PSA for summer outdoor brides: HAVE A BACKUP!

My cousin had a 98 degree wedding in July. Lots of people where covered in sweat and cranky, including the bride. Her pictures looked like she ran 5 miles before hand. She really really regretted it!

That is awful. Some people honestly just can't handle the heat. My Grandma literally gets sick. And umbrellas? No. There should always be an indoor backup.

This reminds me of the bride a year or so ago that was planning an outdoor wedding in the middle of winter because, snow is just so pretty and she wanted pictures... and it was going to be like 10 degrees or something. NO. Just no.

Hopefully they will try to have shade, hand fans, drinks something to make it a little better. I would truly hope they would see this probably isn't the best decision if the heat will be bad, especially for the elderly and young children. I know I would be moody in the heat.

My sister got married outside in 80 degree weather. Although it was hot, everyone always comments on how it was the most beautiful wedding. One thing that helps is making the programs into fans so that the guests can use it to cool themselves off. Make the ceremony short and sweet to get to the indoor AC!

You're truly preaching to the choir, Elizabeth.....It's rain, it's heat, it's cold, wind.....if you want people to pay attention to your ceremony, ya gotta keep them comfortable.

And no, fans and water don't make it better.

I personally don't understand summer weddings. I've lived in Arizona my whole life and summers here are unbearable. Don't even have a backup. How about people just don't get married outside in the summer at all?!

When I looked at venues, the plan B was just as important as the outside plan A for. March weather in Florida is so unpredictable. I want it outdoors so bad but I wouldn't make guest sit outside with umbrellas or sweating

Our ceremony is outside, with an indoor reception. We will move to a spot that's undercover if it's really pouring rain, but other than that, we are getting some fancy umbrellas and having a good time.

We had our wedding in FL in March. I had a million choices at our venue to do it outside, but I said "NOPE" right from the beginning. I didn't want to have my vision and heart set on an outdoor thing when there was such a high possibility of it having to move inside. Glad I did because it rained the night before and then was 85 out that day. SO MUGGY! We were only outside taking pics for a half hour before the ceremony and I still feel like I looked like a drowned cat going down the (indoor) aisle lol

That's why we're doing our ceremony and reception inside! Our pictures will be outside but that's just the bridal party and family and won't take too long.

This was one of the BIGGEST reasons we picked our venue - they had not one, but two beautiful backup locations - a large covered veranda if it was just a little drizzle, and a beautiful room upstairs at the clubhouse with a giant stone fireplace, cathedral ceilings, and lots of floor to ceiling windows if the weather was REALLY crazy. A lot of the places we looked at had a weather contingency plan than began and ended with renting a tent, or a fugly afterthought of a space. ill never forget the first venue we toured - it was GORGEOUS with a dunetop deck, beachside ceremony space, big oceanfront lawn and patio space...... then the indoor ceremony space looked like something from the 7th circle of 80s hotel hell, complete with musty green carpet.

we luckily didnt need our backup spaces (it was a rare low-humidity, 78 degree day last sunday with lots of sun) - but it took a HUGE weight off my shoulders knowing we had other options if the weather was crazy.

Also, consider having a water station at the ceremony site if you're a warm weather outdoor bride, even if the weather is perfect. We had a station with chilled fruit infused waters for guests to drink while they waited for the ceremony to start, and it was a huge hit and definitely made people more comfortable.

The rain is not solved by umbrellas. What about the mud? People have to walk from parking to seating. Heels+mud is not a great idea. Sinking in the mud is so much fun. So provide umbrellas all you want but you should also be making sure there is a proper walkway for your guests.

This is why I went with an indoor ceremony and honestly, it was just as beautiful. One while side and the back were all windows and we were on the 3rd floor. It was a gorgeous fall day and you could see the lake with fall trees.

It was 75 and sunny but could easily have been 55 and raining and gray so an indoor space didn't matter my decor and plans were the same

And this is why I'm getting married in October. Summers in TN are the worst! I will never understand brides that do outdoor weddings June-September. My best friend had her reception outdoors in July in Georgia. I wanted to punch her.

@Amy correction: you'll be having a good time. Your guests will be miserable during a July outdoor wedding with no heat contingency plan. They may not say it to your face, but they WILL talk about the poor hosting.

I understand extreme weather, but I had my ceremony outdoors in 82 degree weather and it was fine. Sedona is a really dry heat, so it didn't even feel like 80 and we had water available for guests. I don't think you can blanket it with a temperature range, but I do think you are correct about needing a backup location.

Sorry, @DJ, I can make a blanket statement about temp range. I've lived in Utah and Nevada and thought that dry heat was even worse in some ways than the humidity of Georgia and Florida. While you don't mind it, many people do.

The dry heat does fucking suck. Bad. I'm in Phoenix now but grew up in FL, and much prefer a 95 degree humid day over a 118 degree dry day. Having said that, 80 degrees in Sedona sounds like heaven! That's a perfect day.

Yuck. This has the potential to be a miserable day! I hope for everyone's sake it's a nice day.

@Elizabeth, sorry I honestly don't care all that much if people talk behind my back about my wedding. There'll be plenty of shade and it'll be a 15 minute ceremony. If it's too hot for people, they don't have to come.