Is it going to rain at two o'clock
The couple chose the lakeside lawn for their ceremony. On the morning, the forecast shows showers from early afternoon. The duty manager, the coordinator and the couple talk at 9am and decide to wait. At 11am, it looks worse, and they decide to move inside. The setup team has already put out chairs on the lawn. The florist has built the arch outside. The photographer, the musicians and the registrar need to know. The bar needs to change where drinks are served.
Each person is told separately, and the registrar is only told when they arrive.
The plan exists in principle, not in detail
Most venues tell couples there is a wet weather option. What is often missing is the detail: exactly how the indoor room is laid out, what changes for drinks and photos, who decides and by when, and who needs to be told.
- The indoor alternative is agreed, but its layout is not planned.
- No decision time is set, so the call keeps being put off.
- The couple is asked on the morning, when they are least able to decide calmly.
- Suppliers and the registrar are told individually.
- Guests are not told where to go.
A late call is a stressful call
Leaving the decision late means setting up twice, stressing the couple, and teams working from different assumptions. Suppliers who were not told arrive at the wrong place. The coordinator spends the morning on the phone. A clear decision made at an agreed time, with everyone told at once, avoids most of this.
We do not advise on safety decisions in poor weather. Your own policies and your duty manager decide. We make the plan and the communication clear.
How we build a wet weather plan for each wedding
- During planning, the couple chooses their indoor alternative from your options, and the layout, timings and any changes for drinks and photos are recorded as the wet weather version of their running order.
- A decision time is agreed with the couple in advance, along with who makes the final call on the day.
- In the days before the wedding, the forecast for your location is checked and shown to the coordinator and couple, so nobody is surprised.
- At the decision time, the duty manager chooses dry or wet on a phone. The choice is recorded.
- One message goes to every team and supplier on the wedding's list, including the registrar or celebrant, showing the plan that now applies to them.
- Setup, bar and front of house views switch to the wet weather layout and timings, and signage for guests can be printed or displayed.
| Item | Dry plan | Wet plan |
|---|---|---|
| Ceremony | Lakeside lawn | Orangery, rows of your agreed layout |
| Drinks reception | Terrace | Great hall |
| Group photos | Lawn | Main staircase |
| Decision | Agreed time on the day | Named decision maker |
On a changeable morning
The couple knows the decision time and trusts the plan they chose months ago. The duty manager makes the call once, and everyone is told together. Setup builds once. Suppliers arrive at the right place. The coordinator spends the morning with the couple instead of on the phone.
Is your rain plan this vague?
- Wet weather plans are agreed in principle but not detailed.
- The call is made on the morning with no set time.
- Setup has had to be redone after a late decision.
- Suppliers and the registrar were told separately or late.
- Couples have been asked to decide under pressure on the day.