No air conditioning?

No AC is a huge deal breaker IMO. August is smoking hot and your guests will be miserable

I can tell you that there are a couple of weddings I've been to that mainly stick out in my mind because we were melting in the heat! One in particular was outside in July with no fans or anything. Best of luck figuring this out!

We went to a wedding in a banquet hall that had high ceilings and lots of windows. The couple figured that would be okay. Unfortunately, they were mistaken. The only thing I remember about the wedding is it was hot and stuffy.

My suggestion, when you speak with the caretaker, discuss the AC situation and look into some solutions.

Maybe you could get a few $99 window air conditioners to use in the space. Those coupled with the ceiling fans might make it comfortable. If you like everything else about the venue, I'd try to make it work.

Thanks guys. What areas of the country are you all in that had wicked hot days? We don't get too many of those here in the northeast, but we do get some, it's just hard to predict. I want people to be comfortable, and I'm prepared to move the ceremony to a shaded spot if needed, so I'm really hoping the reception room tends to stay cool. What temperature do most people feel comfy at? I know I like it in the mid to low 70's, but I think I tend to be cold.

Oh, hell no! I can tell you that I would only remember the heat. Keep in mind that studies show people become more irritable in hot weather, AND it's a high stress event. People will be dressed up. Not only is AC a must, but I'd recommend having someone crank it up just before the room fills up with guests.

No. Just no. Shade is not AC. I'm in north NJ/NYC/edge of NY state, and no one at all wants to be outside in the summer except for the couple. I"m the closest person to them, and I can see the eyeliner dripping down the cheeks.

If your guys (and male guests) are in suits, they will be miserable. I tell my couples, go get dressed in a nice suit and a pretty dress and go stand outside at the time you'll be married. If it' below 60 or over 80, you'll be unhappy and so will everyone else.

Southern California and it gets pretty hot out here. Even with a breeze, being in the shade will not make matters any better. You have to remember you're going to have 100's of people in a closed in space. The heat from outdoors plus from all those bodies will become uncomfortable.

Girl let me tell you from experience...I was married on September 1st in Mystic...so close to RI, on the water...the morning of the wedding the AC broke and it ended up being 90 degrees that day. It was AWFUL. guests were sweating through their clothes, no one wanted to dance the AC came on after a couple of hours but it definitely took away from the day.

@heather, that does sound like no fun. Was your event during the day or at night? I'd really like to make this work, starting as late as possible, etc, since the only alternative that would have AC is a hotel type venue. That would make me sad for sure.

It was during the day but trust me, the night would not have been better. August in massachusetts is too hot to have a venue where people are dancing, drinking, mingling, being around a lot of people. Even if it wasn't super hot out, it is still too hot inside to want to do wedding related things.

Thanks! I'll wait to sign the contract until we meet with the caretaker, because I do want everyone to be comfortable. I was originally more concerned about it getting too cold at night since it's in the woods and we're planning a Bon fire at the end.

Sounds like that would be a huge dealbreaker for me. Weather is so unpredictable now days and you would hate for your guests to be miserable and uncomfortable due to the heat. Even if you did rent portable air conditioners (which I do have experience with for my line of work, they can be very very loud) good luck with whichever you decide.

Definitely would be a deal breaker for me :/ and sometimes renting air conditioners or fans could get pricey. I hate how hot the summers are. :/

I'm anemic and even I would say no. I went to a church wedding with no A.C. we were all so ready to leave. As much money as these venues cost the very least they could do is put in a damn air conditioner.

The venue will probably tell you that it will just fine, don't worry about it, etc. I'm in the northeast, and the only state that I've been in that didn't need air-conditioning in late August was Maine (and that was in the evening in a house in the middle of the woods on a lake). Put all of those bodies in one room, serve hot food, it's August -- well, you get it. You can rent portable AC's. The question to ask your venue is if they are wired for it.

When I read the title of your post I first thought, "NO!" But it sounds like a cooler area if the highs are around 75, then in the evening it will be cooler. With the ceiling fans it may be okay. My cousin however, got married in Sonoma, California where the high was above 90, it was really fancy so the men had to be in jackets, and there was no shade. That was the ceremony. Then the reception was in a barn without AC. They put box fans next to the doors and thankfully we were near one of them but everyone just had sweat stains all over their shirts and stuff. It was miserable. For a wedding that I'm sure cost near $100k, you'd think they could have figured out AC.

If I were you, I'd maybe go visit there this August, see what the temperature is like there, then decide at that point if you want to rent ACs.

Oh man...I'd wither away and melt in a place with no AC =( I hope you are able to get it all worked out!!

It's a Girl Scout camp and I've stayed there at the end of May/early June and it gets freezing at night outside. I know they serve 350+ girls meals in there all summer with no problem, and we'll just be 125 people in the early-late evening. The dress will be more casual so I hope people would dress appropriately, too.

Thank you all for your feedback, I am definitely going to make sure it can regulate temp well, I just really don't want to have to scrap all my ideas and settle with a cookie cutter venue. Around here, most of the rustic or fun places are without ac I'm finding.

Uh oh, no AC would be a deal breaker for me. Plus even if it isn't super hot outside, there are going to be a lot of people in one place which will make it feel worse than it is. I would rent a few small units if worse comes to worse.