November outdoor wedding in Pa, are heat lamps in an open tent enough??

I'm from Pennsylvania and the weather can he very wacky during November. The past few years the weather hasn't been as bad, but that isn't always the case. There is snow or ice an outdoor wedding definitely wouldn't be a good idea because everyone would be freezing cold. I would prepare for the worst case scenario.

View Quoted Comment

Thanks Veronica!

We are trying to have a decision by mid September. We are preparing for about six different scenarios so we have a lot to think about.

I attended a wedding in PA in November a few years ago and it was frigid. There were heaters inside an enclosed tent and it was still uncomfortable. Luckily they had an indoor option which was later used for the reception and that was fine.

Starting your event earlier is a good idea. Try to end by the time it gets dark. And definitely let your guests know that the event will be outdoors so they can dress accordingly. If you have any kind of stated dress code on your website, I would amend it to be more casual and more focused on guest comfort.

Telling everyone ahead of time is important so that guests can dress appropriately, knowing they will be outside under a tent.

I do not know about the far eastern edge and southeast, near Philadelphia. But from Wilkes Barre to Pittsburgh up to Erie, it is to cold to use even a heated tent reliably after Halloween. You need mid fifties plus, which you cannot count on. If it is not cold, you are worrying about the hurricanes and other coastal storms, often torrential rains and windy, not great for large tents.

Where in PA? This is my home state and where I am currently living. It’s not unheard of to get the first snowstorm in October. November is generally considered winter here, not fall. By then, we’ve already started wearing winter coats. There are exceptions, but that lasts for a couple of days and cannot be counted on. Also keep in mind that it’ll be getting dark by 5 pm at that time of year.

I don't think that may keep guests comfortable enough. PA can get cold in November.

I will tell you from personal experience, odds are the answer is no... a few heaters probably are not enough. I live in Northeastern PA and I got married on November 25th, outside. We had a tent and a few heaters throughout but all my guests complained they were freezing. Fortunately for us, the reception was inside so it wasn't a huge deal. But, definitely warn your guests to dress warm and try to have more than you might think would be necessary in terms of heaters.