Let's Talk Rain Plans!

Spring and Fall weather in the South is usually SO conducive to having outdoor weddings! In my experience (and according to Google), well over half of all weddings have some kind of outdoor element to them. So how do we account for THE elements? What if Mother Nature decides to torrentially rain or throw around strong gusts of wind on your wedding day? How do we plan ahead? It's not just ironic (thanks, Alanis) to have rain on your wedding day, but stressful for some couples! Though we always hope for the best weather (some of us even adhering to the old wives tale of burying a bottle of bourbon to bring good weather), we have to be prepared! Let's walk through how we decide on indoor vs. outdoor wedding details and what a typical "rain plan" might entail.

When deciding on whether we're comfortable having an outdoor ceremony or reception, we have to consider several factors. Some good starting questions to ask are:

FOR CEREMONY:

1. Does my venue require that I rent a tent as

   a "backup" per our contract? If so, do I have that room in the budget should we actually need to use it instead of cancelling the rental? How soon to the wedding would I be able to cancel the rental?

2. Does my venue require that I make a call on the rain plan by a particular date/time per the contract?

3. Do my rentals (chairs/tables) have water damage fees that could be charged?

4. Does my venue have automatic triggers that would mean we'd have to go with our "rain plan" (low temps/high winds/over 80% chance of rain during ceremony, tornado and lightning warnings/watches, etc.)?

5. Would it be feasible for an interior flip of the space from ceremony to reception? If so, who would handle the legwork? How much does the flip cost if the venue handles it and how much time would be needed to accomplish?

6. How frequently do we have rain/severe weather this time of year?

7. Are there any of my guests that would struggle to maneuver should the grass/ground get wet/slick?

8. If we chose to move forward with an outdoor ceremony and it DID start to storm, what considerations would I make for guests? Providing umbrellas? Covering the chairs until all guests arrive?

FOR RECEPTION:

1. With stronger breezes, am I willing to deal with glass shatters, unlit candles, bugs bites/bugs getting into food, and unsecured light decor being blown around (napkins/name cards/light signage)?

2. If the ground is uneven, how am I making accommodations for table decor and seating (taller taper candles will frequently fall with wind gusts on an uneven surface, thin glassware is more likely to fall/break on uneven tables, florals can sometimes get blown into drinks, etc)?

3. Am I okay with people around the edge of the tent getting wet during a seated meal if it does start raining and we're under the tent?

4. What about my hair/makeup/dress going through the weather? Would I feel comfortable with that?

5. Are there any photography/videography/DJ/musician limitations during inclement weather that I need to consider when booking those vendors?

6. Am I willing to get married under a tent or inside of a space potentially missing out on the view I expected to have (especially if that's why you chose to tour this particular venue)?

7. Am I someone who can adapt on-the-fly on my wedding day without being overwhelmed or stressed? Would I be crushed if the wedding plans I made had to be altered at the last minute?

   
   

   

   
   

If you feel like you're prepared to deal with quick decisions and relaxed enough to have the "wild card" of weather in the mix, let's talk about prep work to keep your day as stress-free as possible in the event that there is bad weather.

Having a "rain plan" is the easiest way to prepare for bad weather. Most wedding venues with an outdoor area used for ceremonies have a "typical" rain plan available for discussion during a walkthrough of the venue. In my area, most venues offer a definite rain plan of having the ceremony AND reception inside with a cocktail hour flip of the space to accommodate seated meals.

Pro Tip: If you're close to venue maximum capacity, this flip can feel tight during a cocktail hour that's also hosted inside the space. Perhaps look at venues with adequate space for 30% more guests than anticipated to accommodate.

There are a few local venues that have a semi-permanent tent installed on a patio or great lawn area to accommodate outdoor ceremonies during quick summer storms. Some venues contractually require a tent rental to be on standby at signing should you decide on an outdoor ceremony. Most venues (and coordinators) require a couple to have two separate layouts completely designed in case of good/bad weather. This typically entails more legwork for the couple and a decent amount of vendor questioning to accomplish. See below for a real rain plan layout designed for one of my recent weddings. We didn't end up needing to use it, but it DID rain very heavily during cocktail hour and the setup of the exterior tented dinner space. Thankfully, all of the guests were inside for drinks and apps and I had brought a change of clothes! (For reference, the left side of each is ceremony, the right side of each is reception and the gray bottom sections in each are tented areas, while the white top sections are open air.)

