Planning weddings can be meticulous, especially when factoring in elements such price, location and weather.

“Cardinals sang overhead during the ceremony. It was a glorious day,” said Jane Mathison, who was married June 19, 1976.

Mathison said she and her husband chose June for their wedding because it was when the flowers they had planted would be the prettiest. They planted 250 rose bushes and six formal gardens with annual flowers. They also created a rose arbor for the ceremony.

“June is a lovely month,” Mathison said. “Relatives can come because it doesn’t interfere with school and families from far distances can make plans to travel.”

She said it was nerve-racking to have the wedding outside, because of an experience six days earlier when a good friend was married on campus at the Knoll. As they were walking down the aisle after the ceremony, the tornado sirens went off.

“There are actually very few outdoor weddings,” said Lori Rooker, a wedding coordinator in Des Moines. “You can’t depend on Iowa weather.”

She recommended that those planning outdoor weddings reserve a backup facility in case of inclement weather. Rooker also said because June is one of the four busiest months for weddings, it is important to book facilities and professional services at least one year before the wedding.

Ryan McBreen said he and his fianc‚e, Becky Hagedorn, senior in child and family services, chose to have a summer wedding because it worked well with graduation.

McBreen said the date has other advantages, a family reunion is scheduled close enough to their wedding, so family members will only need to make one trip for both events.

“Start early,” said McBreen, senior in mechanical engineering. “Places go quickly because so many people get married in the summer.”

He said other considerations for a summer wedding are making sure the air conditioning works in the church and picking out summer colors for the wedding.

“Some family members are still in school or have school activities,” said Elizabeth Hays, senior in landscape architecture. “We had to make sure it was far enough past the end of school.”

Hayes said she and her fianc‚e Josh Nielsen, senior in electrical engineering, have set their wedding date for June 1.

“He is graduating and it was just a good time for both of us,” Hayes said.

The style of dress at the wedding must also be altered if the ceremony is to be held during a warm time.

“The dress couldn’t be sleeved really, because it will be warm,” said Sarah Gellhaus, graduate student earning a degree in marriage and family therapy. “Also, we really need to think about doing outside pictures after the ceremony, so I’m not sweating coming up the aisle.”

Gellhaus and fianc‚e Derek Thomas, graduate student in civil and construction engineering, are also using a trolley instead of limousiness.

“At the reception we are having a cocktail hour on the lawn of the hall before the meal,” Gellhaus said. “We needed to make the proper arrangements to have part of the building be open to people, especially older people and kids, if it is blistering hot outside.”

Gellhaus and Thomas started planning for their wedding after they got engaged on July 4, 2001.

“We knew we should try to time it with the leases turning over in Ames at the end of July since we aren’t living together before we are married,” Gellhaus said. “We also knew that we needed about a year. We didn’t want to be busy with classes at the same time either.”

Gellhaus had some advice for couples getting married in the summer.

“Make heat-related decisions, like the cake and the flowers arriving in well air-conditioned vehicles, choosing dresses that are lighter and airy, and making sure that there are air-conditioned alternatives for guests for outside activities,” Gellhaus said.

“It will be beautiful,” she said. “But a lot of circumstances for our wedding were just particular to our own plans. I always thought a fall or winter wedding would be very nice too.”

“We knew we wanted a summer wedding all along,” said Bobbie Jo Horstman, senior in journalism and mass communication.

Horstman and her fianc‚e, Brett Clark, senior in biology at Simpson College, started planning their wedding shortly after their engagement in December 2000.

“I work for the athletic department,” Horstman said. “That was our first detail – to find a date that there were few ISU athletic events.”

“We also wanted to have it close after graduation so most of our graduating friends would be able to come before they go off to their respective jobs across the country,” she said. “We wanted a weekend relatives would be able to travel and Memorial Day weekend offered the most opportunity.”

Horstman and Clark are to be married May 25.

“Book early because it is the busiest wedding time,” Horstman said. “Try to pick a month just before summer or just after summer like April, May, September or October because the vendors give you better deals.”

She also said couples need to take into consideration the weather, temperature and the area they are getting married in.

“Everybody has their own ideal month to get married,” Horstman said. “It’s all about details. What kind of flowers do you want? Where do you want your pictures taken? What month do you feel your guests will be able to attend? It’s personal choice.”

She said trying to plan the wedding during a hectic last year of school was a special consideration she and Clark had to make.

“May and June and August are so popular because people are graduating and want to begin their new life with someone and move in together,” Horstman said. “Plus, leases are up or subletters are wanting to get into your apartments.”