Let’s Talk About… The Wind.

When couples think about weather and outdoor weddings, they usually think about one thing: RAIN. Is it going to rain? Do we need a tent? What’s the rain plan? But after years of outdoor events, we can tell you there is another four-letter word that deserves just as much attention. WIND.

And if you’ve ever worked an outdoor event in Arkansas, you probably just shuddered a little.

Wind doesn’t need rain. It doesn’t need thunder. Sometimes the sky is beautiful, the tables are set, the florals are finished, the draping is perfect—and then the wind decides it has other plans.

AND IT CAN CHANGE EVERYTHING IN A MATTER OF MINUTES.

We’ve watched glass shatter. We’ve watched plates, napkins and utensils fly off tables. We’ve chased linens and décor. We’ve watched hurricane votives—yes, hurricane votives, which feels a little insulting in hindsight—hit the ground and break. We’ve secured, weighted, tied, taped, zip-tied and improvised. And we’ve watched other vendors experience it, too.

This weekend, a fellow vendor and friend created an absolutely beautiful and stunning setup. Her frame tents were draped and everything looked fabulous. Then came the wind.

When her text came through, I could feel the panic in her words before I ever saw everything that had happened. Because I knew that feeling.

I knew exactly what it was like to stand there looking at hours—or days—of work that had been beautiful only minutes before. BECAUSE JUST LAST MONTH, IT HAPPENED TO US.

I didn’t post about that particular part of one of our September weddings. We weren’t the planners for that wedding. Serendipity Bliss was there as the rental company and decorator. Our team had worked for three days delivering, setting up and decorating an outdoor wedding. The tables were set. The chairs were placed. The centerpieces were finished. The linens were on. The lighting and décor were ready. We were essentially done.

And less than three hours before the wedding, the wind came through. In a matter of minutes, we went from done to crisis mode.

Glass broke. Table settings moved. Napkins and other pieces went flying. Décor shifted. Things we had carefully placed had to be removed, secured, replaced or completely rethought.

There wasn’t time to stand there and be upset about it.

There wasn’t time to mourn three days of work.

There was a wedding happening in less than three hours.

So you switch gears.

You pick up the broken glass. You chase down what can be saved. You remove what is no longer safe. You reset tables. You change the plan. You call in every available hand and start putting an event back together while Mother Nature continues to argue with you. That’s the part of event work most people never see. They see the finished pictures.

They don’t necessarily see the moment beforehand when a rental company, decorator, planner, florist, venue staff or other vendor is standing in the middle of what looks like absolute chaos thinking:

Okay. Now how do we fix this? And we do.

But there are also times when something simply can’t stay.

Draping can become a sail. Arches and backdrops can become unsafe. Glass can become a hazard. Lightweight décor can become a projectile. Even tents have wind limitations, and conditions can change quickly.

At that point, it isn’t about preserving the original design at all costs. It’s about protecting your guests, your vendors and the property around you.

And sometimes that means your event professionals have to make a decision you may not love. We may have to remove the draping. We may have to take down décor. We may have to change the ceremony setup. We may have to tell you that something beautiful simply cannot safely be used anymore. That’s not because we don’t care about how your wedding looks.

TRUST ME—WE CARE.

We may have spent three days building it. And it hurts us, too, to watch something we’ve worked so hard on get destroyed in minutes. That’s why an outdoor wedding needs more than a rain plan.

It needs a weather plan. Rain. Heat. Cold. Lightning.

And yes…THE WIND.

Because sometimes the biggest threat to your beautifully set outdoor reception isn’t a thunderstorm. It’s a perfectly sunny Arkansas afternoon with a forecast that says: Winds SSW 5 mph.

HAH. Nope. Try 15–20 mph. Windy. Breezy. Blustery. Gusty. Whatever cute little word the weather app wants to use for it.

Meanwhile, every wedding vendor within a 50-mile radius is quietly muttering very unprofessional words under their breath. 😂

Plan for the rain. Plan for the heat. And for the love of all things wedding, please plan for the wind.

— Christie
Planned By Christie | Serendipity Bliss