Lessons I've learned from a summer of weddings

by Chelsea Skurrie Paulet fashion latest

As fall is settling in, it’s a good time to reflect back on this past summer’s weddings and see what can be learned from some of my various experiences.

If you are planning a wedding for next summer, you may be picturing a gorgeous sunny day. And there was plenty of that. But you are probably not thinking about perspiring or squinting through your ceremony while your guests drip like melted icing.

As it often does, once again it comes down the weather. I officiated more than a few ceremonies in the hot, hot sun this year. Several of the area's gorgeous, high-end venues have ceremony sites without shade. While this continues to amaze me, there are actions you can take to deal with it.

If you are planning an outdoor wedding for summer, remember to have something that can offer shade and respite. Some good options to deal with a sun-drenched site are as follows …

Shade on a sunny day is important to keep from overheating. (Rhinehart Photography)

Source: vintage cocktail dresses

• Umbrellas and parasols — buy them, have them! They are well worth the money!

Market umbrellas on stands — ask if your venue can provide this or collaborate with you to make it happen.

• Schedule the time correctly. Check sunrise/sunset times for your date and plan accordingly.

• The right orientation of chairs and set-up of the ceremony space. Think out of the box. I recall having the sun shining directly into the faces of all the guests and thinking, gee, if they had simply turned the entire wedding slightly to the side, this would not have happened. Don’t be afraid to ask your venue to move chairs from their typical positions. They work for you; you can have it set up however you want.

• Fans — either the kind you hold in your hand and wave at yourself, or actual electric fans that can blow create a breeze for you and your guests.

• Bugs — while I don’t condone killing bugs, as they have a place in the ecosystem, and I don’t support using pesticides, you can put out citronella candles and torches, and there are lots of natural bug repellants to be found. The fans help with that as well.

• Let the men know its perfectly acceptable to remove jackets for the ceremony — ushers can tell them, a DJ, a wedding coordinator, or even your officiant, in an informal way, before the ceremony begins.

With a little forethought you can enjoy a hot day in the sun without discomfort and have the summer wedding of your dreams.

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