“Can You Help Us Pick a Wedding Date?”
So a friend asked me recently if, according to astrology, there are good days and times to get married. And yes, indeed there are. A wedding, just like our birth, has its own unique astrological chart. It is created at the date and time of the wedding and it shows how the marriage has the potential to unfold.
Aspects To Consider
The process of choosing astrologically a date and time for a wedding chart is actually a bit complicated. I look at a number of factors. Two of the most important are the position of the Moon and Venus.
The Moon in the marriage chart reflects the couple’s emotions. For obvious reasons, we want the couple to be feeling good about themselves and the subconscious energy around the union to be positive. So at the very least I want to see that their marriage Moon is comfortably positioned. Which is to say that it is avoiding uncomfortable (90 or 180 degree) angles with other planets in the sky. Ideally, their Moon is “well-aspected” – which means they are forming comfortable angles with beneficial planets like Jupiter, Venus or Mercury.
And then of course we have to consider the position in the sky of Venus – well she is the goddess of Love and attraction! Self-evidently she is important for the longevity of the marriage. She also needs to be nicely positioned in the chart.
“I do, I do, I do, I do, I do”
As far as astrology is concerned, the marriage starts with the first “I Do”. So once the couple have selected the day and time, they need to ask the official who will be presiding over the wedding to make sure that the exchange of vows happens at the desired time. A couple of minutes either side of the proscribed time is usually ok – but the timing is important. Being 10 minutes off can make a difference.
Avoid Retrogrades!
There are two things a couple planning their wedding date can do before they even consider asking an astrologer: avoiding Mercury and Venus Retrogrades. A Retrograde is a period of time when a planet appears to be going backwards in the sky. Mercury is the God of Communication and if it is retrograding communication in the wedding is likely to be fraught. And if the Goddess of Love is retrograding and not feeling it……well, you get the idea.
Here are the Retrograde dates for 2021:
Mercury Retrogrades
(Ideally you would avoid the build up and the post retrograde periods included in the dates below, but if that is impossible just avoid the most intense period):
- 14 Jan to 12 March (most intense period: 30 Jan – 19 Feb)
- 14 May to 2 July (most intense period: 31 May – 21 June)
- 6 Sept to 2 November (most intense period: 28 Sept – 16 October)
Venus Retrogrades
- 19 December 2021 until 22 Jan 2022.
The most important thing to remember: there is no perfect chart. The couple getting married will nearly always have to make some compromise in their chart somewhere. But as long as they are avoiding the big pitfalls outlined above, they are maximising their chances of a long lasting and happy union!