Save your rainy wedding day

Nature can make a couple’s wedding day that much more special. Beautiful backdrops like ocean waves or rolling country hills lend a lot to a wedding, making the day even more special for couples and their guests.

But Mother Nature is the inherent risk of hosting an outdoor wedding. Weather is unpredictable, and couples who hope to tie the knot in the great outdoors must develop a contingency plan just in case Mother Nature decides to rain on the parade. While outdoor wedding venues often have backup venues in place should the weather prove uncooperative, couples can take some additional steps to ensure their rainy wedding days still go off without a hitch.

• Find a place to take photos. Wedding photos document a couple’s big day, and many couples arrange for outdoor photos whether they’re tying the knot indoors or outdoors. But couples must arrange for a place to take photos in case outdoors is not an option. If possible, walk the grounds of your ceremony or reception site with your photographer in the weeks before the wedding to scout out potential areas to shoot indoors in case the weather is not cooperating. Ask a representative from the venue to recommend potential photo locations around the building.

• Consider a tent. Some wedding venues are exclusively outdoors, meaning they don’t have backup options indoors on their premises. If that’s the case, couples can rent tents to serve as their safety nets. Tents can be expensive, and some couples may not want to pay for a tent they ultimately may not use. But tents may be a couple’s only option if their chosen venue has no indoor alternatives.

• Establish a cutoff time. Depending on how remote the ceremony location is, couples might be able to wait until a few hours before their weddings to decide if they will still tie the knot outdoors. Make the call earlier if your wedding is to be held at an especially remote location. But no matter where the wedding is, establish a cutoff time to let guests know if the wedding will be indoors or outdoors. Include such information on your wedding website and/or invitations. Use a social media platform such as Facebook or Twitter to inform guests of your final decision.

• Provide umbrellas. Some inclement weather may not be enough to deter couples or guests from braving the great outdoors. Couples getting married in the summer may be able to withstand a summer shower, but provide guests with umbrellas just to be safe. The umbrellas will make for a nice wedding gift, and hopefully couples and guests won’t even need to use them.

• Insure the wedding.

Couples who are hosting destination weddings on tropical isles should look into insuring their weddings. Such islands might be susceptible to harmful storms like hurricanes that can prevent weddings from taking place. Insurance can cover couples for a host of unforeseen circumstances, including weather.

Outdoor weddings can be magical, but couples must build contingency plans in case Mother Nature proves uncooperative come the big day. Article courtesy of Metro

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