How to plan a perfect wedding in the rainy season

Having an outdoor wedding is a dream for many brides (and grooms). However, not everyone can celebrate their big day in a good season, especially couples who (for various reasons) have to hold weddings in the second half of the year. Over the past 3 years, Meraki has done many rainy-day weddings. For that reason, we would love to share some helpful advice that can save you from wasting time…and tears.

The risks

• Apparently, your guests might get damp in the rain. Upon getting invited to a wedding, one would spend a great amount of time on outfits, hairstyle, make-up, etc.… Hence, the risk of ruining their make-up or destroying the newly bought shoes is a big no-no.
• Some of the decorations will go to waste. Flowers might be damaged if they stay under heavy rain t, and most importantly, tables, chairs and tableware are no longer hygienic for use.
• Heavy rain might dampen the grass and sometimes create puddles. This accident generates muddy feelings while people walk around, not to mention your wedding dress will be dirty and heavily ragged.
• Electricity is more dangerous in wet weather. Although most suppliers will cover and protect their equipment. Risks remain higher than usual, especially near the stage and aisle, where kids like to bounce around.
• Finally, the rain will more or less shift? the couple’s feelings because, obviously, they spent an enormous time adapting the wedding to their wishes.

How to stay away from such potential risks

First of all, avoid the rainy season if you can. In Southern Viet Nam, the rainy season usually begins in May and ends in November’ and Its peak falls from July to October. In the Central area, the season lasts from September to the end of February. Rainfall may last for an entire day, sometimes for several days. For that reason, you should consider having an outdoor wedding during those periods of time.

Always have a backup plan. Most wedding venues will have indoor spaces as backups for bad weather. However, the cost of reserving a lobby/hall and setting up both places is ridiculously high, so you should check the weather a couple of days ahead to ensure if it’s really safe to have an outdoor wedding decide whether to move inside a few days ahead. If your heart set on an outdoor wedding, there are 03 options to cover the space as per below:

POLE MARQUEE

This is the most affordable & the easiest structure to set up. Many suppliers offer white marquees that are used for weddings. Nonetheless, it is not strong enough against heavy wind; thus, it doesn’t provide great aesthetics as they need tons of ropes to fortify and extra space for poles. Pole marquees are best used for small weddings (50 – 120 people) initially or at the end of the rainy season, inside an area surrounded by trees or buildings (to avoid the wind).

FRAME MARQUEE

This option is slightly stronger than the pole marquee. Since frame marquee doesn’t require space for poles and ropes, it is most suitable for small events. However, the marquee roof is usually made of tarpaulin and the ceiling is considerably low, so decoration is a must. In general, it is suitable for ceremonies (transparent marquee is preferred) or dinners and offers a warm atmosphere for weddings with less than 100 people.

TRUSS MARQUEE

This is the strongest and the most expensive option. With a huge inner space, truss marquee is most suitable for large events. The disadvantage, however, is the long set-up time and once finished, it looks just like any regular indoor spaces. Therefore, the truss marquee will only fit in a few specific occasions, in which we don’t recommend using this option as your backup plan.

Making this choice can be a bit intimidating since there are so many options out there. We suggest that you do your own research, be decisive, and talk to a wedding professional in order to find the most suitable choice for your event.

Meraki’s advice

• Have your wedding reception indoor. The ceremony and after-partiy could be celebrated outdoors so you can still enjoy the finest moments without thinking much about the rain

• If you go for a pole marquee, talk to your decoration vendor to have it planned in the wedding layout. That would provide the best view for everyone while making sure your wedding is least affected by the rain.
• Even if it’s rain (or sunny), have an open mind and embrace every moment on your wedding day

To us, weddings in the rain are the one-of-a-kind type of event. Acknowledging the risks allows us to witness the optimism, enthusiasm, and shining love that families, friends, and guests lay on the couples. Those are indescribable feelings that common weddings are hard to bring about.