HURRICANE ON YOUR WEDDING DAY? HERE IS WHAT TO DO
Hurricane Season is Here!
If you live in Florida, then you know that you can pretty much expect rain showers every day during the late summer to mid fall. You also know that the possibility of a hurricane is high. Unfortunately, the weather is one thing that we cannot control about your wedding.
I always express the need for weather contingency plans to all of my brides. They always respond with “It’s not going to rain on my wedding day!” Let me clear the air, I am not talking about a little rain story that happens everyday around 3 pm. I am referring to the impact that strong force winds and flooding can have on your wedding. What is the back-up plan if the roof on your venue collapses? What is the plan if your outdoor venue is flooded? What will you do if you’re on your way to your ceremony and a mandatory evacuation is announced? Obviously, we do not want any of this to happen, but i am here to help you be better prepared!
Wedding Insurance
If you are getting married, i highly recommend getting Wedding Insurance! There are two types of Wedding Insurance, Event liability & Event Cancellation/Postponement insurance. Event liability is there to protect you if a guest damages the venue or if a guest is injured at your event. With event Cancellation/ Postponement you will be able to get the money back that you may lose from deposits. This brings me to my next point..
Contracts
Make sure you sit down with all of your vendors to discuss what would happen should a hurricane occur on or before your wedding day. What if the venue is damaged? Would they still be able to accommodate your wedding? Do they have a generator big enough for your wedding size? What if the road to your venue is closed? What if the boutique you purchased your gown at gets flooded and your dress is ruined? What if your photographers equipment gets damaged? These are all very important questions to ask.
carefully review your contracts!!! Most contracts should have a natural disaster clause. This will void the contract and entitle you to a refund should a hurricane occur. Some vendors may give full refunds and some may give partial refunds. this is where your insurance will help out.
Also, check your contracts for a rescheduling clause. This allows you to reschedule your wedding date without losing your deposits or incurring additional charges.
Contingency Plan
If you are getting married during hurricane season then you need to have a contingency plan. I recommend having that plan set months in advance so that you are not scrambling around to make plans at the last minute. If there is not a mandatory evacuation and you plan to move forward with your wedding then you should consider including a backup venue, alternative routes in case of road closures, and time delays in your backup plan. You may even think about renting generators yourself if your venue does not have one. I also suggest a person or a method for keeping your guests (and vendors) informed as things change.
Make the Call
It is not an easy decision, but once you have talked to your vendors on how they feel about working in possible hurricane weather, and you have talked through the pros and cons with your loved ones, it is time to decide whether to proceed or postpone. Safety should always be the number-one factor in your decision. also, the sooner you make the call, the better.
Other options to consider are moving the wedding start time up or back a couple hours, downsizing the event, postponing and rescheduling the event, or getting married just the two of you on your date and celebrating with your loved ones at a later date.