Although people often joke about southern California’s perfect 72 degrees year-round weather, we do actually have a rainy season.  The months of November through March are considered our wettest time of the year. So, if your event is falling in any month where rain could be a possibility, the best thing to do is to have a plan in place as soon as you begin planning your event. Here are some tips to help:

1)The Back Up Plan: As an event planner I have learned that you cannot predict everything, especially the weather. If you are planning an outdoor wedding, try to book a venue with an indoor location option as well, just in case. This way you can move your event inside at the last minute if you need too. Many of my clients like to have their ceremony outside and reception inside. In a pinch, you can use the inside reception area for both.  Just push the dinning tables to the back of the room during the ceremony.  Once the ceremony has concluded, move the tables and use the ceremony chairs for the dining seating.  Another option is to call a rental company and secure a tent as insurance if it rains. Keep in mind that a tent only works for light rain. Heavy rainfall will soak the ground, leaving guests with wet, muddy feet and possibly even breaking the tent.

2) Make Your Guests Comfortable: Think about your guests and how you can make them as comfortable as possible.  No one likes to get wet, especially if you are all dressed up.  See if your venue can provide canopies or large standing umbrellas (often used for sunny days, but can work great to keep the rain off as well). Provide individual umbrellas to your guests. Make them colorful or try to match to your color scheme. Also, ask your venue to provide absorbent towels to wipe down anything that might have gotten wet. A nice final touch would be to provide something warm and soothing.  At one event we provided a drink station and offered hot chocolate and coffee.

3) Protect Yourself: You have spent all day making yourself beautiful and have probably spent a lot of time and money getting your hair and makeup exactly right.  Remember to carry important makeup items with you for touch-ups or mess-ups caused by the rain.  Also, we ladies all know what bad weather can do to our hair.  Carry a small hairspray bottle to help misbehaving hair or frizzies caused by the rain. Make sure you have an extra large umbrella on hand to keep yourself and your dress as dry as possible. Ask your bridal party to help ensure that your dress does not get dirty.  Have them hold up all sides of your dress to prevent it from getting wet or muddy while you are walking around.  Another trick is to have an extra pair of slip-on shoes.  You can walk around in them and get them dirty, then when you have to, you can put your dress shoes on and no one will know.

4) Take A Deep Breath: Stay positive and don’t let the weather ruin your day. Take a deep breath and make the rain work for you.  You know what they say… rain is good luck!