When I think of perfect weather for events, whether they are indoors or outdoors, bright, mild and clear days always come to mind. However, today was the first day of heavy rain we've had for a while and it made me think of all the panicked brides dealing with bad weather on their special day.
Rain is one of the worst things that can happen on your wedding day, short of your fiancé running off with one of the bridesmaids, a vendor falling through or your sick great aunt Millie deciding to cross over during the cocktail hour. Whoever invented that "rain on your wedding day is good luck" concept definitely gets an A for effort but just like telling someone that those high-waisted jeans are flattering on their figure, we all know it's just a bold-faced lie to make you feel better about mother natures backstabbing treachery.
While I know you may be hyperventilating into a bag about the weather issues at your wedding, keep in mind with the help of your professional event planner your day will still go off without a hitch and can be just as beautiful as you imagined pre-monsoon season. Here are a few things to help keep your sanity in case it does hit the fan.
First things First:
If you're planning on having an outdoor wedding, you must always always always have a rain plan. If you're doing an outdoor wedding and don't plan on having a tent, research it just in case. Always have a tent available on hold if possible so that worst case scenario you're not having to reschedule your entire day. If you're renting other items from the company that has tents, most likely they will be able to add the tent on a few days before your wedding if the forecast is calling for rain, this is another reason to have an event planner, they will have the rapport with the rental company that may be the make or break deterring factor on whether or not you get a last minute tent!
Backup plan:
If you are using a venue that has an outdoor and indoor space you may want to speak with the venue to find out if your event can be moved indoors. If the venue is not having another event that same day or you have reserved the entire property this may not be an issue. However, be prepared for them to say no. If you had listened to my first point we wouldn't be here.
Get creative:
So it's raining and you can't get a tent and you have no indoor space backup plan for the ceremony or reception. Let's say 2 days before you realize this and a hurricane is coming, there is nothing you can do about it and the fury of an angry bride cannot overcome mother natures wrath or convince her to go back out to sea where her stupid precipitation is actually wanted. Now it's time to get creative. This is the worst case scenario because you've already placed your deposit on the place and now the entire thing needs to be moved.
One option for you could be to host an umbrella themed ceremony. This will not be comfortable nor will it be easy but if you have a smaller crowd you can run to the store, snatch up as many umbrellas as they have and do the ceremony in the rain. I think this could also be an incredible photo opp as long as you booked a great photographer. The problem is, eating dinner, drinking and dancing in the rain isn't happening unless you go heavy on the 2nd part and your guests are happy to get muddy and gross. Again, what a funny picture but probably not what you want for your special day. If you're able to get your deposit back on venues, vendors, rentals etc. contact your favorite restaurant and see if they can reserve a room for you. Again, this only works if you have less than 100 people and you're gonna spend some coin buying everyone dinner and drinking but no more than what you would have with a catered dinner.
If you have over 100 people, no rain plan, no tent, no backup plan and no event planner to make a miracle happen it's time to go get eloped and come to terms with the fact that maybe your critical thinking skills aren't as sharp as you thought they were.
