If You Don’t Like the Weather, Wait Five Minutes

By: Allison Beers, Owner of Events North

As a little girl, you always dreamed of a summer wedding. You dreamed you would be walking down the tree-lined steps at your family cottage on Lake Leelanau where your groom greets you. You stand on the shoreline for your wedding ceremony. The sun is shining. The birds are chirping. A light breeze flows through the air. The guests are smiling at you. It is the PERFECT day.

Many brides and grooms get that perfect day. I wish every single one could. The reality is though, we live in Michigan. They don’t say, “if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes” for nothing. You could have a quick change of weather at any time. I’ve seen the most beautiful day turn into the perfect storm in a matter of minutes.

I have a few rules for outdoor brides and grooms. If you’re going to get married outside in the spring, summer or fall in Michigan, you have to:
1. Deal with whatever happens and be happy with it
2. Be prepared
3. Make sure your guests are comfortable
4. Roll with the punches (also see #1 deal with it!)


I’m not trying to scare anyone, but being prepared is the best way to have an ideal day not only for you, but also for your guests on your wedding day.

Rain, Rain Go Away
Plan A might involve all of your guests in the back yard or in a park under the trees, but a Plan B is a safe idea. Check with local rental companies to see how late you can add a tent. The 10-day forecast is a safe bet as it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Sometimes it’s best to have a back up location. Does the church you’re getting married in have hall? Does the hotel your guests are staying in have an extra room? You typically can’t hold these without plans of using them, but if they are going unused, as your event gets closer, they may be an option.

So, worst case scenario… It’s raining or it’s going to rain and it’s not just a sprinkle- it’s raining cats and dogs. Do your guests have to walk on wet grass? Will it start getting muddy? As pretty as grass is- it can get really nasty fast. Think about getting some hay to put down in high traffic areas. Do you have sidewalls on your tent? Sometimes it does rain so hard that a tent can only do so much and if it is blowing, sidewalls can help a little. A trip to the store for a bunch of umbrellas for your guests to use to walk to their cars or the bathrooms can be helpful. Not only is it only planning ahead, but also it shows your guests that you care about their comfort.

Trust your gut. Last year when I was working on the film festival for the opening night party there was over a 60% chance of rain. The sun was shinning all day, but every time I looked at the forecast huge clouds were coming over Wisconsin. I had to make the call. No one was excited about moving 600+ people last minute to a new location, but I had to make the call. Of course, for the entire party there wasn’t a drop of rain. At 11:30 though, as soon as it ended, the skies opened up and there was a HUGE storm. If this event had been outside, not only would it have been miserable or dangerous for the guests, it also could have been extremely hazardous to the band with all of the electrical work and decorations that were rental would have been ruined. At the end of the day, I was very thankful for trusting my gut.


Brrrrrrrrr….
Sometimes it is really cold in July! Yes, this does happen. Keep your guests cozy with portable gas heaters in the tent or on a patio. A wonderful bride that I worked with gave shawls to all of the ladies. When the guests sat down for dinner, on the back of each of the chairs, the ladies got shawls that matched the color scheme of the wedding. Sidewalls on a tent can help cut down on a breeze as well. If you want the tent open during the day, just pull them back and when you need them, you can untie them. The little extra cost is worth peace of mine.

Oh, You Didn’t Plan for Your Wedding Party to Have 80’s Metal Band Hair?
It also can get really windy at times in Northern Michigan. On a beach or in a backyard, wind can wreak havoc on an event. For your hair, use a little extra hairspray. For men, even if they’re not the product type, have them use a little. It’s better than having your hair sticking up in pictures. Are your place cards secured? Get a plan B for your place cards if they were little cards on a table. Affix them to something! Make sure you’re not fishing them out of the bay. Make sure your table clothes are weighted so they’re not blowing up onto to lit candles or centerpieces. Are your napkins going to blow away? Make sure they’re secure as well. Wind can also make it really hard to hear. Have a microphone for nuptials and speeches even if you think it might be overkill.

Guess We’re Going to Make Snowmen
Yes, it can snow in October. It can even be freezing rain! Be prepared. I sat at an outdoor wedding under an umbrella while it was snowing once. Plan B, move it inside for your guests! Even if you have to get married in a 7-11, don’t make your guests sit outside because it’s YOUR special day. Look at the weather ahead of time and I’m sure you can come up with a plan.

Waiter, There is a Fly in My Soup
Insects can be uninvited guests. Make sure you have citronella candles and a bug zapper. Spray for mosquitoes in advance and also have bug spray on hand.



Hot, Hot, Hot!
August can make for days of unbearable heat! Make sure your guests have shade and plenty of bottled water. Make a pitcher of lemonade and ice tea and have that around too. Add a tent if you don’t already have one. Butter cream frosting can melt! Make sure to tell your baker that you’re going to be outside so they can use fondant on the cake instead. Make sure your guests are facing away from the sun for your ceremony. You don’t want them all squinting at you!

You’ll Laugh About This Someday
So, what if the weather isn’t the best? What if it’s not as you dreamed? At the end of the night, you’re still going home with the love of your life. That is what should be most important. Make this your mantra. Say it over and over again when you feel like things aren’t going quite as you planned.

Make the most out of it. Take fun pictures in the snow. Act like you’re blowing away in the wind. If you’re really adventurous- dance in the rain.

Make sure your guests are comfortable. Then, have a glass of wine! You can’t control the weather, but you can be prepared.



Allison Beers, Events North owner, has over 10 years of experience in event management, incentive and meeting planning and marketing. While living on the East Coast, she planned and executed a 40,000 guest carnival fundraiser for the opening of the Philadelphia Eagles new stadium, planned a two-week regional road show for America Online and also produced videos and commercials for Sunoco and several pharmaceutical companies.

Events North is a full service event management agency specializing in corporate and social events. Events North also plans and executes meetings and incentives, marketing based events, holiday parties, client appreciation events and production services/location scouting for commercials, videos and movies.


While in Philadelphia, she taught a class at Temple University in event management and served as a board member of the Philadelphia Chapter of the International Society of Event Specialists for 3 years.

Allison is a graduate of Albion College with a double BA in English and Speech Communications and also has a certification in event management from The George Washington University School of Business.

Since Beers and her husband Adam, a Traverse City native, moved to Northern Michigan from Philadelphia three years ago, she has been involved in a variety of local activities, including serving as Events Manager for the Traverse City Film Festival for the past three years and is the new Chair for the Women's Resource Center Extravaganza. This year, Beers helped form the Young Professionals group with the Traverse City Chamber of Commerce. She currently is on the Advisory Board of the group and is co-chair of the Professional Development Committee. She is also a member of the Rotary Club. Recently, she planned the post race party for the Meijer Festival of Races during the National Cherry Festival and was the consultant for the Inland Seas Homecoming event.

In 2008, the Traverse City Business News named Beers one of the 40 Most Influential Business People Under 40.

Beers taught a two-day course at Northwestern Michigan College this fall in event management. The class covered legal issues, insurance coverage, contracts and negotiations, food and beverage issues (diets, allergies and trends), the best resources for planning, trends in the industry and more. The class will be offered again in the future and there are plans for expanding the curriculum.

Allison can be reached at Allison@EventsNorth.com or by calling 231.883.2708. Visit www.EventsNorth.com for more details.



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