It’s wedding day! The chairs are set outside under a beautiful oak tree surrounded by a neatly trimmed lawn and singing birds. The clouds are gray. Is it going to rain? Is it going to blow over? The wedding planner says “Time to make a call, we should move it indoors.” The Bride says, “No! It’s going to be fine.” The wedding planner, trying to please the bride says, “Okay, we will keep it set up outdoors.” It’s five minutes before the wedding is to begin and thunder rolls in the distance. The guests are exchanging questioning glances. The wind is picking up, dresses are blowing up, toupees are standing up straight. What is the bride thinking!? The heavens open as the guests dash for…where? What’s the back up plan when the chairs are wet, the dresses are soaking, and the toupees are, well, a bit limp. These are the questions every bride should lie awake contemplating before booking the venue. As perfect as it may seem to have an outdoor wedding, it is not perfect to be caught unprepared or to be too stubborn to read the skies and admit that nature is more powerful than any bride. Have a back-up plan that includes liking your indoor/covered venue, so that you don’t hesitate to move your wedding under cover when the thunder rolls Your guests will be thankful.
As an Austin wedding officiant I can speak from personal experience that it is very important to have a back-up plan. While March and October are generally beautiful months for an outdoor wedding we have been known to have one last cold front hit in March bringing very cold drizzly rain. October has the same challenges, and you just want to be prepared.