When to schedule your wedding, according to astrology

With weddings come plans, many plans. Everything planned down to the minutest detail – with one likely omission: determining, astrologically, the most auspicious minute of the day to exchange vows. 

Figuring out the best time to tie the knot, to open a business, to announce a project, etc, is known as electional astrology. Historically, royal astrologers would “elect” when a king should be crowned or get married. They would also advise the best time on darker issues: when to invade other lands, when to start wars. Certain alignments and times favour success more than others. 

So what are the do’s and don’ts of electing when to say “I do”? It’s a bit of a complex balancing act – like marriage itself. You and an astrologer will need to survey a range of topics, from time constraints on the side of the couple to what the moon is doing on the wedding day. Let’s look more closely into these matters. 

Understandably most couples want to be married on the weekend afternoon. Astrologically, however, there may be better times to elect outside the weekend time frame. Maybe the moon is forming a perfect conjunction with Jupiter (luck, happiness) at 4pm on a Tuesday. What to do? Being a bit flexible with wedding times going into an electional astrology session could help you optimise good wedding karma – maybe a Saturday morning is better than a Sunday afternoon, according to the stars. If your date is already set in stone, you can still find a strong time during it to bring luck, happiness, and bounty from the stars. But flexibility does help. 

Importance of the moon

While an astrologer will need to work with your time frame, they will advise you no doubt to align a date with the moon’s auspicious phases. The moon is the emotional core of a couple’s chart and it helps set the tone of the wedding day and beyond. A waning moon, when it begins to lose its ripeness, is clearly not ideal for a day of marriage vows, suggesting, as it does, decay and weakness. Instead, your moon and wedding should feel fresh and new. This means that you have about two weeks per month to align a wedding date with a waxing lunar cycle. 

 Not only should the moon be waxing, but it should be well-placed in the sky, too. The moon changes signs every two and a half days, roughly, doing its best in Cancer or in exalted Taurus. These are the optimal times for the Moon, but it is happy in Pisces (emotional, expansive wedding), Leo (flashy wedding), Gemini (great conversation amongst wedding guests), and Libra (elegant wedding). Avoid the Moon in Scorpio (suspicion), Aquarius (cold and aloof) and Capricorn (overly conservative and distant). 

We also want to make sure the nuptial moon is being aspected favourably by the benefic planets (Jupiter or Venus) and not by the malefic ones (Mars and Saturn). Aggressive Mars aspecting the moon, for example, could bring strife, bickering, and argumentation to words and deeds at and around the altar. Not so good for a wedding at all. Far better to find a harmonious aspect with lucky Jupiter or lovely Venus (or both) to sweeten the vows.

Another neat trick of electional astrology: it can help you clarify what type of wedding vibe you want. Are you looking for something low key? What about serious, grand, and stately? Maybe raucous, loose, with a bit of Rock n Roll? For something emotional and whimsical, a water moon would be most appropriate. For something madcap and off the hinges, the moon in fiery and fun Leo or Sagittarius would suit. If this sounds a bit like looking for the right wedding dress, it kind of is. The difference is that you will only wear your wedding dress once, if you use the powers of electional astrology to help steer you away from the Scylla and Charybdis of bad transits and aspects. 

Personal planets

On that note, a final item to consider here: the personal planets. It’s pretty crucial to find a time when Mercury (communication), Venus (love), and Mars (drive) are not going retrograde (meaning backwards in relation to us). Retrogrades are wonky transits and they will adversely affect nuptials. Mercury retrograde, for instance, can bring logistical problems for you and your helpmate: rings disappearing, vows inexpertly phrased and/or ridden with flubs. Making sure that these three personal planets are all direct is a must for a smooth wedding day. 

Many of us look to astrology when we start a relationship, so why wouldn’t we do the same to maximise our “I do” moment? Electional astrology gives us the tools to ensure that the planets are aligned behind us on our nuptials, like a cosmic choir harmonising to our wedding song, as we slow dance, cheek to cheek, with our soulmate.

This article was originally published in February 2022.