What your wedding guests think about your rain plan

I know this was very different from the wedding reception the bride and groom envisioned, but it was still so much fun. It was totally ok that we couldn't wander around on the riverbank. The party was under the tent anyway! I know most brides on here are very conscious of guest comfort. This is just my own recent personal experience that reinforces to me how much more important the love and celebration (and basic provisions like a dry, climate-controlled space) are. Not the picture perfect setting or Pinterest-worthy elements.

Agree! Also if you get a shuttle to drop off your guests at the reception, please have one to pick them back up! Was interesting trying to find a cab at 1am.

Ours is an outdoor wedding, and our reception is in a solid-wall pavilion right across the street. If we need to, we can move into the pavilion for the ceremony, too. We considered tents, but the expense was higher than we wanted and the pavilion was actually a quarter of the cost of a single, medium-sized tent. Our guests won't have to worry about getting wet if it rains!

FH and I were just talking about this over the weekend. Our ceremony is to take place at this park in the middle of DT Cleveland and I said that even if it rains in the morning and clears up, I want to move it. I don't want guests to have to trek through soggy/muddy grass. And I surely don't want my dress to have mud/grass stains on the bottom!

@Zoni, that sounds great! I think as long as you have a completely space that is completely protected from the elements and aren't afraid to use it you are fine.

That's a good point, Raelyn. This wedding had parking on grass, and we drove my small car. I refused to park it on the grass and found a gravel parking lot at higher ground. I was not confident that I wouldn't get stuck given that we were literally on a riverbank and getting so much rain.

We have an outdoor ceremony, too. Rain backup is in the cool exposed brick dance floor area inside the venue. Would really prefer not to use it because this is Florida and I really love the riverside ceremony space, but I won't hesitate if it's raining.

We really wanted an outdoor ceremony and cocktail hour, but we chose our venue because we also love the rain option. Of course we will be a little disappointed if we have to use it, but it's better than having a rainy disaster.

I don't want to use mine either @Val, it's a classroom at a college, but will if I have too.

Everyone on WW will think sunny thoughts for you!

The other rainy wedding I went to actually didn't use their rain plan. Only the ceremony was outside and the storm was supposed to blow through quickly. It did, right at the ceremony start time. We hadn't been allowed to go outside to sit down; the venue staff kept us standing in the lobby. After the rain stopped they dried off the chairs and let us outside. We ended up waiting for about 40 minutes after the start time to even sit down. In the moment I was starving and thirsty and cranky, but the ceremony was short and I forgot all about my discomfort by the time we got to cocktail hour and started inhaling food. But while we were waiting I was thinking, wow, wedding wire would have a field day with this.

I don't want to use my rain plan either! But my venue has a good one and that's part of why we chose them. If it rains, they will set the tables but move them out of the way, and set up the ceremony in the reception area, I think right on the dance floor. It looks lovely but it's just not outside. Then while the guests are in the cocktail area, they will move the tables in for the reception.

I agree it's important to keep the guests' comfort in mind, as they are sitting there longer than just the length of the ceremony.