The weather is the one thing that you can’t control when planning your wedding. You can make a rain plan and create alternative setups in advance, but sometimes weddings get hit by bigger things than rain. It’s never easy to consider that your wedding may be affected by a natural disaster, but being prepared and knowing how to handle the situation if you’re affected can keep a bad situation from becoming even worse.

 

Get in touch with your vendors.

First things first, check in with all of your wedding vendors. Talk to them about your contract with them and what it means if you need to move locations or postpone the date. Each vendor will have different policies on how they deal with these situations, so make sure to read your contracts carefully in advance to avoid any unfortunate surprises. If you’re facing or have been hit by a natural disaster, having a conversation with each vendor is going to be extremely important when making the decision on what to do about your wedding.

 

Keep your guests in the loop.

This is especially important if you have many out-of-town guests that planned to travel for your wedding. Keep your guests updated on the disaster and your plans for your wedding date. The more you let them know and the farther in advance you can tell them of a cancellation or postponement, the more appreciative they’ll be.

 

Try not to panic.

It’s never easy, but remember the reason you’re getting married in the first place. Staying calm and having patience is going to make the process a lot easier to deal with, and make vendors more likely to want to help you in the situation. If the vendors are all local to you, then they are worried about the same disaster, and probably also contacting multiple clients, so try to remain calm and kind while you work out a solution.

Make a decision.

Eventually you’re going to have to decide what you want to do. Can move locations to be out of the way of the disaster or will you need to postpone the date altogether? Stay up to date on the weather forecast in advance if you can, and use the conversations with your vendors to make an informed decision. Be smart with your choice and remember that choosing to postpone the date beforehand could be better than choosing not to and having your vendors and guests not be able to show up.

 

Plan ahead.

If you decide to go through with the wedding, make sure to let vendors and guests know that the wedding is still happening. Consider options like holding the ceremony but rescheduling the reception for another time if you’re still concerned. Make sure to check with your venue on safety procedures, and plan to have generators in the event that you lose power. Put some extra time into your timeline, in case people are running late or issues arise that push back the events of the day.

 

Purchase wedding insurance.

This is definitely something you would have done in advance, but it’s a must for every couple. Purchasing wedding insurance at the start of your wedding planning process will ensure that you’re covered in the event that a natural disaster does impact your wedding. Policies are usually easy to get and fairly inexpensive, and even though you hope you don’t need it, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

 

Keeping these tips in mind will make dealing with the terrible weather a little bit easier, and will help keep you, your vendors, and your guests all safe. When you do finally get to say “I do,” be thankful for the day and all the people that were able to show up for you!