From Rain to Radiance - Tips to Consider for Outdoor Weddings

Modern CouplesWedding Tips and Resources

Nov 28

Megan + Michael’s Modern Celebration

We’ve all heard “April showers bring May flowers,” right? Well the week of Megan and Michael’s spring wedding didn’t just see showers - we experienced thunderstorms, heavy rain, and hail. This, of course, is not only a bride and groom’s nightmare if they are planning an outdoor wedding. As their planner, I was FREAKING OUT - obsessively checking my weather app every hour of every day leading up to Saturday, and praying for a miracle.

Accounting for the possible flooding of their ceremony and reception space at the Nasher Sculpture Center, I immediately contacted our vendor team, called a few outdoor tent vendors, and created a second, third, and fourth possible indoor floor plan for the couple to review. This venue has incredible indoor space full of art and crisp architecture, so it wouldn’t be impossible to transition the space. However, my heart ached for M + M after knowing how badly they wanted their perfect, garden wedding.

If you’ve got your heart set on an outdoor wedding during any season - here are three tips I’d recommend during wedding planning:

Be sure to check with your venue about backup plans in case of inclement weather. I highly recommend this, especially if you are just starting your venue search! Not all venues will have an indoor space or may have different capacity levels.
If the venue does have an indoor backup plan, be sure to see the space set up for a ceremony. You don’t want to be surprised if the day comes and you have to move into an indoor space you don’t like. Take a tour or ask for photos of the space to get a feel of what it may look like in the case of bad weather on your wedding day.
Plan to accommodate your guests accordingly! At this wedding, the couple purchased umbrellas for all of their guests to ensure they were comfortable in case they were still able to wed outdoors. This can also be applied to winter weddings! If you are hosting an outdoor wedding, consider renting heaters or providing blankets to your guests to keep warm.

On the morning of the wedding, the rain clouds seemed hesitant to part ways with the sky, but we planned to make a final call on the floor plan around the early afternoon. M + M remained optimistic about the garden and their dream outdoor wedding. As I made my way to the venue to begin set up, the sun began to peer through the clouds. The wedding venue, adorned with lush greens and twinkling lights, was GLOWING in the sunlight and hadn’t been flooded at all, despite the heavy rain the day before. I rushed to the nearby Adolphus Hotel where Megan was getting ready to share that her garden wedding was ON.

Looking at M+M’s ceremony photos, you’d have no idea that torrential rain in the days prior had almost impacted their perfect day. The rain that had threatened to dampen their spirits had instead become a cherished part of their modern celebration. This day was one of the most rewarding for team TMC and one of our proudest, as everything went off without a hitch! We are so excited to see M+M weather any storms as they thrive in this next chapter of married life together!