Getting Married in Summer: Handling Heat, Storms and Peak Season

There is a reason summer wedding photos are so dreamy: the light, the airy dresses, dinner outdoors, the evening that never ends. There is another reason planners sigh a little: heat that can become oppressive, guests who were not prepared, a sky that changes its mind at 7 pm, and a booking calendar full a year ahead. A good summer wedding is one where you thought about the conditions as much as the décor.

Peak season: what it really means

Between June and early September, Saturdays go first, and the best venues are often taken more than a year ahead. Suppliers who do one wedding a day (photographer, DJ, celebrant) follow the same rhythm. Prices are generally higher than in low season because demand is strong, and some venues require minimum spends or minimum stays.

• Set two or three dates rather than one: a Friday, a Sunday, or a Saturday in May or September can be easier to get and more affordable.
• Book the venue first, then the photographer and the caterer if the venue does not impose one, before thinking about the rest.
• Hold rooms for guests coming from far away: in summer accommodation and trains fill up too, because of the holidays.
• Ask what the booking covers: finishing times, shade, any air conditioning, covered areas, a storm solution.

Heat: it is the time outside that counts

A day at thirty degrees is not a problem in itself; a one-hour ceremony in full sun, with a hundred people sitting on plastic chairs, is. Think of the programme as a route between cool zones.

Shade

Find out on the visit where the shade falls at the time of the ceremony, not at the time of the visit. Trees, a pergola, parasols, a shade sail or a large open tent: at least one of them should cover the ceremony chairs and the welcome area. Think about the front rows, the close family, who stay motionless the longest.

Water

Cold water, self-service, on arrival, during drinks and near the dance floor. Jugs with ice, a dispenser of flavoured water, bottles in a bucket: the point is that nobody has to ask. Also set aside a cool or shaded corner for children and older guests.

Ceremony times

The best slot for an outdoor ceremony is early evening: the sun is lower, the heat eases, the light flatters faces, and the end of the ceremony flows into the drinks. What works in July does not work at 2 pm.

Outfits: light for the couple, comfortable for guests

For the couple, the aim is to last from the ceremony to midnight without sweating through. Choose fabrics that breathe (cotton, linen, silk, light lace), a thin lining, a cut that lets air move. For the suit, a light wool or a linen blend, a jacket that comes off for the party, and a shirt you can change along the way.

• Plan a second outfit or at least a spare shirt, deodorant, wipes, a small mirror and what you need to touch up make-up or hair.
• Test the outfit in the conditions of the day: a fitting in late afternoon, sitting and standing, for an hour.
• For guests, state the dress code and the mood on the wedding page: dressy but light, flat or comfortable shoes if the ground is grass or gravel.
• Provide fans, straw hats or sunglasses for the ceremony: a pretty basket at the entrance does the job and is part of the décor.

Drinks and food: freshness and safety

In strong heat guests drink more, and not only wine. Provide a variety of chilled non-alcoholic drinks that are not a second choice: lemonades, flavoured waters, juices, iced tea. A non-alcoholic welcome cocktail also helps the party last to the end.

• Ask the caterer how they manage the cold chain: cold starters brought out at the last moment, buffets under cover, no sensitive dishes left in the sun.
• Go for a lighter menu: fresh starters, grilled dishes, vegetables, fruity desserts. A cheese fondue in July is a bad idea.
• The cake: a cream-based dessert or an ice cake melts quickly. Ask the baker for a heat-stable recipe, or serve it indoors.
• Plan ice in quantity, usually more than you expect. It never runs short, except at the moment you need it.

Insects: discreet but very present

Wasps and bees are drawn to sweet things, mosquitoes to the cool of the evening and to water. Nothing dramatic if you thought of it, a real mess if you left a dessert buffet uncovered under a tree.

• Cover sweet drinks and desserts until the last moment, or serve them indoors.
• Put bins and leftovers away from the tables, and empty them regularly.
• In the evening, use citronella candles or discreet diffusers around the terrace.
• Keep a repellent and a soothing product in a corner of the welcome table or in the restrooms.
• Say on the wedding page that the party continues outdoors in the evening: guests prone to bites will take their own precautions.

Storms and backup plan: the plan everybody forgets

Beautiful hot summer days often end with a storm. You cannot predict it in advance, but you can decide in advance what you will do. A backup plan that only kicks in when the first drops fall is a plan too late.

1. Know where everyone can shelterA room, a tent or a marquee able to hold all guests seated, not just standing. Ask the venue explicitly, and visit it.
2. Set the decision deadlineAgree with the venue the time at which you move indoors if the sky threatens: in practice, one to two hours before the ceremony.
3. Plan the resetChairs, décor, sound, lighting: who moves what, and how fast? Give it to a point person, not to yourselves.
4. Watch the forecast in the days beforeA storm forecast around your date is something to follow: warn suppliers and keep the decision for the cut-off time.
5. Think safetyIn a storm you do not stay under trees or a light structure: the shelter must be solid, and the decision to go in is not up for debate.

Other summer-specific points

• Fireworks, lanterns, barbecues: in dry periods some areas impose restrictions. Check with the venue and the local authority before buying anything.
• Flowers: some cope badly with heat. Ask the florist what will last a day outdoors and how to keep them in the shade before the ceremony.
• Candles: outdoors in high summer they melt, and hurricane lamps are preferable.
• Children and older guests: a cool corner, water, a hat, and a schedule that does not exhaust them.

The timeline for a summer wedding