Adoring someone amplifies your sense of what is beautiful. This is why we love planning events outdoors during the summer months. Everything is colored by green leaves, mustard yellow zinnias, and happy purple, pink and orange lilies. Event throwers and planners alike imagine designing their weddings and graduation parties with tall wispy trees and tiny, wild flowers like they would decorate with frosting on a wedding cake. This makes perfect sense, really. You’re trying to create a world within a world and, right now, the world is summer. Of course you would want to honor your people near ribbons of flowing water and green growing things…at sunset…at exactly 8 pm. One problem: the dreaded “chance of rain” dilemma. There is always a chance of rain on the day of your big event. Happens every time. So what is the best solution? Move all your extraordinary, honoring, organic, beautiful, inside? Yuck. You can’t move the glow of a sunset inside. You can’t pull up lilies by the roots and make them reach lovingly toward fluorescent lights. So what do you do? Also, what if rain isn’t the only problem? What if dead cicadas are the problem? What if it’s a blazing 100 degrees when your event staff is trying to set up? We have some tips for you
Plan Labor Around Weather
According to Endless Events, larger scale events with more production tend to lead to longer load in and load out times. During the summer months, and especially with outdoor events, it is wise to look at the weather for load in and load out times. Setting up in 100+ degree weather for 5 hours can be exhausting and taxing on the event staff. Finding out if you are able to load in or out earlier in the morning or later at night can avoid problems with heat exhaustion and an unhappy staff. https://helloendless.com/tips-summer-event-planning/
Cicadas
One of the largest insect emergences on the planet happened this year just in time for late June weddings. Seventeen years after their last appearance, cicadas will wiggle out from the ground, shed their skin and take to the skies. It’s kind of amazing, actually! But, what do you do when they threaten to ruin your event? Here are some incredible tips from The Cicada Wedding Planner:
What to expect:
– The bodies of dead cicadas littering the ground.
– The constant hum of cicada songs.
– An occasional cicada landing on a guest. Guests screaming.
– An occasional cicada crawling on a table, chair, and barbecue.
What to do:
-Consider renting a big tent and one for the food area as well
-Hire a DJ with a good PA system
-Bring out the food as soon as it is time to eat and keep it covered
-Clean up the dead skins before the event–a shop vac works well!
-Make a game of it–provide containers for kids to collect them.
–Relax. Like the rain you can’t do much about it!
https://www.cicadamania.com/cicadas/cicada-wedding-planner/
When it Rains
The whole “chance of rain” concept is so much more complicated when you are planning an event than planning a casual visit to the pool. Here is an easy rule-of-thumb from discovery.com:
Weather deals in probabilities and probabilities often require complicated math. The good news is that the average person doesn’t need to get out a pencil and paper every time they read the forecast. According to the National Weather Service, if you see a 40 percent chance of rain, “there is a 40 percent chance that rain will occur at any given point in the area.” https://www.discovery.com/science/chance-of-rain
According to Here Comes the Guide, a rain doesn’t have to mean an indoor gathering. Here are some helpful tips:
– Rent a clear tent.
A clear tent provides completely unobstructed views of the sky.
-Keep dry in style.
Hunter boots are all the rage right now, so why not wear a pair underneath your dress?
-Bring umbrellas.
Clear umbrellas are your best bet for photos, since they won’t obstruct the view or cast a shadow on your faces.
– Dry off.
Because even with all the wet weather gear, there’s still a chance you’ll get a bit muddy or damp. Ask your coordinator or MOH to have a few large towels packed and ready to absorb—just in case! And it couldn’t hurt to have a hair dryer on hand, too.
-Drink it up.
Serve up “Dark and Stormy” signature cocktails consisting of dark rum, ginger beer, and a slice of lime.
-Get some epic photos.
The best thing about a rainy-day wedding? Uniquely stunning photos.
https://www.herecomestheguide.com/wedding-ideas/rain-on-wedding-day
