90 + degrees on wedding day!

Is your ceremony outside? Reception? My ceremony was outside last week in Florida. It was hella hot, but it was a short ceremony. We put it in the shade. I had galvanized metal tubs sitting outside with waters. I had fans laying on each seat. And we were done in 15 minutes. No one complained and we were WAY hotter than the guests were as we were outside for pictures for an hour afterwards.

View Quoted Comment That’s great idea! We are outside for the whole thing ceremony and reception. Reception is outside but covered 😅

View Quoted Comment

You don't have an inside back up?

Honestly, if i was a guest at an outdoor wedding that was 90 degrees I probably wouldn't last long. IMO, that's too hot for a ceremony let alone an entire reception.

If you don't have an indoor backup for the reception at least, make SURE your caterer will have enough cold drinks available at all times (they will need to provide more than if it had been 75 degrees). Shade is essential, so do whatever you can to provide it. Paper hand fans are cute but not actually helpful. Other than that, I hope your guests check the forecast so they dress accordingly.

This is a good reminder for others to always have an indoor backup for outdoor weddings. Weather is never guaranteed.

I went to a wedding last May here in FL where it was 90 degrees. All of the older guests left after the first dance because they just couldn't handle the heat. A lot of guests also didn't know it was outside so they didn't dress appropriately and they drank more water and lemonade than they did alcohol. I had to stay for the whole thing because my husband was a groomsmen (who were also all dying from being in tux's) but at night it cooled off a little and was better. I get migraines from being in the heat too long so that was certainly not a fun day for me.

I'd have definitely made a backup plan. Make sure you have plenty of water, shaded areas for elderly, fans, etc. Also, assuming your cake will be sitting outside all day? I hope you took that into consideration, as its common for buttercream to melt all over the place when left in the heat. I'd leave it inside until its time to cut it. Unfortunately I think displaying the cake will compromise it. The same with food, anything cold shouldn't be left out either and can make people really sick but I'd assume your caterer has that covered since they are the professional they can probably make sure it stays chilled.

View Quoted Comment As I mentioned previously we are in a covered gazebo for the reception so will be in the shade the entire time . The cake will stay inside until we cut the cake. There are also ceiling fans.

For favors, we have paper fans for everybody. They will all be on their chairs, but I will also have a bunch of extras just in case. We are also thinking about having an ice cream bar with the cake.

View Quoted Comment Those are great ideas!! Thank you 😊

View Quoted Comment

We're also doing fans but we are going to print our wedding programs on them. It will most likely be in the 80's here but we're going to try to make the ceremony as short as possible so we can get inside for the reception.

I’m also planning an outdoor summer ceremony, and like previous posters, I’m doing fans on the chairs and keeping it shooort so people can get to the indoor reception. I will say, though, that if it’s 90 on my wedding day I’ll probably move the ceremony indoors to the reception space.

My best friend's wedding was outdoor in the sun on a was 95 degree day last year. She had a long sleeve dress and stuck it out, she changes into a short reception dress before the dancing.
The ceremony started on time but people arrived very early, some an hour early and there was no shade. There was iced tea and lemonade and water luckily and people were standing close to little structures to escape the sun. Some brought umbrellas.
The ceremony was about 30 mins or longer, not enough chairs for everyone and people were profusely sweating. Finally we moved to the indoor area where tables were set up. There were ceiling fans but it was a greenhouse, so, it wasn't any cooler. The area we danced in was also not much cooler.
After the sun went down things cooled off a bit.

I'd suggest to add some shade of possible, not just for you and your partner but for guests, especially the older crowd. Parisols could be nice but may be obstructive. Have water available, spots during your cocktail hour with shade.
Hand held fans maybe but those also do require a person to heat up while fanning but at least it's a way to acknowledge the heat.

Depending on the time of your wedding and when the sun goes down it could cool down.