Wedding 2024

October is typically one of the busiest months and in demand. Keep in mind, if you have your wedding during the balloon festival, your out of town guests may encounter higher travel fares.

No. In the US, Spring and Fall are the most popular seasons due to weather. I think there's a WW poll that also found October was the top month for past several years. Because of the booking demand, pricing will be premium, so i would search and book venues and vendors quickly, though you can wait on (optional) Beauty pros. For lower cost options, search community or park venues, even alternative locations like cafes or libraries. Your cheapest options may be small courthouse wedding followed by a restaraunt outting, or a church ceremony and church meeting room reception. Good luck.

Some venues don't do off-season pricing if you pick a different month, but many do offer discounts if a day wedding (vs. evening) or a mid-week wedding (vs. Saturday).

I think you will have to do comparative research in the Albuquerque area. You mentioned the term "fair" but unless something is severely out of price compared to other similar-size venues, then it's all fair. If a venue or vendor is out of your price range then that's something different. You should not feel outraged nor feel badly it does not align with your budget. The name of the game is to throw a wedding you two can afford. Use WW discussion and other boards to find planning methods for prioritizing, budgeting, and price-cutting. Do note, you get what you pay for, so make each decision intentional and you will have no regrets.