Here Comes the Rain Again.....

I was going to blog about something else entirely, but the weather here today has led me to another topic altogether! Living in the Midwest, we are accustomed to the sudden changes that the weather can bring. Today, we have tornado warnings in effect until early this evening, last night we had straight line wind whip through the area, uprooting trees, and the skies have that threatening look, like just about anything could happen. It reminds me of what happened a couple of years ago, when an F3 tornado ripped through an event I had in production, tossing a 120 x 60' tent into the lake, along with the lighting, staging, chivari chairs and everything else! With less than 48 hours left to put everything back together, we had our work cut out for us! We made it happen, and you can see the result in our Featured Weddings gallery under Laura & Christopher's Aug. 18, 2007 wedding.

All of this brings me to the point of my blog. If you are planning on having any part of your wedding outside (ceremony, cocktail hour, etc. ) , you absolutely must have an indoor plan in case of bad weather. Its imperative that you have things in place, so that if need be, you can easily transition from outside to inside. Its not ideal and its not at all what you've envisioned, BUT you've also not envisioned yourself stuck in a downpour in your duchess satin wedding gown either.

When do you make the call to move things inside? That can be tricky! I think you have to evaluate the weather forecast and make the call based on that information, as well as your comfort level. You also have to take into consideration, how long it will take to relocate everything. Its a call no one wants to have to make on their wedding day, but, why chance having everything ruined that you've paid for by wind, rain or hail? Not to mention the comfort and safety of everyone in attendance.

I never ever recommend having your entire reception outside, ever. Your guest tables will be so beautifully appointed with linens, china and floral, why risk that (and again, your guests) to the elements? Even if you have a beautiful sunny day, no one will want to sit in the hot sun while having their meal. Having a tent will ensure that everyone will be out of the weather, they will be shaded from the sun, or protected from the rain. Most musicians, bands and DJ's also require some type of shelter overhead, to again, protect their equipment and instruments.

Having a contingency plan just makes good planning sense. If you need to implement it, you can rest easy, knowing you have made plans to make the transition. It will help avoid chaos, frustration and panic on what should be, the happiest day of you life.

The Pond at Wood Meadow - Zedan/Bossung Wedding, August 23, '08

Here are a few images from the wedding of Carrie Zedan and Kyle Bossung. We will have many more images to share from this event on our Featured Weddings pages, so check back soon!
This wedding took place at the groom's parent's home - the ceremony was on the edge of a pond that was tucked away in a wooded area, and the reception took place in a grassy pasture. A horse drawn wagon took guests from their cars to the ceremony, where guests enjoyed a cool glass of lemonade while waiting for the big moment to arrive. Immediately following, guests were led to the cocktail area, where guests could enjoy a game of cornhole, a favorite of the bride and groom. Dinner and dancing followed inside the tent!

The Night The Lights Went Out In Culver

You've read the article in Wedding Essentials, seen the story on Michiana Weddings, I'm here to give you the inside scoop on what really happened the night an F3 tornado ripped through my client's event site, in mid-production - and how we pulled off putting it all back together in little over 48 hours.

My rental company, Burns Rentals, and I began production on our August 18, 2007 wedding on the Monday (Aug. 13) before the event. It was to take place in a 90 x 150' tent, on the shore of Lake Maxinkuckee, on the campus of Culver Military Academy, in Culver, IN. Every day leading up to the wedding had been carefully mapped out in pre-production meetings. It would take us every bit of time we had that week to put together what promised, to be an absolutely amazing event. By Wednesday evening, we were just a little ahead of our production for that day. The tents (cocktail, dining and catering) were up, liners installed, tables and chivari chairs were almost set and the 8' hand strung crystal chandeliers were being finished up. We felt happy and optimistic that we might even have a little bit of extra time to make final adustments and tweak details before the event was to begin.

We left the site around 7 pm that evening, leaving two gentlemen from the rental company to finish hand stringing the chandeliers. Later, at home that evening, while watching television, the local newschannel came on with news of high winds, and severe thunderstorms that were sweeping through our area. It started to get really scary when they were asking the viewers to take shelter due to tornado sightings.....and according to the doppler screen on TV, it was right where the event site was. I watched obsessively until around 11 pm, then made myself go to bed, trying to assure myself that surely, nothing would happen. Oh man how wrong I was.

Around 11:35 pm, an F3 tornado ripped across Lake Maxinkuckee, and you guessed it, right through the event site. Unbelievable! The rental guys left to finish the chandeliers were still there when the storm approached - they quickly got down off of the lift and ran for their vehicles. They called the rental company to let them know what was happening, and took off for some type of shelter. By 2:00 am, Burns had assembled a crew and were heading down to the site, with four box trucks and a bobcat, which had to be unloaded twice to move trees out of the roadway so they could continue to try and get to Culver. Once at the event site, using the headlights from their vehicles, we got our first look of what Mother Nature had left us. The site was in a complete shambles - the main dining tent (which is made to withstand 70 mph winds) had been lifted and moved 40-50' to the shore of the lake. The cocktail tent was upsidedown, on top of the dining tent, the metal structure of the chandeliers were sticking through the tent, the tent poles twisted like pipecleaners. The beautiful tent liners were ripped, muddy and twisted amongst bits of chivari chairs and broken tables. The crystal pieces from the chandeliers were strewn across the entire site, some pieces broken and now dangerously sharp. And the debris!! Trees, branches, leaves, mud, it looked like a war zone. I'm telling you it was a surreal moment, we all just stood there trying to take in what had happened.
We then looked at each other and said, now what???!!! A plan was devised, that I now like to call 'event disaster triage'. We began to pull the tents from the lake to access if they were destroyed, usable but in need of repair, or fine w/little damage. And so it went, with everything, chairs, tables, lighting, etc. Once everything was accessed, we then made lists of what inventory we needed to supplement what was destroyed and what needed to be repaired. The hitch here is that this is a wedding, in August, and by this point, rental items are going to be out from other rental companies, on other events.

More to come.....

Michiana Weddings also has the story of recreating everything after the tornado here.