PLANNING FOR BAD WEATHER:

If you are the type of couple that wants to get married outside in a particular spot rain or shine, here are a few considerations to make on behalf of you financial investment in your wedding. I always think it's a good idea to have tarps ready to cover any rentals if rain is expected after setup but prior to the ceremony. Water damage fees are no joke for some rental companies. There might also be drying-off/cleaning fees applied during pickup. Weights/sandbags/heavy duty fishing line are INCREDIBLY important to have on-hand for securing arches/crosses/arbors, floral installs, etc. for exterior spaces. Typically vendors will provide what is needed to secure things in typical weather conditions, but if things start getting windy/rainy, it might be outside of what was promised in your contract. For example I noticed the arbor leaning during wind gusts during setup at one of my recent weddings and, thankfully, the florist who had brought the arbor was still close by. We secured it to a building in two separate areas together. Had we not, it would have ABSOLUTELY fallen on the couple during their vows as the wind picked up to about 30mph. That said, it was already secured in a base that weighed twice what the arbor weighed. Common sense would have dictated that it was fine at install. Sometimes weather trumps common sense.  

The arbor in question! Beautiful, if not deceptively heavy! We secured it with 80lb fishing line to the columns behind. It was nearly invisible unless you were actually looking for it and certainly wasn't visible in photos!

If you are planning to get married outside rain or shine, be sure to think about your guests, too! Include that information on your wedding invitation/website, as some guests might not dress appropriately, assuming you'd be indoors if it was too windy/stormy/cold. Bringing enough umbrellas to cover 80% of your guests is a lovely consideration, too. Some couples opt to put a blurb about bringing one in the FAQ section of their wedding website, too.. Getting the "clear" umbrellas make for nice pictures, especially for the happy couple, bridal party, and Officiant. With good planning, you can find them on sale on Amazon every so often.

I would be remiss if I didn't issue a warning: Outdoor receptions are, in my professional opinion, the most beautifully difficult wedding event to pull off well, specifically because of the elements. I can't tell you the number of times I've helped plan a wedding where we had to find creative ways to weigh down napkins (very heavy chargers will do the trick) or name cards during winds. I've had to install backup LED lighting very quickly during a cocktail hour because the winds kept blowing out candles. I've completely gotten rid of the "floating candles" my bride so desperately wanted incorporated as the ground was too uneven to keep hurricane vases of water upright and there wasn't an easy enough way to level the ground in a very particular area. Glassware and flames in general are more dangerous when exposed to the elements. I've had to pour scalding hot water into anthills during setup in an effort to keep guests safe from bites. I've had to request a venue have an exterminator come and remove a wasp nest the week of a wedding (thank goodness for final walkthroughs and paying attention to details). Pre-plated salad service runs the risk of a bug coming to give it a taste as guests are seating. Same goes for a pre-filled water goblet. Regardless of the detail, it's made 10x more difficult by being outside where I much less control over factors that could impact the couple/guest experiences.

One of my recent rainy receptions! I made the judgement call to have the napkins waterfall under the heavy wooden chargers because of the wind. The name cards (eventually) all got tucked between the charger and the favors (bookmarks) in each charger to keep them in place, too. This bride had hand-poured thrifted teacups so that they were candles. We chose not to light them with the wind/floral centerpieces being so low.

All of that said, my FAVORITE wedding receptions I've ever designed/coordinated have been intimate (under 80 guests) and outdoors. There's something about warm candlelight, market lights and crickets that make me swoon. They can be WELL worth the effort when proper planning and the willingness and openness to change direction on-the-fly are there!!

Are you planning on getting married outside or having a meal/cocktail hour outside? Having trouble figuring out your "rain plan?" I'd love to offer you a free consultation call to discuss how I can help accommodate every detail possible! Give me a call/text today to schedule a time convenient for you!