If you’re planning a marquee wedding in the UK and are looking for tips and advice, keep checking back to the One Curious Dream blog for lots of wedding ideas and inspiration! Today, Jo Pyman at One Curious Dream explains how you can protect your marquee wedding from adverse weather!

As a specialist marquee wedding planner, one of the most common concerns that my wedding planning couples raise is, you guessed it, the Great British weather!

In a year that’s seen a wide range of weather conditions (yep, heatwave and gale-force winds, I’m talking to you), navigating the challenges of managing adverse weather on your wedding isn’t for the faint-hearted! So, here are my top tips to make sure your marquee wedding (or tipi wedding) runs to perfection in the case of adverse weather on your wedding day.

Marquee Wedding Planner – Tip 1: Choose a larger marquee for your wedding

Trust me, I know that if you’ve chosen to host this style of wedding, you’ll be glued to the weather like a hawk in the lead-up to your big day. Thankfully, if you’re working with a wedding planner, they’ll have already taken some necessary steps to weatherproof your wedding long before the wedding day!

It’s very likely that whilst plan A was always to have drinks, seating and areas to socialise in the beautiful spaces outside of your marquee, we’ll have already booked a slightly larger structure to accommodate not only your dining and dancing but to allow room in case your reception drinks need to go undercover too.

Booking a marquee with plenty of space that can easily be used should the weather take a turn for the worse is essential.

Marquee Wedding Planner, Tip 2 I Think about the ceremony!

So many of my wedding planning couples opt for an outdoor ceremony, and it’s safe to say I’m an absolute sucker for a woodland, lakeside or any kind of wedding ceremony that takes place in a beautiful, natural open space.

However, do remember that the ceremony IS the most important part of the day, your nearest and dearest have all gathered to see you get married, so don’t leave this part of the day as an afterthought.

Again, having a solid plan b is essential, firstly, check whether your wedding venue has an indoor space that the ceremony can be moved to in case of rain and if that isn’t the case – see point 1 above – does your marquee have enough space to host your ceremony as well? If space is a little tighter in your marquee, you could host a standing only ceremony to save chairs being laid out – this gives a lovely, informal feel

Marquee Wedding Planner Tip 3 I Think about your outfit choice!

Regardless of whether you’re getting married in winter or summer, thinking about your wedding outfit in line with the ‘what if’s is essential. Let’s face it, getting married in the height of summer in the UK still doesn’t guarantee sunshine or a rain-free day, so be prepared for any weather.

Having a pair of wellies on hand is particularly useful for couples having a marquee wedding as generally these are held in open, outdoor spaces that can potentially get bogged down and soggy in the event of a severe downpour. Plus, wellies make for fantastic photographs and are the perfect accessory for couples who are hosting a festival wedding.

Similarly, even if you are blessed with beautiful sunshine, it will still get chillier in the evening, so having a wrap, shawl or snuggly blankets on hand will pay off.

Marquee wedding planner tip 4 I Communicate the wedding timeline

Whilst your wedding planner will be on-site to make any weather-related judgement calls; it’s worth communicating any wet weather plans to key members of your bridal party so that they are prepared in case plan B needs to be implemented. Your wedding planner will brief all of your suppliers in advance so, like the A-team, they’ll be ready to spring into action should the worst happen!

Marquee Wedding Planner tip 5 I Embrace every moment!

As a multi-award-winning wedding planner, the one thing I sadly can’t control is the weather – BUT, here’s a little secret for you – no matter what happens, it doesn’t matter one iota! Honestly, you’ll be with the one you love, glowingly happy and surrounded by your nearest and dearest, so the last thing you’ll be thinking about is the weather.

The likelihood is that even if the weather doesn’t play ball, it probably won’t be adverse all day so you’ll still have time to get outside and be in the open air, capturing those unforgettable memories with your photographer. Oh, and did I mention, photographers adore clouds and rainy settings – it makes for some killer photos, like the one above!

As an award-winning marquee wedding event planner, I’d love to help bring your marquee wedding plans to life. You can reach me on [email protected] or 0800 772 0765.