Let's face it, that four letter word, RAIN, is on the forefront of every bride's mind especially during a stretch of soggy forecasts. How do you handle your Philadelphia wedding when the weather takes a turn and the meteorologist calls for precipitation? We turned to Lynda Barness, Master Bridal Consultant, of I DO Wedding Consulting to find out. Here is what she had to say:
Photo credit: I DO Wedding Consulting
No matter how much control anyone thinks they have on a wedding day, the one partner who rules supreme is Mother Nature. We all need to plan with her and around her and have the utmost respect for her! Your wedding planner should have considerable experience in a variety of weather conditions (too hot, too cold, too rainy, two snowy, too windy). Here is where I DO Wedding Consulting STARTS in the planning:
On a gloriously warm (but not too warm) and sunny (but not too sunny) and breezy (but not too breezy) wedding day, the issue is simple: the couple gets married according to plan. But it is in the planning process, the days and weeks and months prior to the big day, there is so much that has to be considered and planned.
The central focus is guest accessibility, comfort, and safety. This includes having grass cut ahead of time but not too close to the wedding so that allergies won’t be irritated. It needs to be groomed and the ground may need to be raked, with dead branches and debris discarded. The property can be sprayed for bugs, but care is taken to do this organically. The lighting of the whole area- pathways, parking, valet parking, and of course the ceremony and event sites- are carefully considered. One tip: do a walk-through ahead of time, after dark. How many umbrellas are needed, where are they stored, and where and how are they collected when wet? What do you do with the wet raincoats?
And the practical aspects are considered next. Can you park on wet grass? Where will trash be collected and disposed of? What noise ordinances are there? Where can people go if there is lightning? What about the generators? There are so many issues!
The final considerations are the technical issues of delivery, installation, and set-ups. Does a road have to be built across grass to move equipment? A full delivery schedule must be approved by all wedding professionals, with careful attention to weather contingencies. And when will the fire marshal visit?
I always (half-)joke that my middle name is “What IF.” And that’s how we approach questionable weather (and ALL weather is questionable). It’s all about the back-up plan. And the back-up plan for that.
Lynda Barness
Master Wedding Planner TM
PO Box 22450
Philadelphia, PA 19110
215-262-8188 www.idoplan.com lynda@idoplan.com