Students’ newsfeeds are often flooded with pictures of weddings at the end of each semester at BYU. For busy students, the breaks between semesters seem like the best time to have a wedding because it’s the only vacation they have. However, some students decide to get married in the middle of the semester despite the fact that school is still in session.
Pete Tidwell is the owner of The Mighty Baker, a local bakery that makes wedding cakes. There is a “good flow of weddings all the time,” Tidwell said. However, it does see a spike at the beginning and end of the semester.
Amanda Baldwin, a junior majoring in food science from Queen Creek, Arizona, said she decided to get married on Nov. 21 to allow family from out of state to attend her wedding because they would already be in town for Thanksgiving. Baldwin said having the wedding too close to Christmas would have been a burden for both her and her fiancé’s families.
In addition, Baldwin said she wanted a “more unique wedding date.” Baldwin said many of her friends are getting married in the month of December, so “it’s hectic for everyone.” She said it would make it easier for her to attend her friends’ weddings and for them to attend hers if the weddings aren’t all at the same time.
Cameron Dahlquist, a junior from Bakersfield, California, who is majoring in exercise science, is getting married on Nov. 24. Dahlquist said he decided to get married in the middle of the semester “to accommodate for finals.”
“We didn’t want to plan and prepare for a wedding while trying to do well on our finals,” Dahlquist said.
Taylor Grant, a junior from Salt Lake City, Utah, who is majoring in physiology and developmental biology, married on Sept. 5. He said he decided to marry in the middle of the semester so that certain family members could attend his wedding.
For many couples, planning a wedding during the semester adds stress to an already stressful time.
Baldwin said planning a wedding in the middle of the semester has “definitely been stressful.” She said it requires more planning because she has to work around her classes. She said she also has to work with her professors if she has to miss class. “Most of my professors are understanding because it’s BYU,” Baldwin said. “They know how important marriage is.”
While planning a wedding in the middle of the semester can be stressful, Dahlquist said he believes it will actually be less stressful in the long run. “Leading up to the wedding, it is much more stressful; however, it is better overall because then finals are easier,” Dahlquist said.
“It wasn’t too bad because we did most of the planning during the summer,” Grant said. “The week before we were married was pretty stressful doing last-minute things and trying to keep up with school.”
Housing is another difficulty that couples getting married in the middle of the semester must face. “Housing has been a nightmare,” Baldwin said. Baldwin and her fiancé haven’t found a place to live yet, and she will end up having to pay two months’ rent for the month of December. Baldwin said it’s worth it to pay the extra rent than wait to get married.
Unlike Baldwin, Dahlquist said he was able to find housing and sell his contract easily.
Housing was also stressful for Grant, who had to live with friends until he was married. Getting the apartment ready to live in during the first week of school added to the stress of planning a wedding, but Grant said all of the stress was worth it in the end.
“Even though that week was stressful, it was worth it when most of our families were there,” Grant said.
