Outdoor Weddings - Planning For the Weather

Image by Kay Gaensler via Flickr

It was so lovely waking up to a clear sunny day and when I looked outside the sky was very blue after all the rain and fog we’ve had lately. It got me thinking of what great weather it would be for all those brides planning an outdoor wedding with the grass looking so green and the air smelling fresh and clean and the beautiful blooms of flowers finally making an appearance.

Of all the wedding styles, outdoor weddings would have to be one of the trickiest due to the unpredictability of the weather, especially this year when we’ve seen so much unseasonal weather occurring all around the world. Outdoor weddings can range in size and formality from a casual backyard affair to a lavish marque in a botanic garden with full service. No matter what size or how formal you go for, you will still need to plan carefully to ensure it is a success. I’d suggest getting yourself a good wedding planning book to help you through the planning process so that no matter what the weather may do, you will have it covered.

I personally would loved to have deliberately planned my wedding as an outdoor event, but circumstances were that it happened all by accident that I ended up with my wedding ceremony taking place in a garden setting although the reception was indoors. It was just that I decided it would be easier to hold a wedding at a location that provided everything I needed so that transport wouldn’t be an issue for most people. So I was lucky enough to find a small convention centre that catered almost exclusively for weddings. They had a reception room, a garden for the ceremony and hotel-style accommodation with room service. They also provided all the decorations and the flowers as part of their service which didn’t cost any extra.

We had a lot of out of town guests, so this arrangement was very convenient for them as they didn’t have to worry about getting from the ceremony to the reception and getting back to their accommodation.

If you are planning on an outdoor wedding then there are a few general guidelines that you should keep in mind, such as:

The Weather

The weather is the number one concern when you are planning a wedding outdoors, so it’s important that you do a little research to improve your chances of the weather being favourable.

Check seasonal weather patterns in the location where you plan to get married and pick a month that has the lowest rainfall.  You can also look at long term weather patterns for a few months ahead to give you an idea of what to expect as the weather cycles change from time to time.

Backup Plan

No matter how carefully you pick the time of year, there is always a chance of bad weather unless of course you’re planning on holding it in the desert where it hasn’t rained in fifty years. Always have a backup plan, just in the event that the weather doesn’t perform to your expectations. Rain isn’t the only weather condition that can spoil an outdoor wedding, the wind can also ruin your day if it becomes more that just a slight breeze. Of course, if you live in an area that is prone to cold snaps then being outdoors will be very unpleasant.

There are several contingencies you could put in place as a backup, including hiring a marque with fully enclosed sides. You could just put up the marque roof if the day is pleasant and then if the weather turns then you could then put up the sides so that everything and everyone will be dry and out of the weather in no time at all.

The other plan would be to find an indoor location that you can get access to use for the day at short notice if you need to move your wedding indoors. Places like local halls, school halls, convention centers or indoor sports centers or anywhere that has an indoor area that’s  big enough to hold a wedding and that has adequate kitchen and toilet facilities. You would need to contact these places to check availability and then keep checking as your wedding gets closer.

The other option is to find someone you know, that has a large house or indoor area or even an enclosed entertainment area, who would be willing to let you use for the wedding.

Whatever style of outdoor wedding you are planning, just remember to plan it carefully and to incorporate a solid backup plan in case the weather turns out for the worst. You can always create an outdoor look to any interior so don’t fret if your heart desires an outdoor setting. After all, photographers and film makers have been creating outdoor scenes inside studios for generations and in the end it will be the photos and videos that we will be looking at to stir our memories when our own recollections start to fade.