Rain on your wedding day. It’s supposed to be good luck!
Still, no one wants it to rain on their wedding day. Especially, when the ceremony is planned to be outdoors. A backup plan is always necessary for outdoor ceremonies. The question is, when to call it?
Most venues implement the rain plan the night prior to the ceremony. If there’s a good chance it’s going to rain, your venue needs to know where to set up the next day to properly prepare the space.
There’s often a tendency of couples to want to wait until the last minute to see if it will rain. I completely understand the desire behind this! Perhaps you’ve paid for a venue with a beautiful outside view, or have always dreamed of getting married under the open sky. These are all very good reasons to want to wait and watch the weather.
Unfortunately, instruments cannot be outside even if it’s only barely raining. Wooden instruments are very delicate; as such rain will destroy the instrument. Your guests also won’t enjoy sitting on wet chairs and getting drizzled on.
There are ways around this of course. If you have your heart set on an outdoor wedding, and do not want your backup plan to be indoors, tents can be rented. As long as the tents have sides, you and your guests (and musicians) will be protected from the elements.
A few years back I performed at a wedding that decided to forego their rain plan and still have the ceremony in an open field. Unfortunately, it was drizzling and no tent was provided at the ceremony site. Due to the rain, my harp had to be positioned in the tented reception space more than fifty feet from the ceremony. Luckily, due to the harps incredible projection, and amplification, the sound was able to travel to the ceremony for the guests to hear. However, the guests were rained on, and the bride and groom walked down the aisle in the rain. It was uncomfortable for the guests, and I imagine a huge disappointment to the bride who had spent so much time getting ready.
Often venues have a lovely indoor space for weddings to take place. If they have the notification the day prior to the wedding, they can make this space look incredible. It is for this reason that I suggest listening to your venues and their experience when it comes to rain plans. Your guests and musicians will thank you!