April Showers

In 2012 the UK saw the wettest summer since records began, and almost four months into 2013 we have already seen the coldest Easter for more than 50 years; so with outdoor Weddings becoming increasingly more popular amongst us ever optimistic Brits, we thought now might be an appropriate time to start planning for when the heavens decide your perfect day isn’t going to be quite so perfect.

photo courtesy of www.bridalblogspot.com

If you haven’t already, choose a venue that has an outdoor area and an indoor space nearby. This will automatically reduce your stress levels in the run up to the big day, most venues who host outdoor weddings will be used to having to jump ship at the last minute and will know exactly what to do.

photo courtesy of www.bijouweddingvenues.co.uk

The hardest part about implementing weather contingency plans is…DECIDING TO DO IT. Trust us, the longer you leave it to make the decision, the more stressed both you and guests will become. An hour before the ceremony, make a decision and stick to it!

 photo courtesy of www.itsyourpartyevents.blogspot.com

If you haven’t hired a wedding planner, make sure you have assigned a bridesmaid, family member or friend to have the job of informing everybody about the new location, including the guests! It’s a good idea to have signs drawn up ahead of the day showing guests where to go if the plans have changed, these can be popped up in a matter of seconds and will eliminate about one hundred phone calls being made. Social media is another good way of getting the message out quickly, and cheaply.

If you have opted for a venue that doesn’t have a nearby indoor space and are going for a marquee option, hire another smaller marquee which you can set up with sofas and a bar area which can be used as overflow for guests who want to ‘mosey around’ rather than stay on the dance floor. And don’t worry, it won’t go to waste….plenty of your guests will be grateful for somewhere to go and ‘rest their eyes’ towards the latter part of the evening, or maybe even earlier for senior members of the family.

photo courtesy of www.westcountrymarquees.co.uk

A fun way of making light of the situation is to hire in umbrellas in your theme colour, or in lots of different colours. This will not only make the photos a little less drab but will also make sure your special day still looks pretty and like it was part of the big plan.

photo courtesy of www.thebigweddingsite.com

Fans of tea lights need not worry, battery operated tea lights give exactly the same effect and you don’t need to worry about them blowing out or, even worse, burning something. If you can, stretch your budget to incorporate some lighting production costs as this will go a long way to brightening up any grey skies.

Heaters are a must. Whether it is thirty or thirteen degrees, this is the UK and, unfortunately, by 8pm your guests will inevitably be shivering, especially the smokers amongst the group. Scatter them around both inside and outside the marquee and it will help avoid draining out a particular area of the party.

Of course you will not need any of these plans as it IS NOT going to rain on your day, but just in case, we hope these little hints helped. Good luck!