Air Conditioning -- What Not To Do In Hot Weather

Yesterday I mentioned that it's important to have air conditioning at your venue if you are getting married in the middle of the summer, but here's what you don't want to do.  Or better yet, what you don't want your venue to do.

We went to a wedding in early July and of course the venue had air conditioning on because it was hot out.  The vents at this venue were in the floor and unfortunately for us, and about six other tables, the vents were placed around the rim of the room.  Right where our tables were placed.

The vents weren't directly under the tables.  They were directly under three of the chairs of these six tables, and unfortunately for me and Dave, we were stuck right over them.

Needless to say we were freezing!

So if you notice that your venue's vents are on the floor, please ask the location manager not to place any chairs your guests may sit on over them.

Scouting Locations

If you're getting married in the town you currently live in then scouting the ceremony and reception sites won't be hard. You'll probably visit a few different locations before settling on the perfect venue for your wedding. But, if you're planning to get married somewhere else - a destination wedding - finding a ceremony and reception site may not be as easy.

Looking online, reading local wedding magazines and hiring a local wedding planner are all things I recommend doing in order to help you find the perfect venue. However, I do not recommend signing a contract with any venue until you get a chance to see it in person. You don't want to fall in love with a site based on images from their Web site and then get there and find out the place you already gave a deposit to isn't exactly how it looked in the pictures.

Take the time to visit the city you are getting married in, scout a few locations and meet with several vendors while you're there. You can even make the trip a mini-moon. Throw in some romantic meals and relaxation time and enjoy some time away.

Parks Make Romantic Settings

I was looking up information on getting a permit to have a party in a New York City park and came across an entire section on having a wedding in one of the parks in any of the five boroughs. And while I found this link interesting, I just loved that there was a related link at the bottom of the page specifically for their picks on the most "picturesque" spots for a wedding.

The list of the most romantic parks in New York City for a wedding included multiple locations where—and I quote—you will often find New Yorkers hand-in-hand (or, sometimes, lip-to-lip).

Getting married in a park, whether in NYC or your hometown, is always a lovely setting but you need to remember that a Plan B in case of inclement weather is a must. Ask your local parks department what your options are if it rains. Some parks may have an indoor location you can use but others may not have another option for you. If they don't have a backup plan you'll have to arrange for one. Hopefully you won't have to use it!