by Maressa Brown

Nothing like choosing a date that pays tribute to loved ones.

Forget Christmas — the city of Las Vegas has one special wish that can only come true today, on December 12, 2012. See, Sin City, which is well-known for its quickie weddings, has been suffering something of a “love recession.” Seriously — apparently, their share of the weddings business has fallen by a third since 2004 while other cities like New Orleans and NYC have picked up a piece of the pie. Aww, bummer for Vegas! But they’re hoping that couples are going to be so psyched to have their wedding license stamped with the once-in-a-century date of 12-12-12 that biz will pick up today.

While I’m a fan of Vegas and hope the gambling capitol’s dream comes true, I gotta say I just don’t get the fascination with dates like 12-12-12 or 11-11-11 for “I do”s. Okay, so it’s a repeating number. So what? Here, 7 more legit ways to pick an auspicious or meaningful wedding date …

1. Pick the one-year anniversary of your engagement date. That way you’ll always be able to celebrate both!
2. Pick your dating anniversary. So you don’t have to ditch that one altogether. (Especially good for couples who have been together — and celebrating the same anniversary! — for 5+ years.)
3. Consider your (happily married) parents’ or grandparents’ wedding date. Nothing like choosing a date that pays tribute to loved ones.
4. Think about price. Your favorite venue may be much less costly if you pick a Sunday afternoon over a Saturday night or a February date over a June one.
5. Think about theme. Maybe winter wonderland-themed New Year’s Eve nuptials suit you and your honey best … or you’ve always had a thing for April Fools’ Day.
6. See if your culture has a traditional way of choosing an auspicious date. For instance, Japanese families use the koyomi, an ancient astrological calendar, to pick the best day, while ancient Greeks divined pig entrails! Really!
7. Consult an astrologer. I confess: This is what I did. Some might roll their eyes at this, and that’s fine! But when guests’ delayed flights cause them to miss your Mercury retrograde wedding or Uncle Ted and Cousin Jack get into an all-out brawl during your wonky full moon nuptials, don’t come cryin’ to me! Plus, a wedding is the birth of your marriage, so the astrological effects are much farther-reaching than the wedding day itself …

How did you choose your wedding date?

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Maressa Brown has enjoyed reporting and writing for a variety of entertainment and women’s magazines and websites. More often than not, you’ll find her blogging, reading, researching something on her iPhone, laughing, chatting at an above-“normal” volume, or getting her caffeine fix

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.