How to Stop Bad Weather Ruining an Outdoor Wedding

The worst thing about having an outdoor wedding is that you constantly have to worry about bad weather ruining the day. Even in the most gorgeous locales, bad weather can rear its ugly head. The worst thing about bad weather is you have absolutely no control over it. By planning ahead, however, you can stop bad weather from ruining your otherwise gorgeous wedding day.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Large umbrellas
• Tents
• Parasols

1. Choose your wedding date and location carefully. You can minimize the risk of bad weather showing up uninvited by checking historical weather patterns and picking a date that is likely to be dry and moderately warm.

2. Reserve an indoor location near your outdoor venue as a backup option if the weather gets unruly. Many outdoor wedding venues like beachfront hotels offer this option free of charge, but you may have to pay a site fee to reserve an indoor venue at an unrelated locale.

3. Have your wedding in a tent if you want to make sure your guests are protected from wind, rain, cold temperatures and even the hot sun. A tent allows you to be outside, but in a protected enclosure. Tents can be air conditioned and heated and are also easier to light than open-air receptions.

4. Provide parasols for guests if you are getting married in the middle of summer and the ceremony is located in the hot sun. Heat can be as damaging to a wedding as rain if you don't plan to keep your guests comfortable.

5. Stop wind from ruining your decorating plans by using hurricanes to protect candles and securing decorations using weights, tacks and wires.

Tips & Warnings

• Send the information about the rain venue along with your invitations if the location is off-site.
• Have a tent on hold just in case. Tents with sides and covered eaves provide the most protection from the elements. Tents with just a ceiling provide protection from the sun, but they can be useless in the wind and rain.
• Have several large golf-sized umbrellas handy if rain is a possibility. The wedding party will need to be protected as they move in and out of the wedding venue.
• If you can't afford to have a backup location on hold and a tent doesn't work with your location, put a note on your invitation indicating that the wedding will happen "rain or shine," so guests have the option of bringing umbrellas to the wedding.
• Don't stop checking the weather forecast as your wedding date approaches. You'll need to make a decision about where to host the wedding at least the day before if there is rain.