Chicago is a beautiful, fun place to get married, but there definitely are some weekends that are incredibly difficult to get around in the city. With so many opportunities to have so many events, we know that certain weekends of the year are more difficult to plan the logistics of your wedding more than others. Traffic is already an issue that we help couples plan for, but with things in the city like festivals, football games, or other events, there are definitely wedding dates that we recommend you avoid for various reasons. Most of these dates are ones where there will be a TON of people coming into the city, which means more traffic, less availability for hotel reservations, and just more logistical trouble. Here are 8 weekends or dates that we recommend avoiding to not have to worry about the logistical issues if possible.

St. Patrick’s Day - March 15

Most people don’t get married in March, but we just wanted to add this into the list because we know how heavy the traffic is during this weekend. Many main roads in the city will be closed near the river because of them dying the river green and for all of the people doing bar crawls in the area. If you are planning on getting married in March, we recommend you avoid March 15 weekend for your wedding day to avoid traffic in the city as well as out-of-towners coming to the city to party. Not only for the traffic, but we also expect that there is an influx of intoxicated people in your area as well as an influx of drunk drivers, so we think it is best to steer clear of this weekend and date altogether.

2. Memorial Day Weekend - May 24-26

We have plenty of Chicago weddings that happen on Memorial Day weekend every year, but generally if you have a choice we don’t actually recommend it unless you are utilizing the holiday for certain availability of your guests. Because it is so popular, it is harder to find vendors and definitely upcharged to be able to find staff that are also willing to take work during the holiday. There will definitely be more traffic in the city with it being one of the first weekends the temperature is decent enough to be outside and/or by the water, but most important aspect is going to be the upcharge for a holiday fee that you’ll likely have to tack onto your services with your vendors and that generally because of its popularity that you will have a harder time finding good vendors.

3. Nascar Street Races - July 5-6

It sounds like the Nascar street race is going to have a few years deal to host in the city of Chicago, so you can expect the roads, including Lake Shore Drive, to be closed for this event. This means you have to be really cautious depending on where in the city you are planning to get married with taking photos because many main areas will have an influx of traffic and potentially be closed off altogether.

4. Lollapalooza - July 31-August 3

Lollapalooza covers a huge area of central Chicago where they will close off Grant Park almost in its entirety. We definitely recommend staying away from that area during this weekend if possible because there will be so many people walking around all day and night long. The traffic will likely be heavier because of this, and if people coming in for multiple days are planning on staying at hotels, you’ll likely have more difficulty booking hotel rooms in the area.

5. Chicago Air and Water Show - August 16 and 17

Chicago Air and Water show is honestly the least of the concerns from this list besides general holidays. We have had weddings over this weekend before and have found little changes even in the heart of Chicago, however the parking might be more difficult as well as just a little more traffic than usual. It is something you definitely need to consider if you’re getting married during this weekend, but it doesn’t make it impossible to travel or get hotels like many of the other events on this list.

6. Mexican Independence Day - September 16 - celebration happening September 13-14

This is DEFINITELY a weekend that you need to be mindful of when planning your wedding in Chicago. The traffic the later in the evening is absolutely TERRIBLE because of how many people are celebrating in the streets with the parades and general excitement. Lake Shore will likely close later into the evening and there will be HOURS of non-moving traffic, so we recommend being aware of this weekend if you’re planning an average evening wedding in the city.

7. Chicago Marathon - October 12

The morning of the Chicago marathon truly is a tough one in the city if you’re getting married in the city - especially if it is inside the route of where the marathon is. Even if you are getting married in the evening, the road closures in the entire city can truly bring HOURS of traffic to wherever you are going. We highly recommend avoiding this specific day because of the road closures and the terrible traffic you’ll likely endure.

8. Other Holidays - Christmas, New Year’s Eve, etc.

Generally, there will be more traffic, less hotel rooms, and more holiday rates for pricing with any holidays in the city. We generally think that it’s best to avoid holidays as much as possible again unless you are aiming for certain people to be off from work on certain days, but it will be much more difficult to find vendors that are open and willing to book without having holiday hikes in their pricing to make it more enticing for people to work with them.

Overall, any of these dates CAN work for you, but if you are planning on getting married during these timeframes, it’s just something to keep in mind when planning your wedding day timeline with your coordinator that you might need to account for more traffic or that the hotel room blocks might be more expensive/more difficult to get nailed down. We recommend keeping tabs on events happening in Chicago on or near your wedding day just to make sure that you aren’t going to have more trouble than you would expect! If you need help planning for your wedding day or just making sure the timeline and the day itself goes smoothly, you can reach out to us at our contact page and we are happy to help you plan the perfect wedding day!