Something I always talk about with couples in our first meeting is the weather. Wedding day weather. I don't care if you are getting married at the end of July on the "driest day of the year"--we talk about the weather. Because if we don't, it will rain. Period!
We talk about the "sprinkle scenario" where it's just a little rain. And we talk about the "downpour" scenario where it's more event-altering.
Some venues have a great rain alternative to an outdoor ceremony, and for some, it's a little more challenging. We hope that if there is rain, it stays to a sprinkle and even then, stays away from the half hour that is the outdoor ceremony.
Most of the time, we are just fine and things carry on as planned. But yes, there have been a few times where we have needed to make a call the day before and change plans drastically.
That happened twice this year. Fortunately, both times the venue had a wonderful indoor space and while it might have looked a little bit different than the couples had originally dreamed of, they were still beautiful and perfect.
This wedding pictured was one of them. The ceremony was to be on the lawn and the dinner under a tent. But a downpour was predicted and fortunately, the venue (The Seattle Yacht Club) has a wonderful ballroom that worked perfectly with our guest count.
On the day before, we made the call to have the whole wedding moved indoors. We staged the ceremony in the ballroom with the fully-set dinner tables tucked into a room beside it.
After the ceremony, guests were moved to a downstairs room for cocktail hour while we flipped the room for dinner (complete with a dance floor installation), then they came back upstairs and dined by candlelight in the same elegant space.
At the end of the night, the bride came to me and said, "This was better than it would have been outside!"
And I agree with her. Things always work out the way they were meant to. Rain or shine!
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