Planning • 6 min read
Planning for wet and humid weather at your event
British summers are unreliable and getting muggier. Here is how to build a plan that copes with rain, heat and everything in between.
There is no such thing as a rain-proof outdoor event in the UK — only events that have planned for rain and events that have not. The Met Office long-term picture is for wetter winters and hotter, more humid summer spells, which means the two risks now sit on the same day: a downpour at three o'clock and 28 degrees of sticky heat by seven.
The good news is that almost every weather problem is solved weeks in advance, on paper, for far less money than it costs on the day.
Decide your wet-weather plan before you book
Ask any venue you are considering one question: if it rains all day, where does everything happen and how long does the changeover take? If the answer is vague, or the indoor space seats half your guest list, that is your answer about the venue rather than about the weather.
Where a marquee is involved, agree a cut-off time with your supplier for adding sides, flooring or extra heating. Most companies need 48 to 72 hours' notice; ask for the cost of each option in writing at contract stage so a last-minute decision is not also a last-minute negotiation.
Ground conditions matter more than rainfall
A field that took 30mm of rain three days earlier is a bigger problem than 5mm on the day. Walk the site with your marquee and production suppliers, agree vehicle routes, and budget for trackway or matting if deliveries have to cross grass. Chalky Surrey downland drains fast; heavy clay in the low weald does not.
- Hard standing or trackway for catering and production vehicles
- Covered walkways between ceremony, dining and loos
- Flooring rather than bare grass under the dance floor
- A pile of clean umbrellas at every entrance
Humidity is a catering and comfort problem
Warm, damp air ruins buttercream, softens canapé pastry, wilts foliage and makes a full marquee unbearable within an hour. Talk to your caterer about menus that hold at temperature, move dairy-heavy desserts into refrigerated storage on site, and ask your florist for varieties that tolerate heat.
For guests, the fixes are simple and cheap: open the marquee gable ends, hire fans, put water stations where people queue, keep a shaded seating area for older guests, and move the ceremony 30 minutes later so the sun is off the seats.
Write the decision down
Put one named person in charge of calling the weather decision, give them a deadline and a checklist, and tell every supplier who that person is. On the day nobody should be debating whether to move the drinks reception indoors — they should be executing a plan that was agreed weeks earlier.
