What do April Showers Bring?

3/12/2024

Reminders of what we hope will not be a repeat performance of the 2023's “Rainy Weekend Syndrome”. Last season was truly a soggy one. Our hope is that what’s to come is not cyclical and that last year was just a strange weather pattern left in our distant memory.

But as planners who work in this rural landscape of the Hudson Valley, be it rain or shine and for the greater good, we plan for worst case scenarios which include top our the list....

Robin's Bar Mitzvah | Private Property in Hillsdale, New York
Photo Credit: Yannis Malevitis

Weather Contingencies

When we begin conversations with our clients about their event, this topic is up front and center even as they insist that “their” day will be sunny and bright (and just the right seasonal temperature!). I smile and think about how I will delicately and honestly navigate the next bit of sound advice.

And although I’d like to agree with them, I have no magic wand. I politely guide them through a pro-active mindset behind a rain plan “now” while highlighting the increased odds of pulling off success regardless of Mother Nature’s decision on their day. With an action plan, we can truly claim to be unflappable, and their day will be perfect and potentially stress-free, regardless of how the sky behaves.

As my personal point of reference, I always call to mind my “fearless-leader-moment”, our first “Hurricane Wedding”. Rachel and Mitch’s wedding at Glynwood with far too many vendor teams to count, an intense week leadup watching every weather report and reaching out to my aviation weather resources and pros as we anticipated the storm’s touchdown spot-on-the timeline of their ceremony. Steadily guiding the vendor team with confidence through strategic email updates that provided facts and substantiated claims that with all certainty, this wedding would not be postponed was a true test of my nerves.

My ability to be laser-focused on the “I-think-I-can” mantra, to this day, gives me solid confirmation that contingency pre-planning is the key to turning a potential devastating scenario into a superhero moment.

Rachel + Mitch Wedding Weekend | Glynwood
Photo Credit: Golden Hour Photography

And we did it with so much success! Yes, there were many, many umbrellas in play, lawns saturated beyond absorption, mud that permeated layers upon layers of straw laid down for pathways, tent canopies filling to the brim with pockets of rainwater that needed emptying with a wide broom back on a 15-minute rotational schedule to keep from collapsing the tent and a change from drenched clothing to dry, every 2 hours. I’m not sure if Rachel’s wedding dress ever returned to a true white on the hemline. Her fresh out of the box personalized never-white-again sneakers had no idea what how they'd be broken in within minutes of hitting the ground.

This was so extreme a day but with it brought an incredibly attitude of victory for our couple, who’s first test of their marriage allowed them to rise above, embrace the challenges (that they had no power to change) and make the very most out of it. They realized that our plan had allowed their show to go on and that if could be as beautiful as they hoped it would be. Our planning supported them and allowed them to shift and focus on what was truly the most important part of their day, the love, so much love surrounded them. And the icing on the Carvel ice cream cone, was a total bragging point for all the years to come when their wedding day story would rightfully include, “…AND WE SURVIVED a HURRICANE on our wedding day!”

In my observation, this couple out of all our couples had THE BEST time of their lives at their wedding, drenched from sideways rains and non-stop dance perspiration… they simply let go and let be. I must believe that this point of reference will always be monumental benchmark when married life tests.

I’d like to offer highlights and tips from a planner who prefers to be one step ahead (and who happens to be married to a global international pilot
whose sits high in the sky in his mobile office, navigating weather very upfront and personally. Captain Smith has taught me a few tricks of the WX trade
over these past 32 years of being his co-pilot.
(we are no nonsense when it comes to weather)

Sarah + Eddie Wedding Day | Saratoga Private Property
Photo Credit: Jessie Casey

A Roof Over Your Head...
TENTS

1 | Outdoor weddings need a "contingency tent" for any part of the day that you hope to enjoy in open air.

2 | Book contingency tents with your tent rental vendor very early in your planning process, so you are not disappointed when you call, and they have none left in their inventory. Expect to pay 50% of tent rental to hold the tent for your event and to pay the balance of 50% if you end up using it.

3 | Don’t waste your time checking weather months before your wedding. You have more productive things to do in so far as wedding planning. Look at weather one week out. Be prepared to decide on your contingency tent, by early week-of. Your tent rental vendor will provide their cut off day for making this decision.

4 | If you insist that you want to wait and have the tent delivered and installed closer to your day, just in case the weather clears, expect to pay surcharges for a specific delivery window and make sure this will not affect other vendor load in schedules.

5 | If you have the tent delivered and the weather clears the day before your event, don’t expect the rental company can return on the morning of your event to take it down. “If” it is an option to return, there will be a substantial overtime fee AND it will need to be discussed in advance with them, your venue, and other vendors. Day-of is not the ideal day to be adding big movement swings.

6 | If the week is wet, place tent sides down to avoid wet furniture and grass. The only time to rethink this is if the winds or humidity/heat will be high. Often in these conditions, you want partial air to flow even during a storm.

