Your wedding day is the most important day of your life and you obviously want everything to go as perfect as possible, including the weather. Rain is not something you generally pray for or cheer about on your wedding day. I get that. You want sunshine and clear skies. And as a bride, you might be tempted to check the forecast for your big day.
What I ask you NOT to do is check the forecast weeks before your wedding. Weather forecasters are making predictions based on weather patterns, but it is not an exact science. Remember, these are predictions. Even the week of your wedding, the weather can change. Usually, you can rely on a forecast prediction a couple of days out, but even then, it can still change. I know you’ve seen this before, expecting it to rain when it doesn’t. I remember a couple of weeks ago we ended up at Six Flags for the day with hardly anyone there because even 24 hours out it was predicted to rain all day and it didn’t rain at all. Please, do not stress yourself out weeks before your wedding checking forecast predictions. There are a lot of things you can control the day of your wedding. The weather is not one, so don’t worry about what may or may not happen.
And understand that if it does rain on your wedding day, it will be okay! At the end of the day, you will be MARRIED and that’s all that matters. With my experience and expertise, I can make it work for you on a rainy day. Trust my abilities and work and don’t stress. I’ll take care of you.
I recently interviewed Laura Belanger who is a Senior Service Hydrologist and Meteorologist for the National Weather Service. We worked together at Chick-Fil-A back in high school and I knew she worked for the National Weather Service today, so I wanted to get her opinion on the subject. Here’s what she had to say:
“Whether you’re having an indoor or outdoor wedding, the weather is always a concern. Most forecast services, whether a government or private entity, can provide some kind guidance for what is expected on your wedding day at least 7 days out. Some of these forecast groups boast a 10 to 20 day forecast. A large part of these longer-term forecasts is a combination of typical weather conditions for the time of year and a big-picture outlook on expected weather systems. The forecast becomes more tailored and refined about 3-5 days out, and hourly weather forecasts can really be pin-pointed well in the 0-36 hour out range.
In the government sector, rainfall forecasts 4-7 days out are often an average of rain chances over a 6-12 hour period. It’s not until you are within 3 days out that rain chances are produced hourly. What may have originally been a 90% chance of rain all Saturday afternoon may end up being a 90% chance of rain at noon, with quickly clearing conditions through the rest of the day. So don’t panic!
Brides may also need to consider the time of year when making decisions on the forecast. For example, in Georgia in the summertime, nearly every afternoon and evening it rains somewhere in the state. That may translate to just a 20-40% chance of rain, but you can count on hit-and-miss showers and thunderstorms with that forecast. In contrast, during the winter, we have less pop-up thunderstorms and more organized weather systems that bring rain (like a line of thunderstorms moving through). A 20-40% chance of rain during the cooler season may be less of a concern.
Bottom line, unless you are contractually obligated to make a decision about vendors or venue more than 3 days out from your special day, DON’T! Instead, stay alert to changes in the forecast, and if needed, start preparing to implement backup arrangements. And if necessary, you can always contact your local National Weather Service office.”
Thank you Laura, for your helpful guidance and words of advice to brides out there! I know the ones who read this post will appreciate the information you have provided.
I will add this: a rainy day wedding isn’t the worst thing either. If you haven’t seen one of my favorite rainy day weddings, you should check it out and see how awesome a clear umbrella can add to your day.
I wish couples wouldn’t stree too much about the weather. With that said, when I first meet with a couple I always ask them what their plan B is in case it rains. It starts to get them thinking about options. That way if it does rain, none of us need to stress.
Yes! Plan B is always important that they like it and are okay with the backup option!
Hi mandi! Found you in the KJ group! Thank you for sharing this. I find this is exactly right. We live in Tennessee and our weather people are notoriously wrong about 60% of the time, so I never pay much attentiaon to the forecast in general, but especially for the long term forecast. Glad I stumbled on your blog with such helpful tips! Sharing to my FB group so others can read it! Thank you for writing!
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and share your thoughts! I appreciate you sharing the post! I hope your clients find it helpful as well!
This is such good advice! It’s hard not to stress over something you have no control over but it’s so true!
great advice, the weather forecast is so inaccurate you never know how it’s actually going to turn out. I love rainy wedding photos….the colours are always so vivid
Great post! Another great site to predict your wedding day weather is weddingrainchecker – they offer a a free report comparing historical data! 🙂
Hi! My name is Josh, and I am a meteorologist. My wife and I recently started a small consulting business called YourCast to help with these kinds of decisions! As a meteorologist, I am able to use past weather data and an understanding of future patterns to provide statistics that help people choose the best date (even even location, if selecting between multiple cities) for their event. Just like Mandi’s blog states, you always want to have an indoor backup plan but I can sort out for you dates that have say a 60% historical chance of rain versus 30%… or days that have an 80% chance of being above 70 degrees versus a 50% chance. Basically… any weather variable you want to know about, I can find. And you get a person, not a computerized database that can put the numbers into context for you 🙂