Every Last Stylish Detail: Weather

Thursday, August 25, 2011

DO NOT Come On Irene!

Weather is just one of the few details that a bride/ a planner/ mere mortals cannot control. I have had a few close calls of rain in the morning but stopping by ceremony time and then I have had two weddings that had windy/rainy weather pretty much the whole day. The show does go on but leading up to the big day can be extremely stressful if you have a less than sunny forecast. While rain is one thing, the incoming Hurricane Irene is quite another. I am going to a friend's wedding as a guest on Saturday evening, just as Irene is forecasted to hit the East Coast HARD. And since I'm sure that my friend is not the only bride to be for this weekend, I've come up with a few suggestions to ease everyone's minds.

#1- Your planner/site coordinator has a back up plan but being flexible is key. The back up plan includes not only moving any events that were outside to the inside but also securing a back up generator. Being flexible may mean getting ready earlier to get outside before the storm hits for photos.

#2- Your guests love you. No one blames you for this hurricane. Ideally your guests have common sense and if it is safe to attend, they will and they will bring umbrellas. Don't waste energy asking everyone if they are having fun, focus on enjoying the big day yourself!

#3- If there are food, drinks, people and lots of love then it will be a great wedding! If you have a large guest list coming in from out of town that can't make it, safety is always first. I've had a blast at a 20 person wedding. Don't focus on what is not happening or who is not there, focus on everyone who is there to celebrate with you!

And last but not least, there is this bride who had rain, hail and lost electricity for 3 hours of her reception but still had a great time at her wedding. I found a few cute photos of weddings in rain, if Irene lets up enough for some photo time outside, take advantage!

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Thursday, January 6, 2011

Warm weather, sun, light breeze, and go!

If "location, location, location" is the real estate agent's mantra, then "weather, weather, weather" is the wedding planner's mantra for outdoor weddings. Actually, even if the ceremony & reception are indoors, couples will still be outside for pictures and possibly transportation. No bride wishes for rain, wind, or cold weather obviously, but if you are a bride who has her heart set on an outdoor wedding, weather is going to be a huge factor. Enter WeatherUnderground.com, which is a weather website that allows you to see the weather history for locations. It goes back to 2008 but I have already used it for my 2011 wedding clients to check on 2010 weather to get an idea of the weather for their big day.

Another great tip is to talk to your venue about the weather for your date the year before. The site coordinators who work weddings year round have a pretty good memory of weather month to month. Certain months can be predictable but it is always good to have rain plan with your site and your planner. As I've heard from all of my brides, once you get close to your wedding, it is pretty impossible not to check the 10 day forecast. But even if the forecast is calling for less than ideal weather, hold off the panic. Weather is constantly changing and you really should only take the forecast 2-3 days seriously. If it is going to be hot, hot, hot make sure you can rent air conditioning machines for your outdoor tent, the ceremony site is air conditioned, and that there is water on hand for guests as well as the wedding party.

Lastly, if you do end up with some heat, rain or wind, all you can do is embrace it. For the Diamond wedding on May 22, 2010, leading up to the wedding and the whole morning it was forecasted to start raining at 4pm, the start time of their outdoor ceremony. Jen was such a cool bride and left it up to me to make the call since we had a rain plan set. Luckily the sun came out and the rain held off for their beautiful ceremony. Funny enough, the rain held out right until the couple had finished the cocktail hour photos and I was ready to introduce the wedding party to the reception. Literally as the last person stepped inside the reception building it started to pour. Hope this has eased your mind brides! Enjoy!