all the ingredients they¡¯ll need - a perfect apple, some caramels, and a Popsicle stick. Help your guests decorate for the season by giving them mini pumpkins, or an ear of ornamental corn tied with some wheat and a pretty fall ribbon. Marzipan fruit is also a wonderful fall wedding favor. If you¡¯re crafty, I love the idea of giving each guest a jar of homemade preserves as they leave.

A Halloween Wedding
A fall wedding guide wouldn¡¯t be complete without talking about the Halloween wedding. Ask guests to come in costume, or have an usher greet them at the door with inexpensive yet stylish masks. The bride and groom can wear traditional wedding clothes or costumes. At a wedding I recently attended, the bride and groom changed into Bride of Frankenstein and a stable groom costumes, half way through the reception. You could also dress as the bride from the "Kill Bill" movies, or as the Princess Bride and Westley. Of course you¡¯ll want to have plenty of pumpkins around ¨C consider having a pumpkin carving station to keep any children (and childish adults!) busy for hours.

In the movies, everyone seems to get married in June. But a winter wedding can be terribly glamorous, cinematic and magical. With the right elements, your winter wedding will be a wonderland.

Attire for Your Winter Wedding
Think about you and your sweetie in the elegant look of old Hollywood; the groom in tails, and the bride in a white long silk dress with a white fur or faux fur wrap. Evoke the season with "ice" ¨Cdiamond or diamond-like jewelry. 90% of wedding dresses are strapless or sleeveless, but that's not so practical for a bride who wants to take pictures outside, or needs to walk any distance. Look for wraps, shrugs, and capes, or dramatic coats. I've always loved the look of a bride in a white dress and a large red shawl, huddled against her groom who has a red boutonni¨¨re. And don't forget your bridesmaids! An attractive wrap to wear on the day of your wedding and beyond makes a great bridesmaid present.

Where to Have a Winter Wedding
Look for an inn with a fireplace for an intimate winter wedding. For a larger affair, you may be able to use a historic mansion or private club that will still have intimate warmth. Unless you're getting married in a state that will have guaranteed snow during your wedding date, avoid a room that has a large picture window. You may imagine drifts of beautiful snow, and end up with a grey rainy day. Be sure to ask what seasonal decorations they use ¨C you'll save money as many sites are already heavily decorated. Also, check to make sure your site will be adequately heated during the winter months; old churches can be especially drafty.

Planning the Menu
You can have all of your favorite food but add some winter touches like a squash dish, or warm pumpkin soup. Consider serving eggnog, spiced wine, or hot chocolate (alcoholic or non-) as special treats. Look for an all-white cake, decorated with snowflake patterns, silver embellishments, or sugar sculptures. Ask your caterer about using a decorative snow globe as a cake topper

Winter Wedding Flowers
Decide whether you want to go for a silver and white elegant look, or celebrate the season with reds and greens. For those who like silver, look for dusty miller, silver-dollar eucalyptus, and baby blue eucalyptus, mixed with white flowers such as roses, football mums, crocus, lilies and stephanotis. If you're looking for a brighter bouquet, consider red roses with holly and pine-tree greenery. In season flowers such as tulips, roses, and ornamental berries generally will be less expensive choices. (Talk to your florist, as your region may have different availability)

The D¨¦cor for Your Winter Wedding
Decorate your tables with simple and inexpensive white poinsettias, or fill the room with light by arranging pillar candles on a bed of pine branches At the after-Christmas sales, stock up on strands of small white lights, then string them decoratively around doorways, over tables and on archways. Bright red cranberries in a bowl surrounding floating candles make an easy and inexpensive centerpiece. Look at this article for other simple holiday centerpieces.. Or, decorate a pre-made gingerbread house for each table, and center it on a bed of greenery with candles around it. Favors
If you and most of your guests celebrate Christmas, an ornament makes a perfect favor. An inexpensive homemade favor is a pretty tin of spiced hot chocolate mix or hot cocoa mix with marshmallows. Also consider a snow globe, with a bride and groom inside, or a holiday cookie cutter with a cookie recipe attached that says your names, wedding date, and "truly cut out for each other".

Special touches
Have the bride and groom travel by horse and carriage to the reception, complete with a fur throw to keep them warm of course!
Decorate the reception with miniature and life-size Christmas trees.
Commission an ice sculpture to decorate the reception hall
Use a crystal bouquet for that extra wintery feel. As a bonus, you'll get to keep your your bouquet forever.
Greet your guests with warm coffee or hot chocolate as soon as they come in the ceremony or reception site.