Ensuring Your Wedding Endures All Weather: Comprehensive Guide

The climate here in Jacksonville presents some unique challenges for brides and grooms. While we have more sunny days than the national average, we also have more inches of rainfall. In fact, our rainy season tends to come in the autumn months, a popular time for weddings.

In other words, Jacksonville is both a great place to host an outdoor wedding and a risky one. What happens if you wake up on your big day and realize that you're going to have a rainy wedding day?

We're here to share some of our top tips for weather-proofing your wedding, from staying dry to keeping cool. Read on to learn how to make a backup plan for any wedding venue.

Pick a Wedding Venue with Indoor Accommodations

If your wedding venue can provide a built-in Plan B for your outdoor wedding arrangements, you don't have much to worry about. An on-site indoor space makes it easy for guests to dip inside as the rain passes through. If necessary, you can even restage your entire event and host it indoors.

This is one of the many reasons to host your wedding at a golf course. The expansive grounds and gorgeous views provide the perfect backdrop for any wedding, indoor or outdoor. On-site properties like Blue Sky's Bar and Grill make it easy to move your festivities inside at a moment's notice.

Book a Wedding Tent

Some couples plan to have an outdoor ceremony and an indoor reception, meaning that they only need a backup plan for their ceremony. If you're hoping to host both the ceremony and reception outside, you may want to book a wedding tent.

These days, you can find wedding tents in a wide variety of sizes and styles. Clear plastic wedding tents provide reliable weatherproofing without diminishing the views or blocking the sunset. If the weather cooperates, you can open the side flaps to create an indoor-outdoor environment and grant guests easy access to the rest of your venue.

Rent a Dance Floor

Imagine that it rains the night before or the morning of your wedding, but it stops before your ceremony is set to begin. You can hold your wedding outside as expected, but the ground is a little bit damp. What should you do?

If you have an outdoor reception, you may want to rent a solid dance floor whether or not you book a wedding tent. This is especially worthwhile if your reception is happening on grass or turf, not a patio. That way, you and your guests have a clean, solid surface for dancing and don't have to worry about mud or sinking heels.

Build Wiggle Room Into Your Timeline

In cities like Jacksonville, we're all too familiar with sudden passing storms. It might be pouring one minute and sunny the next. While this can seem like a major setback in the moment, it's often possible to get back on track after a quick burst of rain.

The best way to account for this type of rainy wedding day is to make sure that you have wiggle room in your schedule. In other words, you don't want to book an officiant or caterer that has somewhere to be the second they're done at your wedding. Coordinate with your vendors to make sure everything will run smoothly even if you're ten or fifteen minutes behind schedule.

Keep Guests Dry and Consider the Temperature

Another small but crucial way to make sure your guests are prepared for sudden weather changes while you're tying the knot is to provide umbrellas. You can even get umbrellas monogrammed or order patterns that match your wedding theme. You just may find that a few minutes of rain creates a unique and memorable photo opportunity!

Because we get such high temperatures here in Jacksonville, you may also want to find little ways to keep guests cool. For example, you can encourage guests to pick up paper hand fans before sitting down for your ceremony. You can also use smaller tents to create shaded areas where guests can relax and cool off during the celebration.

Match Your Dress Code to the Season

While the right attire can't keep guests dry in the rain, it can help with temperature control during your outdoor wedding. Keep in mind that guests will do their best to wear an outfit that aligns with your dress code. Pick a dress code that works well for warm weather if you're planning a spring, summer, or fall wedding in Florida.

For example, cocktail attire is easy to make warm weather-appropriate. It's also a great choice if you don't want to go as far as having a semi-casual or informal wedding but still want guests to feel comfortable in warmer temperatures.

Stay Calm

It's no secret that wedding planning is a ton of work. Some days, you may feel more stressed than you are excited, but it's important to try to avoid that stress overload on the actual day. Bad weather can seem like the bane of your wedding, but the right backup plan can keep things from going haywire.

One of the many benefits of having a golf course wedding is the easy access to an experienced staff. When you book with Blue Sky Golf Club, we'll work closely with you and your vendors to make sure that you have the best experience possible, rain or shine. When you have a strong team, there's no need to worry that rain or bad weather will ruin your wedding day!

Don't Fear a Rainy Wedding Day with Blue Sky Golf Club

Outdoor weddings are a great choice, especially in a beautiful city like Jacksonville. However, having all or part of your wedding outside means that you need to have a backup plan. Use this guide to make sure you're prepared for the possibility of a rainy wedding day.

Do you want to learn more about planning a wedding with Blue Sky Golf Club? With our own event team and catering, we can do more than your average golf course venue to turn your dreams into a reality. Contact our Event Team today.