WEATHER AND WHETHER

It's easy to have your heart set on an outdoor wedding. Perhaps you envision your ceremony outdoors in a garden, in a grove, at a vineyard, on a mountainside, by a lake, or on a pleasant patio. Perhaps you envision your guests mingling outdoors during cocktails. Perhaps your reception site even offers a pleasant outdoor setting for dinner or dancing, or both.

If your dream wedding involves the outdoors, do give careful thought to your "plan B" in case of rain or other inclement weather. Be sure that the rain-plan for your wedding site is satisfactory to you and accommodates your needs. If the indoor rain-plan wouldn't be to your liking, consider finding a different site for your wedding.

In addition to rain, excessive heat and humidity can also mandate a shift indoors. In some cases, so can chilly weather.

Contingency plans are particularly important for outdoor April weddings. The poet T.S. Elliot wrote "April is the cruelest month." I don't know what the poet had in mind, but as a wedding DJ in the Mid-Atlantic region, I think it applies to the weather! Spring officially arrives in late March, but rain and cold are not uncommon in April.

Weather can be unpredictable in any month. A couple of years ago, I DJ'd at a mid-September wedding that was so hot (felt like 100 degrees), the bride literally fainted during outdoor picture-taking after her outdoor ceremony. (Fortunately, the reception was indoors.)

A satisfactory contingent plan for bad weather in ANY month will ensure you'll be smiling on your wedding date even if it turns out Mother Nature isn't smiling upon you that day.