How to beat the heat
Virginia Wedding Weather
Virginia wedding weather is as unpredictable as politics. Let me tell you my experience. In 2017 I shot a December 9 wedding in Richmond Virginia and it snowed at least 3 inches. If you know anything about the South East of Virginia you know we don’t usually see snow until mid January and it’s still kind of rare. A few months later in February I shot a wedding and it was 80° and sunny. The bride had planned her wedding hoping to have a cold and cozy February day, and instead it felt more like May. Not long after that I did a wedding in early July that felt like a beautiful April day with a decent amount of wind. I would never put money in a gamble when it comes to Virginia weather!
So when you’re choosing your wedding date hoping to capture the perfect day just keep in mind you really can’t ever rely on Virginia to have normal weather.
Hot Days and What To Expect
So let’s talk about those really hot Virginia wedding weather and what you can expect.
You can expect not just the men to be hot, but the women to be hot as well. The women might not be wearing suits with jackets and many layers, but those dresses can get very hot underneath. Most wedding dresses have at least three layers and they’re very tight in the middle. It can cause some anxiety when trying to walk around and enjoying the day when it’s 100% humid.
Your guests might walk a little bit slower when it’s hot outside so things can take a little bit longer. Family portraits can be a little more challenging especially for the elderly and for moms with babies.
Your flowers will wilt a lot faster in the heat. This might mean that by the reception your bouquet might not look all that appealing. Florist these days do everything they can, but sometimes the flowers cannot beat the heat.
Top 10 Tips to Beat The Heat
UGH! So what can you do?
Here are my top 10 tricks to help you beat hot Virginia wedding weather!
- Have a day of wedding coordinator! Well, this is ALWAYS going to be in my advice no matter what your day looks like, but at least with the wedding coordinator they can be armed with what you need when you need it. You will need the extra help because moving around too much is painful in the heat.
- Have everyone armed and fully supplied with cold bottled water. It’s amazing what Cold water can do from the inside out! Just always have it on hand and or within reach.
- Take lots of breaks and make sure you plan to be inside throughout the day.
- Make sure your ceremony is not in direct sunlight at the time you have your ceremony. Not everyone can visit their venue in the same season and time of day that their ceremony will be held so you might not realize that the sun is right overhead and beating down on your guests. Do some research and figure out where the sun may be at the time of your ceremony and prepare for that.
- Provide a place for your guests to take a break from the heat. This may mean an indoor location in the AC.
- Make sure your family portraits are not taken very far from cocktail hour or from where the ceremony was held. A long walk will exhaust your guests a lot sooner and might be difficult for the elderly.
- Hire a makeup artist that knows how to deal with humidity. It’s amazing what make up can do these days! A good makeup artist well make sure your make up stays on throughout the whole day even in high humidity.
- Prioritize your portrait time. Obviously as a photographer this is important to me, but if you have your ceremony outside followed by an hour worth of portraits (family, bridal party, couples portraits) you could look at being out in the hot weather for two hours or more without a break. If you are planning a wedding in August, possibly choose to have an indoor ceremony or a first look with portraits earlier in the day.
- Keep your bouquet in the refrigerator for as long as possible. When you visit your venue ask where the refrigerator is and make sure you have space for your bouquet! And throughout the day just tuck it away in that fridge in between portraits in the morning and ceremony to keep them fresh!
- Consider letting your groom and groomsmen not wear jackets! Rolled up sleeves look pretty good on guy and they will thank you for it!
You can have a beautiful day outside when it’s 100° and 100% humidity! Planning well for your hot Virginia wedding weather with your photographer and wedding planner will ensure that! We’ve been through it all and we know what to do and we have a lot of advice to give!
Check out these summer wedding days!
