Whether you’re having a wedding in the midst of summer or in the middle of winter, it’s important to plan to make sure your celebrations are weather appropriate. This becomes even more relevant for a Melbourne wedding, given that Melbourne is known as a city that can often experience four seasons in a day. So, what can you do to brace yourself for all kinds of weather? Here are our best tips!
Look at wedding venues that offer a backup plan
The last thing you’ll want to do is see an undesirable weather forecast a few days out from the actual day and then have to race around trying to change plans or make your venue more weather appropriate.
The simplest way to avoid this stress altogether is to book a wedding reception venue that is big enough to fit everyone inside e.g. in a chapel. You should always plan ahead of time and speak to any possible venues about what your options are so you are covered no matter heat or rain! Double check on heating and air-con options too.
If you have your heart set on a garden wedding venue, then find a venue that offers the best of both worlds – a gorgeous outdoor area, but an indoor back up plan just in case! Be sure to find out when you can make the call on location – some venues want the decision days in advance, others will let you do it in only a couple of hours so the weather is as close as possible to what you will experience.
Keep your guests comfortable at your wedding venue
If you’re planning a garden wedding in Melbourne and you’re leaning towards the summertime, then choose a venue which has an appropriate amount of shade. This is always something to think about for elderly guests and guests with children. Maybe consider having little fans for guests, or even supply some sunscreen for your guests. Double check if the venue will have a water supply at the ready too.
If you are planning for a winter wedding, be quirky and have a supply of plastic umbrellas or small woollen blankets on stand-by!
Be clear about wedding locations and plans
Sometimes dropping times and locations onto your wedding invitations isn’t enough. Make sure you’re clear about where you’re getting married, whether indoors or out, so that your guests can prepare to wear the most appropriate attire on the day.
If you can’t put this information onto your invitations, then consider creating a group on social media where guests can interact with each other and get updates from you, or, create a wedding website that you can update with the latest information.
Weather appropriate wedding makeup
Whether you employ a makeup artist for your bridal party or opt to do your makeup yourselves, it’s important to take into account four things:
- If you wear makeup with SPF for an outdoor wedding, make sure you test it under a camera flash first – some can make you look ghostly white in photographs.
- If it’s a humid time of year, you’ll want to go for oil-free formulas for longevity.
- Blotting papers are your friend, especially if you’re prone to oiliness in hot weather.
- Use a waterproof mascara and gel based liner – especially on days where you might get a spot of rain. Not to mention the need for your makeup to stay intact when the emotions are running high.
Having an on-the-day function manager
Having an on-the-day function manager or wedding coordinator can be the difference between having a day of pure enjoyment and a day where the back of your mind is filled with worry. In our experience, an experienced and competent function manager is worth their weight in gold.
Ultimately you need to remember that this is an event and you’ll have plenty of guests, so you’ll want to make sure that everything goes to plan and works out exactly the way you envisioned it would. This could be left to chance if you dump the responsibility of coordination on your parents or the maid of honour and best man.
When you’re on the hunt for a great place to have your wedding, remember to ask about wedding packages. Some of the best wedding venues in Melbourne and Victoria offer a day-of-wedding function manager as part of the deal, which conveniently takes the guesswork out of you having to find (and pay) for your own. How perfect!
A day-of coordinator will act as a point of contact for vendors, make sure everything is running to schedule and will always have their eyes and ears open throughout the day. If anything seems a bit off, you can rest assured that your function manager has noticed and will be on their way to resolve the issue. They’re also especially handy should you run into any weather-related stressors on the day.
Remember that it’s not the end of the world
At the end of the day, don’t worry too much about the weather on the day. It is unfortunately something that is out of the control of everyone involved. Just prepare as much as you can in advance so that you’re not left at a whim on the day. This is one of the biggest days of your life, so remember to have fun, no matter what season it is and whether it rains, hails or shines.