Climate Control
HEATERS + FANS

1 | Back to contingency planning. Depending on the season, you should plan to add heaters and fans to your rental order if you have a tented event. In New England, with such unpredictable weather patterns and swings, you could need either in the spring and fall seasons.

2 | For hot summer days, hand held fans are an excellent way to keep guests comfortable. Place them on your ceremony seats or have a basket filled to the brim on the reception table for the taking.

3 | Another hot and stylish accessory, parasols! Guest love these and they are so easy to hold along with a cocktail. Such fun for photos.

Megan + Keith Wedding Weekend | Private Property in Cold Springs, New York
Photo Credit: Brian David

Cecilia + Yeab Wedding Weekend | Lion Rock
Photo Credit: Cappy Hotchkiss

Singing in the Rain
UMBRELLAS

1 | Review umbrella options on Amazon Prime to get a feel for what can be ordered to be shipped domestically. Plan to order within the 30-day return window because if they are not needed, you will send back in original packaging for credit.

2 | Some venues have umbrellas left from other events so ask if you can have access to them and how many they have.

3 | Some rental companies or vendors rent them, just ask before purchasing your own.

4 | Types and quantities

1 umbrella per 2 guests
Large, clear umbrellas for you and your bridal party for photo walks. For photos, clear is perfect since it does not block the background, allows natural light to the faces underneath and raindrop texture is visible and captured..it's really looks romantic in photos, really!

Cecilia + Yeab Wedding Weekend | Lion Rock
Photo Credit: Cappy Hotchkiss

Informed Yet Fluid
FORECASTS

Use weather aps that have a trackable radar feature so you can see the timeline for weather arrival.
During the heat of summer, be aware that micro storms can pop up and dissipate quickly. If it looked clear in the morning, with heat intensifying in moist unstable conditions, you could suddenly have a storm tracking overhead that you didn’t anticipate.

Moving Out of Harm's Way
EVAC PLAN
Don’t be shy to discuss a plan of action with your client and vendors ahead of time if a potentially dangerous weather situation is forecasted on the event day. Your role as a planner or host is to have the answers even before you need them. Sound information will avert panic on day-of and ensure that necessary steps can be taken in a moment’s notice to get guests to a safer location until a storm blows over.

Protecting Pretty Moments
(Aside from the Bride)...DECOR

Printed Table Number Cards – In the summer, use a thicker cover stock (100-200 lb.) so that cards can stand up straight in their sign holders through humid damp days. There is nothing worse for guest who are trying to find their seats and can't see the table # because it has flopped over face down. In case of windy days without tent sides, be prepared to tape the sign holder stand to the table top with a removable tape pad.
Have a plan for outdoor décor re-location if need be, ie: Reception Table and Welcome Signs
Lounge Furniture – Although these pieces look incredible in a landscape and are great captures for Instagram posts, you must not assume they can be placed outside and left. If there is a chance of damp weather, no one will be thinking about their being exposed if everyone is sheltering indoors. If rental furniture is damaged or destroyed, you will be charged accordingly.

Kayleigh + Julian Wedding Weekend | Troutbeck
Photo Credit: Elena Wolf Photography

Pack for Success
SUPPLIES

Towels and paper towels - To dry off ceremony seating (and yourself)
Swiffer broom - To clean dance floor after caterers and musicians have set up the reception and before guests enter the tent. Also useful in the restroom trailer as needed for wet slippery floors.
Extra sets of clothing - In case you get drenched more than once.
Raincoat + Boots - So you can endure a wet day without looking like a wet rag.
Wide broom - To push water off tent edges.

Last but not least, remember...
THINK POSITIVELY
Rain is good luck for a couple so if it's unavoidable, embrace this good fortune, let go of any unrealistic expectations and have a blast anyway...this day is once in a lifetime, and nothing should dampen that blessing.

Excerpt from:
Lucky in Love: Traditions, Customs & Rituals to Personalize Your Wedding
by Eleni N. Gage

R A I N
"If you're getting married in a location where wet weather is likely (many gorgeous venues are significantly cheaper in the rainy off-season), embrace the idea of rain as a symbol of washing away the past, showering you with luck, fertility, and blessings from above, and strengthening your union because a wet knot is harder to untie. Adopt the umbrella, a common nuptial image, as your own. In Finland, through much of the twentieth century an escort held ice over the bride's head as she went door to door collecting her dowry, making it a popular motif for Finnish weddings today in Tibet, Buddhist honor the White Umbrella Goddess as a sign of protection: in New Orleans, parasols make a joyous appearance during a second line parade."

Wishing couples, planners and event vendors many sunny event days ahead and the where-with-all to think about your Plan B, C & D (now) if the weather has other plans for you.
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Warmly — Paula & The Team of Your Event